Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) held its 137th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, 24 January 2026, graduating a total of 1,500 students from various levels of higher education. The ceremony marked the completion of one academic phase and the beginning of the graduates’ contributions amid increasingly dynamic social conditions.
According to the report delivered by the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Zaenuri, M.Si., Akt., the graduates comprised 43 doctoral graduates, 176 master’s graduates, 1,271 undergraduate graduates, and 10 diploma graduates.
In his address, the Rector of UNNES, Prof. Dr. S. Martono, M.Si., underscored the importance of resilience as a fundamental provision for graduates in responding to contemporary social challenges. He noted that resilience should not merely be understood as the ability to endure, but also as the readiness to grow amid change and uncertainty.
“In today’s social context, resilience can be measured through the ability to adapt to change, perseverance and determination in facing failure, the capacity to manage emotions and pressure in a healthy manner, having a meaningful sense of purpose in life, and the ability to build meaningful social relationships,” the Rector stated.
He further expressed his confidence that these qualities have begun to develop within UNNES graduates throughout their academic journey. Therefore, the task ahead for graduates is to preserve, cultivate, and direct this resilience so that it may be manifested in works of value.
“Your task going forward is to maintain and develop that resilience in order to produce meaningful contributions—not only for yourselves, but also for society, the nation, and the state,” he added.
The implementation of the 137th Commencement Ceremony reaffirmed UNNES’s commitment as a higher education institution that prioritizes not only academic achievement, but also the formation of graduates’ character—graduates who are adaptive, resilient, and oriented toward social impact. (Ananda Fathiyyah Utami)
