These Lawyers Donate Billions for the Oldest Law School in Indonesia
The contribution of alumni to the development of their alma mater’s law school set a good example toward the independent development of law education quality.
There was an interesting moment when hukumonline toured the campus of Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia (FHUI), Depok last weekend. In many spaces within the campus of the oldest law school in Indonesia you will see a number of plaques marking the inauguration ceremony of renovated spaces displayed neatly. Interestingly, the plaques also displayed the sponsors of the space renovation to recognize alumni contribution.
At a glance, the situation will make you feel like being in a large museum that records the historic works of FHUI alumni for their alma mater. Some spaces are even named with law firm belonging to alumni who donated funds for renovation.
Last Friday afternoon (13/7), FHUI campus has just inaugurated a room renovated by a corporate law firm in Jakarta. Nurjadin Sumono Mulyadi & Partners (NSMP) sponsored the renovation of the Meeting Room of the Board of Professors and the Faculty Academic Senate into a multimedia room equipped with video conference facilities. NSMP is a corporate law firm established by FHUI alumni. Iwan Nurjadin, Ilya Sumono, Mulyadi Dewanto Suharto and Irawati Chandra are among the partners in NSMP law firm.
But they are not the first. In a special wall of fame, FHUI put on a dedicated display to give appreciation and recognition to alumni who have been contributing to the development of the campus. Especially in renovating a number of facilities FHUI to become more modern and comfortable to support lectures. A number of big law firms are seen on the display. There is also a number of prominent lawyers that contribute on behalf of themselves.
Manager of General Affairs of FHUI, Wardi, explained to hukumonline that alumni donations in the form of renovation of the spaces have long existed. At least in the last ten years there have been a number of renovated spaces from donations of FHUI alumni who generally work as lawyers.
Wardi explained the value of this contribution is quite large in nominal which is even worth hundreds of millions to billions of rupiah. “There were some that were worth up to 1 billion,” he said when met hukumonline, Thursday (7/19).
The inauguration plaques and naming the room with a certain name upon the consent of the sponsor is a form of appreciation that becomes a tradition. Later FHUI even provided a wall of fame in the FHUI park area as a tribute to alumni’s contribution.
Wardi mentioned S & T Multimedia Room as one of the pilot projects of space renovation by alumni donations. S & T Advocates law firm renovated the room to be fully equipped with multimedia facilities. This 215,46 sqm room can accommodate 100 people for seminars, presentations, lectures or meetings. This room also features a video conference facility.
Rahmat Sadeli Soebadi Soemadipradja and Hafzan Taher are respectively FHUI alumni who since 1991 built S & T Advocates law firm. S & T Room is known as one of the favorite spaces of the students and other academic community of FHUI to do activities. In addition to the room, S & T Advocates also sponsored the renovation the indoor sports field in FHUI.
There is another Makes Room in Building D FHUI renovated by Makes & Partners law firm. This 168.91 m2 room on the third floor is daily used for lectures. With a capacity of 130 people, this room is equipped with audiovisual equipment to support various presentations. Yozua Makes is an alumnus of FHUI who founded Makes & Partners Law Firm in 1993.
Not only the room, through its Plataran Group—resort business he owned—Yozua Makes also renovated the courtyard on the green area of the FHUI campus with its sleek design equipped with an open stage for the show.
There are also spaces renovated without special naming. Like the lecture room on the second floor of FHUI Building E is known as Room E205 donated by Hanafiah Ponggawa & Partners (HPRP). The lecture room has a capacity of 70 people, a room with 120.68 m2 audiovisual equipment is used daily for lectures. One of the founding partners of HPRP, Al Hakim Hanafiah is also an alumnus of FHUI.
The lecturers’ rooms were also renovated thanks to alumni’s sponsors. For example, the Constitutional Law Lecturers Room was renovated by law firm Assegaf Hamzah & Partners (AHP). Also, the Procedural Law Lecturers Room was renovated under the sponsor of senior advocate Luhut MP Pangaribuan and the International Law Lecturers Room received donations from the managing partner of HHP Law Firm, Timur Sukirno. There is also Prof. Satochid Kartanegara Room which was renovated by former Minister of Law and Human Rights Amir Syamsudin on behalf of his Law Office Amir Syamsudin & Partners.
Other corporate lawyers who are displayed on the wall of fame donated personally to various construction of spaces and facilities at FHUI such as Melli Darsa (Melli Darsa & Co.), Ibrahim Senen (of counsel at AYMP), P.D.D. Dermawan (DNC Advocates), and Insan Budi Maulana (Maulana & Partners). Not only from lawyers or their offices, the contributor of FHUI building renovation also came from various communities and individuals of FHUI alumni.
