Yogyakarta, September 12, 2026 — The Graduate School of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (SPs UNY) reaffirmed its commitment to improving human resource quality through an institutional Community Service (PkM) program. Titled “Training for Excellence in Human Resource Development for Lecturers at Universitas Katolik Indonesia (UNIKA) Santu Paulus Ruteng, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara,” the program was held online via Zoom Meeting on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB). The initiative formed part of SPs UNY’s efforts to make a tangible contribution to lecturers’ academic development, particularly in research, scientific publication, and competency development in higher education. It also served to strengthen cooperation between SPs UNY and UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng, especially in improving the quality of academic human resources.

The event was attended by SPs UNY Director Prof. Dr. Siswantoyo, M.Kes., AIFO.; Deputy Director for Planning, General Affairs, and Finance and Head of the Community Service Team Prof. Dr. Yudanto, M.Pd.; Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Research, and Cooperation Prof. Dr. Dyah Kumalasari, M.Pd.; Coordinator of the Doctoral Distance Learning Program in Educational Sciences and member of the Community Service Team Prof. Dr. Anik Ghufron, M.Pd.; and Coordinator of the Doctoral Distance Learning Program in Technology and Vocational Education Prof. Dr. Putu Sudira, M.P. Also in attendance was Yuyun Sri Wahyuni, M.A., Ph.D., Coordinator of the Publications and Journals Unit at SPs UNY, who served as the main trainer. Representing UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng was its Rector, Dr. Agustinus Manfred Habur, Lic., Theol., along with members of the faculty. The participation of leaders from both institutions highlighted the importance of this initiative in strengthening their partnership and fostering sustainable academic development.

The Community Service program began with a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) session on the study progress of students from UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng enrolled in SPs UNY’s Distance Learning Program (PJJ) doctoral programs. This session played an important role in ensuring that students’ academic progress and support arrangements remained aligned with established targets. In his remarks, SPs UNY Director Prof. Dr. Siswantoyo, M.Kes., AIFO., expressed his appreciation for the progress made by UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng lecturers pursuing their studies. Currently, 26 UNIKA lecturers enrolled in doctoral programs at SPs UNY have reached the dissertation proposal examination stage. This progress is a positive indicator of the collaboration established between SPs UNY and UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng. Continued academic and institutional support is expected to help students complete their studies on time while producing high-quality scholarly work. Similar appreciation was expressed by UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng Rector Dr. Agustinus Manfred Habur, Lic., Theol., who acknowledged SPs UNY’s support in accelerating the completion of doctoral studies among UNIKA lecturers. The collaboration is expected not only to help them progress toward graduation more efficiently but also to contribute to improving academic quality and research at UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng.

Following the monitoring and evaluation session, the program continued with training aimed at strengthening research quality among UNIKA lecturers and Distance Learning Program students pursuing doctoral degrees at SPs UNY. The session featured Yuyun Sri Wahyuni, M.A., Ph.D., as the speaker. Participants received guidance on developing research with a strong academic foundation, rigorous methodology, and original scholarly contributions. One of the key messages emphasized was that doctoral-level research should go beyond descriptive findings and demonstrate strong academic arguments and clear scholarly contributions.

The training covered the Research Quality Framework, the development of research questions as the driving force behind research, and strategies for understanding and formulating research gaps. Participants were also introduced to various types of research gaps, including empirical, theoretical, conceptual, methodological, explanatory, and epistemological gaps. In addition, the speaker emphasized the importance of treating the literature review as a space for academic argumentation rather than merely a summary of articles or a list of previous studies. Through a strong literature review, researchers are expected to map existing knowledge, identify tensions or unresolved issues in the literature, discover research gaps, and position their proposed studies appropriately. The session also highlighted the importance of alignment among the research question, theory, data, method, analysis, and claims. This alignment provides a critical foundation for avoiding research misalignment and ensuring that conclusions can be scientifically justified.

Beyond the research process itself, the training also provided insights into developing research findings into scholarly works suitable for publication. Discussions were interactive and included strategies for publishing in reputable international journals. Participants demonstrated considerable enthusiasm throughout the event, as reflected in their active engagement during the discussion and question-and-answer sessions. Particular attention was given to improving research quality, identifying research gaps, strengthening arguments in literature reviews, and positioning research findings to make meaningful contributions to the advancement of knowledge.

Through this Community Service initiative, SPs UNY hopes that the capacity-building outcomes will extend beyond the training sessions and be applied sustainably in lecturers’ academic activities. Strengthening research and publication skills is expected to support lecturers in fulfilling the Three Pillars of Higher Education—education, research, and community service—while improving the quality of dissertations produced by those pursuing doctoral degrees. The initiative also reinforces SPs UNY’s role not only as a postgraduate education provider but also as a strategic partner in developing excellent human resources, strengthening research culture, and enhancing the academic capacity of partner universities.

The collaboration between SPs UNY and UNIKA Santu Paulus Ruteng is expected to continue growing through further academic programs and community service initiatives. With sustained synergy, lecturer competency development is expected to produce highly qualified academic professionals and contribute more broadly to improving the quality of higher education in Indonesia, particularly in East Nusa Tenggara. (EA)