Sabancı University Istanbul International Energy and Climate Center (IICEC) Director Bora Şekip Güray shared his assessments of the recent developments about natural gas reserves. Güray said he expected the 540 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves discovered as a result of explorations recently intensifying in the Black Sea to provide multi-dimensional benefits to the sustainable growth of the energy sector in Turkey.

Calling the developments in the field of natural gas positive, Sabancı University Istanbul International Energy and Climate Center (IICEC) Director Bora Şekip Güray said, “Steps that can enable Turkey to cater for its natural gas needs, for 99% of which Turkey is dependent on imports, through its own production will help decrease the share of energy imports in total energy consumption, which is currently above 70% for primary energy sources,  and lower the nearly 30-billion USD energy imports bill, a figure that could have been much higher had it not been for the pandemic and the accompanying shrinkage of demand.”

Turkey to have a stronger hand

Highlighting that the recent discoveries were important also from the perspective of energy security and technology-focused development, and would make Turkey’s hand stronger in negotiations for gas imports, Güray said, “It is important to evaluate these developments in such a way that they can contribute to efforts towards the competitive development and deepening of the natural gas market, long-awaited items that have come to the agenda this year”.

Güray pointed out that natural gas had the potential to be used more commonly in residential and other buildings in an integrated way with energy efficiency improvements, in transport in line with mobility and urbanization trends, and in some industries, and added that, considering prospective growth trends in these sectors in the short and medium term, natural gas would remain important for Turkey’s plans for a cleaner energy perspective. Güray also pointed out the role of a reliable, efficient and competitive natural gas economy as a tool to support more renewable energy-based growth as the main axis of energy generation, and also a more competitive and predictable energy market.

The Sustainable Stories Webinar Series, organized in the scope of the Global Hope Festival and started with the mission to raise awareness about sustainability, continued with the webinar entitled “Carbon-Neutral Future”. In the second part of the webinar, Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum - CDP Turkey Projects Manager Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş and Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC) Director Bora Şekip Güray took part as speakers.

Sharing his opinions during the webinar, realized under the leadership of Turkuvaz Media Group and the new economy magazine, InBusiness, Mirhan Köroğlu Göğüş drew attention to the approaches of companies to climate change. Stating that they had formed CDP Turkey under the umbrella of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum since 2010, Göğüş said, “We can see that companies are becoming more aware not only of the climate change but also water management. Especially for the last 10 years, companies have had to adopt a different approach. For those companies that realized this transformation quickly, climate change became an opportunity, not a crisis”.

Companies continue their CDP disclosures despite Covid-19

Pointing to the increase in the number of companies responding to the CDP’s calls, Göğüş continued, “We can see that the respondents from Turkey continue to disclose their environmental impact to their investors and stakeholders through the CDP in a transparent way. They also enhanced the quality of disclosures and started to set long-term targets. There are considerable performance differences among companies that do and do not respond to the CDP’s calls. We have seen that, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, companies continued their CDP disclosures in Turkey and in the world. 9,600 companies in the world made CDP disclosures and 60 companies in Turkey responded to CDP disclosures.

Speaking at the webinar, IICEC Director Bora Şekip Güray made assessments about what kind of opportunities Turkey could create in the field of energy and what kind of path should be drawn for a mostly clean energy future. Güray talked about secure and clean energy-focused findings and the recommendations of the Turkey Energy Outlook study, the modelling infrastructure and scenario analysis of which were realized by IICEC. He added that, according to the study, energy-driven total emissions could reach a peak before 2040 that, in terms of carbon intensity, a one-third reduction on the last year’s figure could be achieved by 2040, and that technological developments and growing awareness about clean energy promised much more than these developments.

Turkey has very important clean energy potential

Providing information about what the roadmap should be for a cleaner energy future and underlining the importance of electric vehicles, hydrogen and other technologies aimed at decreasing carbon intensity and energy efficiency, Güray continued, “As we all know, an element that distinguishes us from Western countries is that we are an emerging energy economy. Energy demand has the potential to grow. Although this situation presents challenges for energy transformation, it is also an opportunity. Turkey has very important clean energy potential. Turkey’s energy consumption per capita is half that of developed countries. Especially, electrification is a very important trend in Turkey. The future of energy will be shaped around electrification”. 

