Sejarah UKDW

Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana didirikan pada tahun 1985 sebagai pengembangan dari Sekolah Tinggi Theologia (S.T.T.) Duta Wacana. S.T.T. Duta Wacana sendiri didirikan pada tahun 1962 sebagai penggabungan dari Akademi Theologia Jogjakarta dan Sekolah Theologia Bale Wiyata, Malang.

S.T.T. Duta Wacana dibentuk sebagai jawaban terhadap harapan gereja-gereja untuk meningkatkan mutu pendidikan para pelayan jemaatnya melalui pendidikan tinggi yang setara dengan universitas. Dalam perjalanannya, S.T.T. Duta Wacana semakin hari semakin mendapat pengakuan dari pemerintah. Pengakuan pemerintah itu nyata melalui peningkatan status yang semula hanya “terdaftar”, pada tahun 1983 menjadi “diakui”. Pada tahun 1982, S.T.T. Duta Wacana bergabung dalam The Assosiation for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) untuk lebih meningkatkan mutu pendidikannya. Dalam asosiasi tersebut, S.T.T. Duta Wacana pernah mendapatkan akreditasi dengan peringkat terbaik di Asia Tenggara.

Gereja semakin memperkokoh dukungannya dengan semakin banyaknya gereja yang bergabung menjadi pendukung S.T.T. Duta Wacana. Kalau pada awalnya S.T.T. Duta Wacana didirikan oleh lima gereja: Sinode Gereja Kristen Jawa (GKJ), Sinode Gereja Kristen Indonesia Jawa Tengah (GKI Jateng), Sinode Gereja Kristen Indonesia Jawa Timur (GKI Jatim), Majelis Agung Greja Kristen Jawi Wetan (GKJW), dan Gereja Injili di Tanah Jawa (GITJ). Di kemudian hari gereja yang mendukung S.T.T. Duta Wacana semakin bertambah dengan bergabungnya Gereja Kristen Sumba (GKS), Sinode Gereja Kristen Indonesia Jawa Barat (GKI Jabar), Sinode Persatuan Gereja-gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia (GKMI), Sinode Gereja Kristen Pasundan (GKP), Sinode Gereja Kristen Protestan di Bali (GKPB),  Sinode Gereja Protestan di Indonesia bagian Barat (GPIB), dan Sinode Gereja Kristen Sumatera Bagian Selatan (GKSBS).

Gereja-gereja pendiri dan pendukung tersebut menyadari bahwa untuk menjawab kebutuhan akan pendidikan tinggi dalam rangka Pembangunan Nasional S.T.T. Duta Wacana harus diperluas. Pada tanggal 31 Oktober 1985 didirikanlah Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana sebagai perluasan dari S.T.T. Duta Wacana. Pada tahun pertama itu dibuka Fakultas Ekonomi Jurusan Manajemen dan Fakultas Teknik Jurusan Arsitektur. Tahun berikutnya (1986) dibuka satu jurusan lagi pada Fakultas Teknik yaitu Jurusan Teknik Informatika. Pada tahun 1987 didirikan pula Fakultas Biologi Jurusan Biologi Lingkungan. Pada tahun 1991 UKDW membuka program Pasca Sarjana Theologia jenjang S-2. Tahun 2000, Fakultas Ekonomi membuka Jurusan Akuntansi dan tahun 2005 giliran Fakultas Teknik membuka Program Studi Sistem Informasi dan Desain Produk.

