Balikpapan — The Public Relations (HUMAS) of the Institut Teknologi Kalimantan (ITK) has once again demonstrated its strategic role in managing higher education social media by winning the GOLD Winner award at the Anugerah Humas Diktisaintek (AHD) in the Social Media Management category. This achievement reaffirms ITK’s consistency as a GOLD Winner for four consecutive years (2022–2025) at the national level.

This accomplishment reflects the success of ITK’s Public Relations team in designing and implementing digital communication strategies that are adaptive, creative, and grounded in information integrity amid the increasingly fast paced and competitive social media landscape.

The Coordinator of Social Media Management at ITK Public Relations, Nabila Khaerunnisa, S.Kom, stated that managing social media for higher education institutions has become increasingly complex. Social media has evolved into a primary public space where institutions compete to build image, reach, and engagement with the community.

“At this point, Public Relations is required to remain creative, adaptive, and relevant, while also being cautious. Every piece of content on ITK’s social media is not merely a post, but a representation of the institution’s values, attitudes, and image,” said Nabila.

She emphasized that ITK’s social media platforms are managed to attract public attention without compromising integrity, while remaining informative and upholding communication ethics. This approach has become the foundation of HUMAS ITK’s success in consistently maintaining the GOLD Winner title.

Furthermore, Nabila explained that achieving the GOLD Winner award for four consecutive years was not an instant result. In 2021, ITK was still ranked Second Best, which then became a moment of reflection for HUMAS ITK to strengthen its digital strategy, improve content quality, and build a solid team.

“This award indicates that ITK’s social media is well received and beneficial to the public. However, for us at HUMAS, this is not the final destination. The social media landscape continues to evolve, and we choose to keep learning and innovating,” she added.

In the context of public universities, social media does not merely serve as a promotional tool, but also as a form of public transparency. ITK’s social media acts as the face of the institution, reflecting how ITK presents itself as open, human centered, and trustworthy to the public.

The Anugerah Humas Diktisaintek is an annual appreciation event organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology to evaluate the performance of university public relations units. For the 2024–2025 period, the competition categories included Website Management, Press Releases, Social Media, Institutional Magazines, Most Popular Public Relations Officer, and Student Press.

With consecutive GOLD Winner achievements, HUMAS ITK reaffirms its commitment to continuously strengthening the role of social media as a credible, strategic, and impactful public communication channel in support of the transformation of higher education in Indonesia.