CDP Turkey compiled opinions shared by international academia on the link between the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Once the disease Covid-19 caused by a novel coronavirus was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, many opinions surfaced about the link between the pandemic and climate change.

Commenting on whether climate change played a part in the occurrence of the pandemic, Harvard University Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment Director Dr. Aaron Bernstein says that there is no evidence suggesting that climate change triggered the proliferation of the novel coronavirus. However, says Bernstein, climate change alters the way we interact with other species on Earth, which may be significant for risk of infection.₁ According to Bernstein, as the planet warms up, many aquatic and terrestrial species move towards the poles. This causes many species that would not normally interact to come into contact, which gives pathogens the chance to migrate to new species. Moreover, deforestation is the key cause of loss of habitat worldwide. Loss of habitat forces animals to migrate, come into contact with new species, and be introduced to new pathogens.

The other link between the virus is the reduction, albeit temporary, in greenhouse gas emissions in countries like China and Italy, which were the hardest-hit by the virus. Shorter working hours in the industry, closing down retail stores and changing habits all caused global emissions to drop. According to The Guardian's global environment editor Jonathan Watts, if this trend continues, it is possible this will lead to the first fall in global emissions since the 2008-09 financial crisis.₂

Some experts believe that the novel coronavirus may have other positive outcomes in terms of climate change. According to climate activist Bill McKibben, if governments can learn lessons from the physical world and its risks, they may develop more radical, longer-term plans for fighting climate change.₃ Similarly, Michael Lazarus, U.S. director at the Stockholm Environment Institute, believes that if there is a sense of social cooperation that emerges from this in response to a threat, that could be a very good sign for communities and leaders to come together. 4

Finally, there are many experts who argue that the novel coronavirus will have an adverse effect on climate change. For example, according to Stanford University professor Rob Jackson, says that the virus will hinder climate change action from corporations and countries despite the short-term drop in carbon emissions from the outbreak as governments delay or even cancel climate-friendly policies that require investments up front.₅

The full article is available here. 

1 https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/news/coronavirus-climate-change-and-the-environment/

2 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/10/coronavirus-could-cause-fall-in-global-co2-emissions

3 https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-could-weaken-climate-change-action-hit-clean-energy.html

4 https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10032020/coronavirus-climate-change-economy-emissions  

5 https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/coronavirus-could-weaken-climate-change-action-hit-clean-energy.html 

Sabancı University Electronic Engineering Program 2009 graduate and MBA program 2011 graduate Birkan İçaçan has been Google Docs Product Manager at Google’s New York office since 2017.

His childhood interest in technology led him to study Electronic Engineering in university. Thanks to Sabancı University's freedom to choose programs, he took many courses from the Computer Science and Engineering program to improve himself in that field. Then, aiming for a career in product management, he completed the Sabancı University MBA program. 

Birkan İçaçan shares his experiences in his current job and his advice for university choices. 

Can you talk about your current job and responsibilities?

I have been a Product Manager in the Google Docs team since March 2017. I am responsible for the vision, strategy and success of products focusing on effective collaboration among users with Google Docs, Sheets and Slides documents. For example, my responsibilities include your ability to see what your colleagues have added to a Docs document; edit simultaneously, comment on each other's edits, or the version history, which lets you check the document from two days ago.

What advantages did being a Sabancı University graduate have in preparing for your career?   

Sabancı University gave me an inquisitive and investigative way of thinking. It enabled me to put the theory I learned into practice, which was the best preparation for the job. 

Thanks to its unique teaching model, I took courses in art history, social and political science in addition to engineering and management courses, which broadened my perspective and made me a more knowledgeable, capable individual.

Finally, students will soon need to make their university choices. What advice would you give them regarding their choice of university and field?

Don't choose a field purely out of social expectations and steretypes shared by the majority of the society if you don't like it or if it doesn't excite you. Consider global trends and emerging job profiles, and then try to find an area among those that arouse your interest or curiosity. 

To get better in the field which you work, you will need to invest time and energy into keeping current and improving your knowledge after graduation. Instead of being an unhappy and mediocre employee in a field that you detest and don't even want to improve in, go for being a great employee in a field that may not be the first choice of the majority, but will not feel like a burden to improve in, that you will like and be excited about.

What if you haven't found your calling? Please don't panic. It's not easy to make this decision when young. But don't hesitate to take action, get your hands dirty, and hit the ground running. Sometimes, the best way to know whether you like a field is actually doing that job. This is why I recommend you to do internships as much as possible, or work on personal projects on your free time to gain experience in different areas. 

