Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is the largest and oldest university in Indonesia. In its history of establishment,UGM is not separated from the role of the nationalists and founding fathers who were fighting for independence and maintaining it. Many freedom fighters had given their services to the founding of Universitas Gadjah Mada. It is, therefore, not surprising if UGM is referred to as University of Struggle and Democracy. Besides, UGM is a transforming media in knowledge, social affairs, and nationhood. With the role that it has, UGM has brought itself closer to society as it becomes an inseparable part of Indonesia in the process leading to independence. The rich documents on UGM contributions in terms of community service, education, and research need to be introduced, managed, and disseminated to sustain them. So, society can learn better through the track records of UGM and its contributions from era to era.
The establishment history of UGM cannot be separated from the role of Indonesian freedom fighters. The role played by UGM since its inception until today became a milestone of history and dynamics of the nation in terms of education, research, and community service. UGM is born not only for education and teaching, but as the milestone of national education awakening. The birth of UGM on 19 December 1949 serves as one of evidences of the awakening of the national education in Yogyakarta. The second military aggression by the Dutch troops on 19 December 1948 had paralysed the capital of the Republic of Indonesia in Yogyakarta. In this matter, the idea of the birth of UGM serves as a university of struggle, national university, university of Pancasila, university of democracy and culture, as an integral and fundamental part in the nation’s journey. Sri Sultan HB IX had a significant role in education by opening the palace as a place for learning and teaching that became the roots of the birth of UGM. The journey of UGM in writing down civilisation and its contributions to knowledge, nationhood and education, and community service area up to this stage, however, has not been well understood by society, even by its academic community.
The establishment of the UGM Museum became a shared hope and dream to realise the spirit of dedication to the nation and the people.
The UGM Museum is an effective and efficient forum to transform the identity of UGM as a university of struggle, nationhood, culture, which is based on Pancasila. The remarks of President Soekarno during the launching of the UGM building in Bulaksumur Yogyakarta on 19 December 1959 said that “Pantjasila is the contents of Gadjah Mada, the contents of the University. And I’m asking all professors, all lecturers, to keep the spirit of Pancasila alive among all students. Thus, the idea to establish the UGM Museum as a forum for learning the values of nation’s characteristics through the Museum is important to do bearing in mind the people’s intention to see and understand closer about UGM. This idea had driven UGM to answer the question why UGM needed to realise the UGM Museum as the window of sustainable identity.