Leaders of the business world continue to share their knowledge and experience with Sabancı University students and alumni. M. Cem Açık, Pfizer Turkey CEO, Onur Dedeköylü, Pegasus Airlines Marketing Director, Özge Akçizmeci Üstün, YouGov Turkey General Manager, and Tankut Turnaoğlu, P&G Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia Vice President, will be the guests at the “Leader Meetings”.

The Leader Meetings events, organized by Sabancı Business School for more than 10 years, continue with the participation of leading figures of the business world. The new speakers of the Leader Meetings, at which more than 40 senior managers and leaders from different fields have shared their knowledge and experiences so far, to be held between June and October, include M. Cem Açık, Pfizer Turkey CEO, Onur Dedeköylü, Pegasus Airlines Marketing Director, Özge Akçizmeci Üstün, YouGov Turkey General Manager, and Tankut Turnaoğlu, P&G Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia Vice President.

During the meetings to be held from June to October, 2021, M. Cem Açık, Pfizer Turkey CEO, will talk about “Business Continuity: Crisis Management during the Pandemic”, Onur Dedeköylü, Pegasus Airlines Marketing Director about “Post-COVID Digital Transformation and Opportunities: Flight and Travel Habits”, Özge Akçizmeci Üstün, YouGov Turkey General Manager about “The Story of a Sabancı University Graduate Entrepreneur: YouGov's Wizsight Takeover”, and Tankut Turnaoğlu, P&G Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia Vice President about “Communication and Brand Strategy in the COVID World”.

Students and alumni will have the opportunity to listen to business strategies from prominent business leaders in their respective fields during the meetings, which will be held online. Based on the philosophy of improving knowledge and contributing to social progress, in addition to supporting education through teaching and extracurricular activities, Sabancı University holds events every month considering the preferences of students and alumni. Valuable leaders of the business world who participate in the Leader Meetings share their knowledge and experience as well as their stories, strategies, and visions for the future with students and graduates to ensure the dissemination of knowledge.

“Leader Meetings”, a special series of the Sabancı Business School, will continue throughout the year. You can follow the developments on sbs.sabanciuniv.edu/tr/lider-bulusmalari.

In the Raith Micrograph Award 2021 Special edition competition organized by Raith company with international participation; The fabrication 'Full Electrostatic Control of Nanomechanical Buckling Device' with the collaboration between Bilkent UNAM (Supervised by Dr. Mehmet Selim Hanay) and Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM) in which significant nanofabrication processes were carried out by SUNUM Nanofabrication Team Leader Dr. Cenk YANIK, was selected 2nd by the committee. 

Another collaborative work 'Doubly-clamped beam NEMS device' in which Dr. Cenk YANIK made critical contributions to the nanofabrication production process, was also awarded as “Honorable Mentioned". 

It is very proud and hopeful that there are two distinguished institutions from Turkey in the competition where participants from many countries took place. 

We congratulate Dr. Cenk YANIK for his outstanding contributions and wish him continued success. 

The project coordinated by Nihal Öztolan Erol, a post-doc researcher at Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS) will receive support in the scope of TÜBİTAK 1002 Quick Support Program.

Nihal Öztolan Erol’s project is entitled “Researching genes developing nitrogen use efficiency in arabidopsis thaliana.” The project aims to eliminate the damage done to nature by nitrogen fertilizers.

The project will last 1 year. Mark GM Aarts and Maarten Koornneef from Wageningen University and Selim Çetiner from Sabancı University will provide advisory support for the project.

Mentioning the importance and details of the project, Nihal Öztolan said, “Nitrogen is one of the essential macro elements for plants. Plants get nitrogen from the soil through their roots thanks to nitrogen-stabilizing microorganisms and distribute it to all their organs. Plans growing in soils with sufficient quantity of nitrogen develop, reproduce and complete their lifecycles in a healthy way. However, it is not the case for soils lacking in nitrogen, where plant development and productivity are seriously challenged. To overcome this situation, nitrogen fertilizers are used. However, the damage done to nature by nitrogen fertilizers ranges from the pollution of underground water to the death of seas and deterioration of the nitrogen cycle. To eliminate all these negative effects, it is very important to enhance nitrogen use efficiency in plants. The way to enhance nitrogen use efficiency in plants is to obtain plants that can develop and reproduce in low-nitrogen soils in a healthy way. Implemented in Sabancı University FENS Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering program, this project will help eliminate the damage of nitrogen fertilizers to nature and constitute one of the essential scientific studies aimed at enhancing nitrogen use efficiency in plants.”