Do keep in mind that, in the new world order, an average employee changes careers 5 to 7 times throughout their working life. Please know that choosing a field is an important decision, but changing your mind down the line isn't the end of the world. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Aytekin Aşlı.

Aytekin Aşlı has been a member of Sabancı University since September 21, 1998. Aytekin Aşlı joined Sabancı University 22 years ago as an Administrative Associate, and after working at Karaköy Minerva Han for 4 years, he transferred to the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum (SSM), Turkey's first museum to be endowed within a university, in March 2002 as Administrative Services Associate. Since September 2009, Aytekin Aşlı has been Financial and Administrative Affairs Manager of SSM.

Aytekin Aşlı’s answers to our four questions are below.

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

A.A: I started my job at Sabancı University in 1998, at the Karaköy Contact Office. I think the campus construction had not yet begun, or was just beginning. They had invited us to Tuzla to show construction progress. The roads were much different then, of course. I had difficulty finding my way.

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

A.A: As an employee, I have changed a lot, and in a positive way. I have always considered it a privilege to work at Sabancı University, and I still do. It changed my view on life.

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

A.A: When I think of Sabancı University, I think of a large family and being a part of it. I am sure that this university will keep being a highly-regarded university in 20 years.
Considering my age, I'm not sure where I will be in 20 years :) Being a part of this university is an honor that I will pass on to my son.

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

A.A: When I started in 1998, I was planning to be here 3-4 years at most. I had other career plans. But my career here was so satisfactory that I never thought of planning another one.

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives. 

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Alev Topuzoğlu. 

Alev Topuzoğlu has been a member of Sabancı University since November 1, 1998. Topuzoğlu has been a member of the Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) for 22 years, and an Emeritus Professor since July 2018. 

Alev Topuzoğlu’s answers to our four questions are below.  

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time? 

A.T.: I have many memories. I remember the long meetings in Karaköy, thinking on every detail to come up with the best. We had discussed at length whether Civic Involvement Projects would be compulsory or elective, for example.

The most memorable day of the early years of the university was the first undergraduate commencement ceremony. It was an emotional day for most. We were enchanted by the glint in the eyes of our first students, whose change through the university years we had closely observed, and their confidence in themselves as they prepared to leave us and start a new life. Those students were firm believers of the university's philosophy to create and develop together. They did great things. I think they have a significant share in the success of Sabancı University today. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change? 

A.T.: 20 years ago, I believed that Sabancı University would be a success, and I am happy to see that it has mostly been achieved. The excitement we felt in the early years of the university to do the best possible was tremendous. It was a privilege to be part of an amazing experience. By sharing that experience, I made new friends or got closer to old friends: Zehra Öner, Zerrin Koyunsağan, Zehra Sayers, Albert Erkip… There were many "firsts" we went through together. And of course I have to remember our dearest colleagues Tosun Terzioğlu, Hüsnü Paçacıoğlu and Hilmi Çelik, who are no longer with us. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself? 

A.T.: Sabancı University in 20 years conjures an image of a university that is respected worldwide in research endeavors particularly. I also hope to see that "creating and developing together" as stated in the foundational years has become a tradition of the university. When the university was small and all faculty, personnel and even students knew each other, it was easier to create an environment of developing together, of course. But as the university grows, there are more areas to create and develop together. So it becomes harder to make this tenet the priority, and in time the tradition, of our university, but it also becomes equally as important. That is because I believe that everyone who adopted this philosophy and developed creative ideas together in the early years of the university, and of course Tosun Terzioğlu for his outstanding role in the implementation of these ideas, have played great parts in Sabancı University's success today.

My hope for myself is to still be thinking on mathematics problems and seeing that my hopes for the university have come true. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

A.T.: If I had not come to Sabancı University, I would have probably continued as a METU faculty member. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives. 

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Bahri Yılmaz. 

Bahri Yılmaz has been a member of Sabancı University since June 1, 1998. He has been a member of the Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) for 22 years, and an Emeritus Professor since February 2013. 

Bahri Yılmaz’s answers to our four questions are below. 

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time? 

