Strategy to Improve the Competitiveness of Higher Education Based on Community Engagement: A Descriptive Study of The Free Health Check Service Program of Stikes Holistik on Car Free Day Purwakarta

Abstract

The high competition between universities requires strategies that extend beyond conventional promotion and emphasize meaningful stakeholder engagement. In the regional level, the community service initiative can serve as a strategic tool in the form of institutional differentiation. This study aims to analyze how the free health check up program, conducted during Purwakartas Car Free Day (CFD), contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of STIKes HOLISTIK through a Community Engagement approach. The research use a descriptive qualitative method, utilizing observation, documentation, and indepth interviews with program organizers and community participants. Data collection focus on 5 program implementations between September and November 2025, including 221 participants. The findings in this research indicate that consistent community engagement is not just an incidental social activity, but the institutional efforts of strategic positioning that results in sustainable competitive advantage. Past the direct experiential interactions between institutions and the community, institutions compete to create and build reputations and establish emotional relationship with the community that’re considered difficult for competitors to imitate. This interaction based differentiation past institutions and communities has proven more effective and efficient than conventional like oneway promotion in building public trust. For that reason, the free community based health check initiative serves as an effective stakeholder oriented strategy for regional campus  to enhance their legitimacy and also competitive position.