Honor Binahayati Rusyidi Award

Senate Resolution No. 1316 BY: Senator BRESLIN HONORING Binahayati Rusyidi upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement by the University at Albany Alumni Association WHEREAS, The unity of our State, Nation and the World is built upon the compassion of individuals such as Binahayati Rusyidi who uphold the values of community life and who, through their great actions, epitomize the best of humanity; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Binahayati Rusyidi upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement by the University at Albany Alumni Association to be celebrated with a Gala on May 4,

2019, at Wolfert's Roost, Albany, New York; and WHEREAS, This auspicious award recognizes international graduates of the University who are highly distinguished in their profession, either internationally or nationally in their own country; who have helped their nation and/or the world by outstanding contributions to government, science, art, education, business, or human welfare; and who exemplify the strength of their education at the University of Albany; Binahayati Rusyidi is one such individual; and WHEREAS, Binahayati Rusyidi has made substantial contributions to social work education and human welfare in her home country of Indonesia through teaching and research; and WHEREAS, An exemplary international alumna of the University at Albany School of Social Welfare and current Fulbright scholar, Binahayati Rusyidi is influential in recruiting prospective international graduate students who want to work toward a more socially just world; and WHEREAS, After receiving a bachelor's degree in social welfare from Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia, Binahayati Rusyidi earned both master's and doctoral degrees from the UAlbany School of Social Welfare in 2006 and 2011, respectively; and WHEREAS, When her dissertation, "Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Violence Against Wives in West Java, Indonesia," was published, little information was available regarding violence against women in Indonesia; and WHEREAS, In the study, Binahayati Rusyidi identified significant implications for social welfare policy, where a recently enacted anti-domestic violence law was being implemented at the provincial and local levels; she delineated several roles for social workers, including providing community education regarding domestic violence and collaborating with informal institutions to provide outreach to survivors of abuse; and WHEREAS, Bestowed with the Distinguished Dissertation Award for this work, Binahayati Rusyidi completed her doctoral degree before returning to Indonesia to further her research and build stronger social services in her local community of Padjadjaran and throughout the country; and WHEREAS, Since 2016, Binahayati Rusyidi has served as Director of the master's and doctoral degree programs in social welfare at Universitas Padjadjaran in West Java; in this capacity, she is responsible for curriculum design and development, oversees admissions and student support services, and is the liaison with other departments at the university; and WHEREAS, In addition to her role as Director, Binahayati Rusyidi is a full-time lecturer in the School of Social and Political Sciences; and WHEREAS, As a current Fulbright scholar at UAlbany, Binahayati Rusyidi examines the perception of professional competencies among social work students in Indonesia and the United States; her international reputation as a scholar has influenced countless other Indonesian students to study at UAlbany; and WHEREAS, Binahayati Rusyidi has been a key player in the development of Indonesia's National Board for Social Work Certification, established in 2009 through the National Social Welfare Act; she also serves as Senior National Assessor, leading efforts to ensure consistency across assessment panels; and WHEREAS, Furthermore, she is a program development consultant for The Office of Women Empowerment, Child Protection and Family Welfare, as well as a member of the Indonesian Association of Professional Social Workers, where she serves as head of international relations; and WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when individuals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Binahayati Rusyidi upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement by the University at Albany Alumni Association; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Binahayati Rusyidi.