B.Y.: In the 1990s, I was working at Bilkent University. Oğuz Babüroğlu and I had been colleagues for a long time. He then left Ankara and returned to Istanbul. He called me while later and said that they had formed design committee for the establishment of Sabancı University, and invited me to the social sciences committee. I accepted. I took part in committee work in Istanbul from 1996 to 1997. My colleagues and I worked on a draft curriculum for the social sciences faculty. The most interesting part of this experience for me was that the meetings were held at the Sabancı Holding towers - this was the first time an "imaginary" university was being founded on paper in a holding boardroom. We continued our design studies with scholars from different academic circles in a variety of places. I then accepted Tosun Terzioğlu’s offer and joined Sabancı University in June 1998. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

B.Y.: There were some changes in our life when we moved from Ankara to Istanbul. The crowd in Istanbul was a big change of pace compared to the slower life in Ankara. But the work, which started in Karaköy Minerva Han, was a highly effective collaboration that often felt like a classroom environment. A year later, the university's Information Center was complete. We moved into that building on campus and began working in an open office setting. Any issue that came up was quickly met with a crowdsourced solution. It was the best of times. As construction went on, we were anxious about our first academic year that we would launch in 1999. The university was there in name, but was physically incomplete. How would the student profile turn out? Who would be the first students? When we saw the first students who had chosen us in the fall semester of the 1999-2000 academic year, our anxiety was replaced with great joy and pride. I think 251 students had chosen us that year. Most of my initial 12 students went on to pursue graduate education abroad and chose academic careers. 

Over the years, the university remained committed to development with its academic and administrative employees as well as students, reinvented itself, institutionalized, and achieved the international recognition it deserves today. 

As for personal contributions to me, Sabancı University provided me with administrative and financial support that enabled me to build an international academic network, while the work environment and academic freedom ensured that I worked with highly qualified, successful students and had an effective academic career. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself? 

B.Y.: Sabancı University is in a great position today; it is recognized in Turkey and abroad, and its graduates are sought-after in business and academic circles alike. 

The goal for the next 20 years should be to remain abreast of social and scientific developments to maintain and advance its position both within and outside Turkey. It is imperative that we keep up with the age of globalism, and not only follow, but also contribute to developments in science. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University? 

B.Y.: This is difficult to say. I probably would have continued my academic career at Bilkent University. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Behlül Üsdiken.

Behlül Üsdiken has been a member of Sabancı University since July 15, 1998. He has been a member of the Sabancı University School of Management (SoM) for 22 years, and an Emeritus Professor since January 31, 2020.

Behlül Üsdiken’s answers to our four questions are below. 

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

B.Ü.: It is, unfortunately, a bitter memory. I still remember it nevertheless. It was on the day the first "Dean" Professor Muhittin Oral called me for an interview. I say "Dean" because the School of Management as it is known today didn't exist back then. In the beginning, the example of American universities was being followed in that management education would be a graduate program only. In that case, we would officially be under the Social Sciences Institute. Muhittin Oral was known as "Dean" nevertheless. At the time of my first interview with Muhittin Bey (February 1998, I think), they had not yet moved to the Karaköy building. They were working at Sabancı Center. Muhittin Bey, ever so polite, met me at the elevator door. As we walked through the hall, he said, "It is a sad day today." I asked why. He said, "We lost a colleague." I immediately knew who it was: Ayşegül Arsoy. I was right. Not many people will remember now, but Ayşegül used to be the late (Founding Secretary-General) Hüsnü Paçacıoğlu's assistant. She was also my PhD student at Boğaziçi University. She was a bright, promising person. She had an acute heart disease. We were nevertheless in contact about her dissertation. I knew she was going to the US to have an operation. On my first visit to Sabancı University, I learned that she had not made it. So it is a bitter memory, but it leads me to remember and honor Ayşegül Arsoy once again.    

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

B.Ü.: Apart from aging, the leading difference is that I have more publications. My most cited article is still one I wrote at Boğaziçi University, but some of the ones I authored at Sabancı University are quickly catching up. The increase in the number of my publications is partly due to Sabancı University's aspiration to be a "research university", to which end course load is kept low. Also important are the financial resources, the Personal Research Funds (PRF) provided to academics, and an extensive library and information technology infrastructure.  

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

B.Ü.: The first thing that comes to mind is the emphasis on research and the resources provided. I hope that the university continues and improves these aspects in the years to come. As for me, it's difficult to make a projection for 20 years into the future. I continue writing. Since I no longer have the pressure to publish papers, I will turn to writing books when I am done with the projects I have.   

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

B.Ü.: This is difficult to answer. Sabancı University was my opportunity to continue my academic career in the way that I wanted. It wasn't a rose garden, but it was my fortune. You may have heard of English author David Lodge. He is also a former academic. He made a name for himself with novels satirical of the academic world. I recently finished the second volume of his memoirs. It's called "Writer's Luck". And for me, Sabancı University was "Academic's Luck".

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Betül Çağlar Çelebi.

Betül Çağlar Çelebi has been a member of Sabancı University since November 1, 1999. Since then, she has been a Payroll Associate. Betül Çağlar Çelebi's answers to our four questions are below.  