Established in cooperation with CDP Turkey, which is hosted by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, and Borsa Istanbul, the Garanti BBVA Climate Index is now live following the gong ceremony held at Borsa Istanbul.

Established in cooperation with CDP Turkey, which is hosted by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, and Borsa Istanbul, the Garanti BBVA Climate Index is intended to improve the sustainable finance market and incentivize companies to be more transparent in communicating climate-related risks and opportunities to their stakeholders.

The Garanti BBVA Climate Index will promote publicly-listed companies in Borsa Istanbul that demonstrate a good performance according to CDP which rates the companies’ climate action performance. Accordingly, a globally accepted and reliable index is created that can constitute the basis for climate finance in Turkey.

Borsa Istanbul will calculate and maintain the Garanti BBVA Climate Index. The index´s universe will consist of companies listed on the Borsa Istanbul whose most recent score is B- or higher according to the CDP’s assessment and those that also meet the liquidity requirements set by the index methodology. Accordingly, the index will include shares with an average daily trading volume of at least 10 million TL in the last 6 months.

Melsa Ararat, Founding Director of Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum and Director of CDP Turkey said the following about the index: “On behalf of some 590 global investors managing 110 trillion USD of assets, CDP invites companies to disclose the impacts of climate change, water security and deforestation on their operations, and their impact on those. In 2020, 9600 companies, representing more than 50% of the capitalization of global markets, made disclosures by responding to CDP’s set of questions and using its data platform. The number of companies disclosing through CDP increased by 70% in 5 years. In recent years, the number of climate indices and funds based on CDP data has also grown, while indices and investment funds using CDP data along with other environmental and social criteria are becoming more and more widespread. Today, we are realizing what CDP’s Turkey operation had been dreaming of for 10 years. We are launching an investment index that is based on climate change scores given by CDP to companies.  The index will facilitate allocation of financial capital to companies that are resilient to climate change. We believe that, thanks to this index, Turkey’s companies that aim to reduce and finally eliminate their emissions by adopting science based targets will go onto the radar of international institutional investors, and attract more external capital inflows to Turkey. We hope that this index will also attract the attention of local institutional investors and encourage other companies that have not yet disclosed their climate change strategies to follow the suit.”

Korkmaz Ergun, CEO of Borsa Istanbul said the following about the Garanti BBVA Climate Index: “As Borsa Istanbul, we are proud to be a part of this project realized by Borsa Istanbul, Garanti BBVA and CDP Turkey. As Borsa Istanbul, we will provide services including the calculation, maintenance and publication of this index. We are excited about the investment opportunities to be created by this index, which will act as a benchmark. Garanti BBVA and CDP Turkey are prominent institutions that offer innovative approaches and financing models in the field of climate change and sustainable development. I would like to thank everyone, starting with Garanti BBVA and CDP Turkey, who put their efforts into establishing this index, which will contribute to sustainable finance. I hope Garanti BBVA Climate Index will be beneficial to capital markets.”

Providing further details about the index, Ebru Dildar Edin, Executive Vice President of Garanti BBVA said, “As Garanti BBVA, we act with the motto ‘We take care of the world and the future’, and advance our fight against climate change each day, and we are proud of this ground-breaking achievement in Turkey. Considering our objective of “fighting climate change”, one of two business strategies of ours, we completed Garanti BBVA Climate Index in collaboration with the CDP Turkey and Borsa Istanbul teams in less than a year. As Garanti BBVA, we have provided more than 5.6 billion USD of support to sustainable energy financing in Turkey, and our contribution to the sustainable finance market is above 810 million USD. With the Garanti BBVA Climate Index, we add yet another step to our sustainable finance efforts and we hope this will constitute a milestone for the transparent climate change performance of the Turkish private sector, turning climate risks to opportunities and developing the climate change awareness of local investors. As Garanti BBVA, we will continue to work with private sector players, state bodies and NGOs to break new ground in Turkey in the process of the transition of our country to a low carbon economy against climate change.”

