Mataram, University of Mataram  University of Mataram (Unram) officially deployed 1,823 students to participate in the July-August 2026 Community Empowerment Village Service Program (KKN) under the theme “Impact-Oriented Community Empowerment KKN: Empowered Villages.” The official send-off ceremony was held solemnly at the Unram Rectorate Courtyard on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The ceremony commenced with the singing of the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya, attended by the university leadership, invited guests, field supervisors, and thousands of KKN participants gathered in the Rectorate courtyard.

In his report, the Head of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) Unram outlined the implementation of this year’s KKN program.

“A total of 1,823 students have been deployed and organized into 184 groups. They will be assigned to four regencies across Lombok Island: 33 villages in West Lombok, 42 villages in Central Lombok, 75 villages in East Lombok, and 33 villages in North Lombok. In addition, one International KKN team has been assigned to Vietnam,” said Dr. Andi Chairil Ichsan, S.Hut., M.Si.

He emphasized that this year’s KKN reflects extensive collaboration with various institutions, including the National Collaborative KKN with Universitas Brawijaya and Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, the Food Security KKN in partnership with the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM), the Literacy KKN with the National Library of Indonesia, the Climate Village Program (ProKlim) KKN in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and GIZ-Clarity, as well as the Disaster Resilience KKN conducted in partnership with SEAMEO RECFON.

He also encouraged both students and faculty supervisors to uphold the university’s reputation while focusing on achieving the performance targets established for their respective programs.

In his remarks, Unram Rector, Prof. Dr. Sukardi, M.Pd., emphasized that KKN is not an opportunity for students to simply teach local communities, but rather a valuable opportunity to learn alongside them.

“KKN is not about coming to teach the community. It is about learning together with the community. Students must understand the realities faced by local people and then offer solutions through knowledge, collaboration, and empathy,” he said.

Prof. Sukardi encouraged students to view villages as living laboratories where programs emerge from the actual needs and potential of local communities.

He further stressed that the success of KKN should not be measured by the volume of reports produced, but by the tangible impact created for the community and the personal growth achieved by the students.

“My hope is that you return having created real impact. That impact can be measured through three key dimensions: economic impact, social impact, and environmental impact,” he stated.

As the highlight of the ceremony, the Rector symbolically presented KKN attributes to student representatives, officially marking their deployment to their respective locations. The event concluded with the ceremonial release of doves in the Rectorate courtyard.

The release of the doves symbolized the departure of Unram’s July-August 2026 KKN participants to communities across the region, carrying a mission of meaningful community engagement, empowerment, and a commitment to generating lasting benefits for the people of West Nusa Tenggara and beyond.