Tahun 2006 bersama dengan Universitas Islam Sunan Kalijaga dan Universitas Gajah Mada, UKDW membentuk konsorsium studi antar agama yang menawarkan studi jenjang S-3. Program ini dinamakan Indonesia Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS). Tahun 2009 Fakultas Kedokteran dibuka dengan dua jurusan yaitu Pendidikan Dokter dan Profesi Dokter. Pada tahun 2010 Fakultas Teologi membuka Program Studi S-3 dan 2014 Program Studi Kajian Konflik dan Perdamaian. Pada tahun 2015 Fakultas Arsitektur dan Desain membuka Program Studi Magister Arsitektur. Tahun 2016 Fakultas Bisnis membuka Program Studi Magister Manajemen. Juga pada tahun 2016 UKDW mendirikan Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris. Dengan demikian UKDW memiliki tujuh fakultas (Teologi, Arsitektur, Bioteknologi, Bisnis, Teknologi Informasi, Kedokteran, serta Kependidikan dan Humaniora) dengan tujuh belas program studi yaitu S-1 Teologi, S-2 Teologi, S-2 Kajian Konflik dan Perdamaian, S-3 Teologi, S-3 Studi Antaragama, S-1 Arsitektur, S-1 Desain Produk, S-2 Arsitektur, S-1 Manajemen, S-1 Akuntansi, S-2 Manajemen, S-1 Biologi, S-1 Informatika, S-1 Sistem Informasi, S-1 Kedokteran, Profesi Dokter dan S-1 Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris.

Peletakan Dasar Duta Wacana – 1900an

Dirk Bakker and the Christian Duta Wacana University

Freek L. Bakker

Everyone going through the Jalan Dr. Wahidin in Yogyakarta passes the buildings belonging to the Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana (ukdw – Christian Duta Wacana University). Those who are older still remember the oldest buildings constructed in the first decade of the 20th century, which were much smaller. None of them had two floors. Everything was happening on the ground floor. The buildings consisted of a school building with classrooms and an administrative office at the front side and behind it in the middle of the territory a so-called pendopo, an open hall covered by a roof on pillars surrounding the space within the building. This pendopo was surrounded by series of rooms where students were living. At both sides of this complex some spacious villas were found where the teachers were living. Of this complex only the tennis court is left. Every year the founding of the university is celebrated on 31 October. It is said that the ukdw was established on 31 October 1906, but it is doubtful whether this is the right date. In fact, the new school in Yogyakarta was a follow-up of a previous educational institute, the Keucheniusschool located in Purworejo. This school was founded to educate Javanese Reformed Christians to become assistants (helpers) to the Dutch missionaries, but in practice the staff did not succeed to provide education exceeding the learning aims of a common primary school. Therefore the Synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands) decided in 1902 to reform the school and move it to Yogyakarta. They chose for this city because it was one of the centers of genuine Javanese popular culture and life. The school buildings were already finished in 1905. The new school would consist of two departments. In the first department Javanese Reformed Christians would be trained to become assistants to help in the schools and the medical clinics and hospitals the missionaries had founded. This department resembled a primary school. The second department was to train assistants for the propagation of the gospel. Only people who had acted as helper were permitted to follow courses in the second department. On 4 May 1904 the Dutch missionary, Dirk Bakker was appointed to become a teacher at the second department and on 8 November 1904 Dirk Koelewijn (1869-1936), the director of a primary school in Koog aan de Zaan in the Netherlands, was appointed to become a teacher at the first department. Dirk Bakker was already in the Dutch Indies working as a missionary in Kebumen since 1900. The first department was officially opened on 31 January 1905.

Dirk Bakker and his colleague, Dirk Koelewijn, were officially installed as teachers on 30 August 1906. At this opportunity Bakker presented the curriculum of his educational plan. The course would consist of lessons with an introduction to and exegesis of both the Old Testament and New Testament, knowledge of the Bible, church history, canon (church) law, dogmatical theology, ethics, archeology, elenctiek (the art of refuting the teachings of other religions), and practical theology. Eight persons would follow this course which lasted two years. No new students were admitted till the whole course was finished because a part of the second year consisted of practical training in giving sermons and religious instruction (catechesis) and in visiting patients in hospitals. Then a new course would be started which new students could apply to. The course would be given in Javanese. It started on 6 September 1906, so the education of the second department had already started for some weeks on 31 October 1906. Therefore the conclusion is justified that the real dies natalis of the ukdw should be 30 August or 6 September 1906, as the second department can be regarded as the first attempt to create a more academic area exceeding the teachings aims of the primary schools. In this section of the school the Javanese students were initiated in the discipline of theology and in the house of academia. Another option for the dies natalis is the date of the foundation of the Keucheniusschool in February 1891 as the school in Yogya was still named Keucheniusschool.

Selengkapnya Dirk Bakker & UKDW