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time? 

B.Ç.Ç.: I can tell you how I ended up being hired.  I have a degree in Information and Document Management.  But I also had a little experience in personnel affairs in my spouse's company.   One day before I was going to be interviewed by the Information Center Founding Director, the late Hilmi Bey, I was called to an interview with Finance and Accounting Director Ahmet Gülder, and I ended up being hired not for a position that I had been trained in, but for a position that I had little experience in. It never occurred to me to say no.  I just wanted to work at Sabancı University. 

The university was newly founded, the campus was under construction, and the landscape with the foundations of the buildings did not look at all like what it does today. The Dorms area in particular: survey sticks were everywhere, concrete was being poured, painting was underway. It was overall a construction site and many of the buildings did not exist. Even the cafeteria that we use today. Instead, there was a prefabricated makeshift mess hall that we shared with construction workers. Another thing I can't forget is the smell of fertilizer for the grass to grow quickly. I still think back to those years whenever I smell fertilizer.  

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change? 

B.Ç.Ç.: You can never keep up with time, but my years in the university were really a blur. I don't know if this is also true for my friends. All companies have some recurring events. This is more pronounced in universities.  You may think that staying in the same environment for a long time makes everything seem redundant, but I never felt that way in the university. The initial thrill never wore off. And Sabancı University is a dynamic place, so there is always a new project or initiative going on. New strategies, new actions add excitement to the job we do.

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

B.Ç.Ç.: Physically, it is remarkably different. The campus is much prettier and greener compared to 20 years ago. Other than that, Sabancı University is already one of Turkey's best universities. As our President put it, our next objective is to make Sabancı University a globally-recognized institution. 

The pandemic rendered us helpless to control our lives, so we had to review our plans and aspirations. So I can't really make long-term plans about myself, I just try to enjoy the moment.

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

B.Ç.Ç.: We were definitely in the USA. My spouse and I had set ourselves a target: if I couldn't find a good job within one year of graduation, we would have moved abroad. His siblings and cousins live there. Maybe I would be doing my trained profession there, who knows?

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives. 

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Canan Atılgan. 

Canan Atılgan has been a member of Sabancı University since November 8, 1997. She has been a Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) member for 21 years and served as FENS Dean from March 9, 2018 to June 30, 2020. 

Canan Atılgan’s answers to our four questions are below. 

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time? 

C.A: It was my first day on campus! Faculty were in cubicles on the top floor of the Information Center. The oldest were by the windows, and when a new faculty member came, cubicle construction materials, office furniture and supplies were brought in to add another cubicle into the workspace. Deans and administrators had offices along the hallway. The floor was divided between FENS and FASS but it was a close-knit social environment. And of course, Dean Kemal İnan's booming voice could reach all of us! You smelled something in the air that was extraordinary, even fantastic - it brought down everything you knew about universities, and enticed you to be a part of it. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change? 

C.A: Over the years, I have moved from rookie to senior, of course. I held positions in almost all bodies of the university, I made great friends, and I experienced different perspectives. These expanded my vision far beyond academia. Because we had a strong Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and inter-faculty communication reached out to all employees rather than just students, the “liberal arts” spirit that I always found lacking in my engineering education suffused into me over time. The lifelong learning aspect of the job was something I had never imagined, and it played a part in all personal or professional decisions I made. I know there are many other institutions good in science, but Sabancı University brought surprising colors to my life. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself? 

C.A: We are living through extraordinary times. The pandemic will have ramifications on higher education institutions, but what that effect will be is not yet clear. The majority of students who view online education as adequate for professional training will meet this need through their computers, so many institutions will simply become redundant. On the other hand, institutions which are able to distill the academic experiences of these days into its academic tradition, and reinvent themselves at the same time will survive and prevail. I have no doubt that Sabancı University will be one of them. 

For myself, my dream is that I will be active in research in 20 years, and be known as a person who has introduced different perspectives to the academic world in Turkey. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University? 

C.A: I'm sure I would still be an academic. I wholly believed in the Sabancı University education system, and worked hard to contribute to it. I was a member of working groups for transformative changes made to NS courses over the years; this work did take away time from my research, but as I observed with pleasure during the pandemic, Sabancı University's quick adaptation to education through a pandemic was fed by those efforts. In another institution, I likely would have more articles but a less enriched life. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Ebru İçin Var.

Ebru İçin Var has been a member of Sabancı University since May 3, 1999. Ebru İçin Var began her 21-year Sabancı University career as an Archive Associate in the Information Center from 1999 to 2005, and continued as an Archive Associate in the Operations and Technical Services Unit from 2006 to 2013. Since 2013, she has been a Procurement Associate in the Procurement and Operations Directorate.

