The International Conference on University Community Engagement (ICON-UCE) in 2022 is a biennial activity organized by the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education as an academic forum for disseminating the results of research-based service and innovation as well as synergizing university partnerships, with a number of internal and external stakeholders both from Indonesia and abroad. Article 5 letter d of Law Number 12 of 2012 concerning Higher Education emphasizes the importance of community service as part of the Tridharma of Higher Education. Community service that should be done is based on reasoning and research work. Therefore, it can provide benefits in advancing the general welfare and the intellectual life of the nation. The paradigm that the Tridharma of higher education is an integrated dharma must be understood by all stakeholders. Reasoning/learning, research, and community service cannot be separated. All three are universities’ contribution to participate in the development of the nation.
The development of approaches in community service programs is important. Instead of being merely ceremonial and unsustainable, community service programs must be tested and upgraded. Disorientation in community service programs is a serious threat, considering that one of the tridarma mandates of higher education is community service. Higher education should not only dwelling on issues related to budget and program implementation, but they must strive to improve the quality of people's lives. Higher education contributions and innovations should be able to become a breakthrough to unravel the problems of people's lives. By merging with the community, academicians who are not far from the reality of society comes into existence.
Theoretical and practical inventions and innovations are needed in the community service approach, particularly within Islamic Religious Higher Education (PTKI). The community service approach must be able to accommodate the realization of social transformation towards a better and dignified life. In order to realize community service innovations, it is necessary to strengthen human resources who master thewhole community service method. In the ICON UCE 2022 event, one of the activities carried out was a community service method workshop as an effort to strengthen the service methodology carried out by PTKI. Two methods that are focused on in the workshop are Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) methods.
