About Bangka Belitung University : The State University of Bangka Belitung (UBB) had been long awaited by the people of Serumpun Sebalai (a local term that means “of one nation and one land”). The idea of establishing a state university was already conceived when Bangka Belitung was made a province. It was a dream mapped early on since the province was only a part of another province, and it demanded to be realized when the Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 27 of 2000 stated the Establishment of Bangka Belitung Islands Province, on November 21, 2000.
The University of Bangka Belitung was founded in 2006 with the Decree of the National Education Minister of the Republic of Indonesia Number 52 / D / O / 2006 dated 12 April 2006. It was a unification of Polman Timah (Manufacture Polytechnique of Timah), STIPER Bangka (School of Agricultural Sciences), and STTP 12 (Pahlawan 12 School of Engineering). The three schools were located in Bangka Regency. When it was first established, UBB’s campuses were still in separated locations. Campus I for Polytechnique and Engineering studies was located in Air Kantung, Sungailiat; Campus II for Agriculture, Fishery, and Biology students was located at the former building of the Regional Legislative Assembly of Bangka Sungailiat; Campus III for the Faculty of Economy and the Faculty of Law and Sociology at a building lent by the Mayor of Pangkalpinang.
Then in 2009, as the number of students surged, the UBB Foundation started to build an integrated campus located on a 152 Hectares land given by the Provincial Government and PT Timah. After since, UBB’s lectures take place at the Integrated Campus of Balunijuk.
At its inception, UBB’s legal status was public ownership, while its de facto status was local government ownership, with the province, regency, and municipality as the main buffers. In addition, there has been a huge support from PT. Timah Tbk.
On Monday, March 2nd 2009, a historical event titled “UBB’s and Polman’s Asset Handover to the Central Government” was held, where the Governor symbolically handed over UBB’s asset in the form of 152 Hectares land of Balunijuk, Merawang. The head of Bangka Belitung Education Foundation, Ir Thobrani Alwi also symbolically handed over the institution and human resources of UBB to the Central Government represented by the Director General of Higher Education, Fasli Djalal P.hd. The total asset of UBB was around 20 billion Rupiah. It was an affirmation that UBB was one step closer to becoming a state university.
The handover became a fire that ignites people’s aspiration to nationalize UBB. Through hard work, all the stages had been passed and the last thing to do was waiting for the President of the Republic of Indonesia to sign it. Administrative records that have been submitted to the Directorate of Higher Education (Higher Education) have met the requirements. In addition, political support has been delivered by the House of Representatives through the Commission X and the Regional Representative Council. The entire components of Bangka Belitung society waited for the juridical establishment from the executive or Central Government.
On November 19, 2010 in Jakarta, The long wait was finally over. The University of Bangka Belitung is finally a state university when the Presidential Decree 65 of 2010 was issued on that day.
The climax was on Monday, November 22nd 2010 when the inscription of UBB’s nationalization was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in front of thousands of guests who jammed the hall of the University of Cendrawasih in Papua, among whom are the ranks of the United Indonesia Cabinet.
Today, the number of students studying at UBB up to the academic year 2013/2014 has amounted to more than three thousand people and so far the number of graduates (until 2012) has reached more than 1000 people. People of Bangka Belitung expect a lot from UBB. With its motto “Developing Outstanding Civilization”, UBB has the commitment to make this educational institution in the lead in terms of intellectuality, mentality, and morality in order to build a civilization.