UNAIR NEWS “ In the early 1950s, Surabaya began to grow into one of Indonesia™s major metropolitan cities. However, despite being the second-largest city in the country, Surabaya did not yet have an independently established university.
At that time, Surabaya only hosted the Faculty of Medicine and the Dental Institute, both of which were branches of the Universiteit van Indonesia in Jakarta. Eventually, as the demand for qualified graduates to fill positions in both government and private sectors increased, in 1951 Mr. Boedisoesetya and Mr. I. Gondowardojo founded the Faculty of Law. This faculty was managed by the Yayasan Perguruan Tinggi Surabaya, which later evolved into the Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu Hukum Surabaya.
The Surabaya College of Legal Sciences faced issues related to the legality of its degrees and the government’s recognition of its examinations. Prof. A. G. Pringgodigdo took the initiative to incorporate the college into Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta. In 1953, it officially became a branch of UGM™s Faculty of Law, Social, and Political Sciences in Surabaya.
Transformation into UNAIR
Calls to establish a university in Surabaya resurfaced from several key figures of the time, one of whom was the Minister of Education, Muhammad Yamin. He believed that Surabaya already had adequate facilities to support university-level education.
Thanks to the efforts of various stakeholders and as part of the nation™s vision to build a great and prosperous country, on November 10, 1954, President Ir. Soekarno officially inaugurated (UNAIR). According to Government Regulation No. 57 of 1954, UNAIR consisted of the Faculty of Medicine and the Dental Institute in Surabaya, the Faculty of Law, Social, and Political Sciences in Surabaya, the Teacher Training College in Malang, and the Faculty of Economics in Surabaya.
UNAIR was a merger of two university branches: the Faculty of Medicine and the Dental Institute of the Universiteit van Indonesia, and the Faculty of Law from Gadjah Mada University. UNAIR officially obtained its status as an independent university on April 9, 1955, making it a fully autonomous institution.
UNAIR Journey
As a newly established university, UNAIR faced significant challenges, especially a lack of infrastructure, including buildings for offices and classrooms. Classes were held in multiple locations: the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry occupied the former Nederlandsch Indische Artsen School (NIAS) building in Karangmenjangan; the Faculty of Law used several venues including the former Sositet Simpang (now Balai Pemuda), Bahari Building on Jalan Kaliasin (now Jalan Basuki Rahmat), and the former Komidi Building on Jalan Tegalsari No. 4; while the Perguruan Tinggi Pendidikan Guru was located on Jalan Tumapel No. 1 in Malang.
Besides infrastructure limitations, there was also some doubt about UNAIR™s legal status, as its establishment was based only on a government regulation, not a formal law. However, this did not have a major impact. Prof. A. G. Pringgodigdo emphasized that most higher education institutions in Indonesia at the time did not yet have legal foundations based on laws, as the country was still transitioning from its post-colonial phase.
Author: Selly Imeldha
Editor: Edwin Fatahuddin
