WMCUS Medical Faculty Inaugurated a New Dean

(UKWMS 3/9/2018) – After having held a position for quite a long time, it is only natural then that a change of leadership will happen next. Not only in companies, educational institutions also need to regenerate the leadership to continue to revive the spirit of work. This was also done by the Faculty of Medicine of Widya Mandala Catholic University Surabaya. The Faculty of Medicine now has a new dean, Prof. Dr. Dr. Med. Paul L. Tahalele, Sp.BTKV (K), FICS for the 2018-2021 term, replacing Prof. W. F. Maramis, dr., Sp.KJ (K) who has served as a dean since 2011.

When starting his remarks Prof. Maramis quoted several verses from the Gospel of the Ecclesiastes, “For everything there is a time, for anything under heaven there is a time. So allow me to add a little more, there is a time to become a Dean, and there is a time to leave the office. This is normal.” The 93-year-old man continued by summarizing his journey of work starting from the preparation of the pension decades ago.

“Someone asked me once, why did I continue to work like this, starting when I wanted to retire from the Faculty of Medicine of Airlangga University, but the I was appointed after the retirement as the Head of Study Program for the preparation of the establishment of Airlangga University Psychology Study Program. Then I was contacted by the Rector of the WMCUS at that time to establish the Faculty of Psychology and I had to be the Dean and retreated after one period. After that, suddenly Mr. Henky (who is now serving as the General Chairperson of the Widya Mandala Foundation – red) came to ask for my help to establish the Faculty of Nursing. Next came the Faculty of Medicine and now I think this is really the end. As long as I work here, it’s nice to have met various people with various personalities, except psychopaths,” he explained, ending it with a joke that invited laughter from the invited guests.

The process of changing the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine began with the Oath Taking, the Inauguration, and then the Handover Position. The WMCUS Rector, Drs. Kuncoro Foe, G.Dip.Sc., Ph.D., Apt. was the one who directed this procession directly. The university also has a high hope for the new Dean, “The hope is for the Dean to further improve the management performance of the Tri Dharma of Higher Education that is organized by the WMCUS Faculty of Medicine, so that it has a positive impact on the faculty’s social services to the community,” Kuncoro said. As a Rector, Kuncoro also remembered the success of Prof. Maramis in bringing the Faculty of Medicine to achieve the 92% graduation level of UKMPPD in the first year and the 95% in the second year. He expressed his deep gratitude to Prof. Paul Tahalele who is willing to dedicate a portion of his time, energy and thought to the development of the Faculty of Medicine.

After officially inaugurated, Prof. Tahalele expressed his gratitude to Prof. Maramis, whom he called his teacher and role model. “Indeed, this is a challenge for me at the age of 70. I have to adjust after retirement from the Faculty of Medicine of Airlangga University, whose culture and procedure are different from the Faculty of Medicine of WMCUS. Thank you to the Bishop of Surabaya Diocese, the Chairman of Widya Mandala Foundation, the Rector for believing and allowing me to work here,” he said.

Furthermore, as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Tahalele also told the invited guests that even though he was no longer a Dean, Prof. Maramis will continue to work because he has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Health Research Ethics Committee at the Faculty of Medicine. This is truly remarkable because the Faculty of Medicine of WMCUS is the first Faculty of Medicine in a private university in Indonesia that has a Health Research Ethics Committee. His task is to examine the ethical aspects of all health-related studies that use human subjects. These studies can come from anywhere, not only from the Faculty of Medicine, but also from various fields at the local, national and international levels. The coordination is under the Indonesian Ministry of Health. “We in the Senate Body of the Faculty of Medicine will also request to the university so that Prof. Maramis could be given the Honorary Dean award for the Faculty of Medicine,” he added. (Red / red)