Analysis of the Attitude of the Constituents of Indonesia Union College Toward the Absence of Government Academic Recognition of the College
Authors:   ,   Andrews University, Simorangkir Amos 
Published: June 2023

Problem. The absence of government academic recognition of Indonesia Union College posed controversial issues among the constituents of the college. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of the absence of government academic recognition of the college upon prospective students, parents, alumni, and the college related to various statements formulated into six hypotheses. Method. A questionnaire in the Indonesian language was designed to assess the degree of the evaluation of the absence of academic recognition and nine other factors about the college with respect to nineteen questions on the part of faculty and board members, alumni, current upper division students, prospective students, and Seventh-day Adventist members in the West Indonesia Union Mission territory. The nine factors were: philosophy, qualifications of teachers, curricular offerings, educational facilities, reputation, location and environment, student work program, cost of education, and student life in the college. The data which were computed and analyzed to test the six hypotheses were provided by 1,182 respondents. Findings. Based on the computed median responses it was found that the absence of government academic recognition of Indonesia Union College would not negatively influence: (1) prospective students to attend the college, (2) Adventist parents to enroll their son-daughter in the college, (3) alumni to find a job inside or outside of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization, to continue their education in institutions of higher learning abroad, to feel accepted among academic circles, to feel proud of their alma mater and of the degree/diploma they obtained from the college, and to find a job which is commensurate with the level of education they obtained from the college, (4) the college to increase and improve enrollment; to obtain better moral and financial support from Adventist members, alumni, and the public; to achieve better working relationships with other institutions of higher learning in Indonesia and abroad; and to attract better qualified teaching staff from among its constituents. However, with respect to alumni continuing their education in other institutions of higher learning in Indonesia, the absence of government academic recognition of the college was found to have a negative effect. (5) It was found that there was significant rank order correlation among the median responses of the ten factors with respect to eighteen questions over the five groups of respondents. However, with respect to alumni continuing their education in other institutions of higher learning in Indonesia there was no significant rank order correlation. The absence of government academic recognition of the college consistently received the most negative or next to the most negative median response. (6) Chi-square analysis revealed that current upper division students, alumni, and faculty and board members, in that order, gave a more negative evaluation of the absence of government academic recognition than did prospective students and Adventist members. Conclusions. As a whole the constituents of Indonesia Union College were not very negative in their evaluation of the absence of government academic recognition of the college. The absence of government academic recognition of the college had the most negative effect on its alumni in their plan to continue their education in other institutions of higher learning in Indonesia. However, when compared with the other nine factors about the college, the absence of government academic recognition received the most negative evaluation or next to the most negative evaluation consistently. There was a significant rank order correlation among the median responses of the ten factors by the five respondent groups. The constituents indicated that aside from cost of education in the college, the most negative aspect of the college was the fact that it did not have government academic recognition. Faculty and board members, current upper division students, and alumni were more negative in their evaluation of the absence of government academic recognition of the college, whereas prospective students and Seventh-day Adventist members were less negative in their evaluation. As the people became more knowledgeable about the college they likewise became more negative in their evaluation of the absence of government academic recognition of the college.