Ebru İçin Var’s answers to our four questions are below. 

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

E.İ.V: I started at the Sabancı University Information Center on May 3, 1999. There was not much time left before the opening, and it was a hectic period. When I started in June, the campus was still under construction. We were worried about whether it would be ready for the opening, but then we found ourselves moving into our new offices in September. It was lovely to be greeted by flower arrangements on our desks the first day. The IC building was one of the first to be completed. We were sharing the building with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, so it was like a beehive. There was great interaction between academic and administrative employees. It was a warm, welcoming environment; everyone was excited and upbeat. We had conversations, we shared our stories, and we all remember those days. We were delighted to greet our first students - I think there were 251 of them. They were all high-achievers who had made Sabancı University their first choice. I met almost all of them, and they all became highly successful after graduation. The beauty of being a new and small university was there for us. I took part in many student club activities. I got to share more with the students as I joined club activities. The thing that impressed me the most was the "creating and developing together" philosophy. That philosophy had been adopted and internalized by everyone. I think it has a lot to do with where Sabancı University is today. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

E.İ.V: I was very young when I came to Sabancı University 20 years ago; I grew up here. Everything was within quick and easy reach here. You have excellent access to all information, events, art or culture activities, and this has had a tremendous effect on my personal and professional development.

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

E.İ.V: In 20 years, I see a Sabancı University that has mostly achieved the targets it set in the beginning. 20 years is not a long time for a university, but I believe Sabancı University bounded and leapt during those years. It is a young university that is already a point of reference among the select universities of the world. At first, 20 years sounded like a long time, but then I remembered how quickly the first 20 years went by here. The university will be better known; a reference in more fields; perhaps larger with the addition of new programs and sciences. I will most likely be retired. :) Although I believe I will never lose contact with Sabancı University. I hope to live somewhere smaller, living a calm and peaceful life, engaging in social activities.

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

E.İ.V: If our paths hadn't crossed, I would have had a more conventional career. I would not have had the chance to gain all the different experiences and knowledge I acquired here. I met great people and made good friends here; some have since then moved on, but we still see each other. It is a matter of pride to be a member of Sabancı University, and I have always felt that. People always regarded me in a different way when they learned that I was at Sabancı. I will be forever proud. Thank you.

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives. 

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Emre Erol. 

Emre Erol has been a member of Sabancı University for 20 years. As one of the first undergraduate students of the university, Emre Erol graduated from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Social and Political Science (SPS) Program, and went on to complete his master's in the FASS History Program. He has a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. Emre Erol became a member of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in 2016, and has been the Foundations Development Program (FDP) Director since July 2019. 

Emre Erol’s answers to our four questions are below. 

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time? 

E.E.: I first met Sabancı University during a campus visit after the university exam and a few days before the selection deadline. I had been blown away, and I still remember parts of it. During that visit, I met then-Student Resources Director Zerrin Koyunsağan, and other students who later became my friends. I was impressed with how they spoke about the university, and the genuine energy they had. My score was enough for a very good program in a state university and I was prejudiced against foundation universities, but I had a change of mind after that visit.  No departments, freedom to chose programs, the state-of-the-art campus construction and the overall sense of liberty that permeated dorms, common areas and everywhere else had literally enchanted me. I remember looking for an Ethernet port among the grass, in the lawn between faculty buildings, to connect to the internet as we could in all faculties. Wireless technology wasn't so widespread back then. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change? 

E.E.: Twenty years ago, I had no knowledge of Sabancı University, or the intellectual and personal change that would experience thanks to this university. Sabancı University is among the most important institutions that shaped my life in these past 20 years. It gave me the chance to adopt and implement values like self-confidence, science, multiculturalism and universality, which all guided me on my path to personal enlightenment. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself? 

E.E.: My dream for Sabancı University in 20 years is for it to go beyond its campus boundaries in Istanbul and become a globally-recognized university. I have a dream that we can become one of the best universities of the world with our unique teaching model and cutting-edge research. I hope that the teaching model and tradition of the university will attract students from a much wider audience, so that in 20 years, more than half of the students are international. As for myself, regardless of where I am and what I do, I will be a proud Sabancı member who makes the best contributions to all circumstances. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University? 

E.E.: What my life would be without Sabancı University is hard to imagine. But it is easier to imagine what it wouldn't be. If I hadn't studied at Sabancı University, I would not be able to choose my career and specialty so freely, according to my personal choice, interest and skills.