Dedicated Staff and Team for Advancing Sustainable Development at UNS
Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) demonstrates a strong institutional commitment to advancing sustainable development through the establishment of a dedicated organizational structure and the appointment of formally designated personnel responsible for sustainability initiatives. This commitment is clearly evidenced through Rector’s Decree No. 529/UN27/HK.02/2025 on the formation of the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking Preparation Team, as well as Rector’s Decree No. 2943/UN27/HK.02/2025 on the establishment of Faculty/School Representative Teams.
Institutional-Level Dedicated Staff for Sustainability
At the core of UNS sustainability governance is the Subdirectorate of Green Campus and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a formal structural unit under the university. The Rector’s Decree explicitly appoints Prof. Dr. Murtanti Jani Rahayu, S.T., M.T., as Head of the Subdirectorate of Green Campus and Sustainable Development Goals.
This position represents a dedicated staff member whose primary responsibility is to advance sustainability and the implementation of the SDGs within the university. The explicit inclusion of “Green Campus and Sustainable Development Goals” in the official title reflects a clear institutional mandate and specialization in sustainability, ensuring that sustainability initiatives are continuously managed rather than treated as ad hoc activities.
Dedicated Sustainability Team with Formal Mandate
To operationalize sustainability initiatives, UNS establishes a dedicated sustainability team through Rector’s Decree No. 529/UN27/HK.02/2025, valid from 2 January to 31 December 2025. This team functions as a central coordinating body responsible for sustainability-related planning, data management, and performance monitoring.
The team is officially mandated to:
- Collect and analyze sustainability-related data based on established indicators
- Develop and compile institutional sustainability documentation
- Coordinate institutional reporting and evaluation processes
- Support external assessments and continuous improvement of sustainability performance
These responsibilities demonstrate that the team’s role extends beyond administrative reporting and contributes directly to institutional sustainability governance and strategic implementation.
Comprehensive and Multidisciplinary Structure
The sustainability team is organized into nine specialized fields, each addressing a key dimension of sustainable development:
- Setting and Infrastructure
- Energy and Climate Change
- Waste Management
- Water Management
- Transportation
- Education
- Planning
- Information Systems
- Administration
This multidisciplinary structure ensures sustainability is addressed holistically and integrated, encompassing environmental management, academic contributions, infrastructure planning, and institutional systems. The involvement of administrative staff within the Subdirectorate further supports the continuity and effectiveness of sustainability operations.
Distributed Sustainability Implementation Across Faculties and Schools
To ensure that sustainability initiatives are implemented consistently across all academic units, UNS has also established a Faculty/School Representative Team through Rector’s Decree No. 2943/UN27/HK.02/2025.
As shown in the appendix of the decree (pages 4–5), representatives are appointed from all faculties and schools, ensuring full institutional coverage. This structure enables sustainability efforts to be embedded at the operational level across the university.
The responsibilities of these representatives include:
- Collecting and analyzing sustainability-related data at the faculty/school level
- Supporting institutional evaluation and assessment processes
- Promoting and monitoring the implementation of green campus practices within each faculty and school
This distributed governance model ensures sustainability is not centralized but is actively implemented across all academic units, strengthening institutional impact and accountability.
Strong Leadership and Institutional Integration
Both the central sustainability team and faculty-level representatives operate under the supervision of university leadership, including the Rector and Vice Rectors. This high-level oversight ensures that sustainability is embedded within institutional governance and aligned with national policies and global sustainability agendas, including climate action commitments and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Conclusion
Through the establishment of the Subdirectorate of Green Campus and SDGs, the appointment of a dedicated sustainability leader, and the formation of both central and faculty-level sustainability teams, Universitas Sebelas Maret demonstrates a comprehensive and multi-level sustainability governance system.
This system ensures that:
- A dedicated staff member is responsible for sustainability at the institutional level
- A formally mandated team coordinates sustainability planning and performance
- A distributed network of representatives ensures implementation across all faculties and schools
Together, these elements confirm that sustainability at UNS is a core institutional function, embedded structurally and operationally, and continuously advanced across all levels of the university.
Supporting evidence: https://greencampus.uns.ac.id/tim-pengelola/