Mentioning Garanti BBVA’s contributions to sustainable finance, Ebru Dildar Edin continued, “Only in the last 60 years, humans released 100ppm of CO2 to the atmosphere. This is 100 times faster than the previous, natural increases, as happened towards the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago. Scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimate that the limits mean an atmospheric CO2 concentration of not more than 475 ppm for 2 degrees or 425 ppm for 1.5 degrees. If we still think about reaching the target of 1.5 degrees, we only have an allowance of 6 ppm globally. In brief, we are on the verge of a tipping point and we have to make sure that the next step is the right one. In terms of climate urgency, we are at a point in time when we have to assume the responsibility as the business world and create a new era of improvement offering reconciliatory opportunities and making use of technology with innovative initiatives to make the climate action a grassroots movement. While many innovative approaches such as renewable energy investments, energy efficiency applications and cyclical economy create millions of new jobs in the world, the World Bank estimates investments in these fields to reach at least 700 billion USD every year. Garanti BBVA’s role, which transforms the finance sector in the face of climate change, started 15 years ago with a vision stretching well beyond simply changing its own business strategy. With the more than 51 billion TL of support we have provided so far to sustainable development, we have not only contributed to the green and social improvement that the world needs but also made the sustainable finance market one of the actors in our local economy.”

Sabancı University Mechatronics Engineering doctoral student Rana Altay's work titled "A HYBRID SPIRAL MICROFLUIDIC PLATFORM FOR SEPARATION OF CIRCULATING TUMOR CELLS", prepared with FENS/SUNUM faculty members Ali Koşar and Murat Kaya Yapıcı has been accepted to the 25th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (MicroTAS 2021). 

Our student Rana Altay has been announced by the Chemical and Biological Microsystems Society in Palm Springs, CA, USA committee as a student who won a scholarship for her participation in the conference. 

This study is a nice example for the interdisciplinary research being conducted in the EFSUN Center of Excellence.with the use of the infrastructure of the Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM).

2021-2022 Academic Year Fall Term

Transfer applications to Sabancı University from other universities are evaluated by the relevant Faculty Boards upon the pre-evaluation of the Commision within the scope of the rules determined by Sabanci University and the quota, in compliance with "Instruction Letter for the Transfer among the Higher Education Institutions at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degree Programs and the Rules for Double Major, Minor and Credit Transfer between Institutions" published by the Turkish Higher Education Council (YOK). Online applications have to be completed without any missing documents until 28 July 2021. Interviews for applicants, who meet application requirements, will be held on 4 August 2021; and the applicants to be admitted to the programs will be decided after the Faculty Administrative Board evaluates the application documents.

General Rules for the Application Requirements:

1.       YOK Equivalency: For the applications made from abroad; the institution, that the applicant will leave, have to be among the institutions of which equivalency is recognized by YOK.

2.       Program Equivalency: Institution and the program which the candidate are to leave should be the equivalent of the Undergraduate Programs of SU.

3.       Term: Students who had completed first two semester of the undergraduate diploma programs can apply. Last two semester of the diploma programs can not be applied.

4.       Grade Point Average : Applicants must possess a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 60 out of 100 or 2.29 out of 4.00. Candidates, applying from the universities implementing the grading system other than x out of 4.00 or 100, should submit an official document explaining the grading system and conversion table for the grades.

5.       To Be Registered: Applicants must be registered in the current higher education institution as a student.

6.       English Proficiency: The students certifying that they have passed one of the national and/or international foreign language examinations at a level determined by the university (**) and the ones who have graduated from a higher education institutions where the medium of instruction is English are exempted from English Language exam. Applicants, who do not meet these criteria, are required to be successfull in the English Language Assessment Exam (ELAE) held by Sabancı University, to be able to start to study in the program.(**) Exams and Scores for Foundation Development Year Exemption

7.       Education Period: The total periods required to complete the program and those formerly passed must not exceed the maximum education period of 14 terms.

8.       OSYM Score: For students with Turkish citizenship, who are registered in a university abraod; it is required to meet ranking condition stated in OSYS guidebook for the related year for applications to Faculty of Engineering and Natual Sciences. For Management Programs and Arts and Social Sciences Programs, it is required to have an equal or above central placement score from the relevant score type in the year that the student took OSYS/YKS exam, than the minimum required score for the equivalent diploma programs in Turkey to the program that the student intend to transfer.

Application Documents:

All documents must be offically prepared in English or Turkish languages. It is necessary to attach the Turkish or English notarized translations besides the original documents prepared in other languages.

1.      Application Form and Application Fee

Please click for the Application Form

675 TL application fee must be paid to the the account of which details will be sent to you with an e-mail right after you submit the application. Application fee is non-refundable.

Whether the applicants will be placed in a program or not will be determined according to the number of the semesters and credits.

2.       The Certificates of Examination Results

There must be a copy of OSYS certificate (indicating the score and the higher education institution placed) used for the admittance to the institution the applicants are to leave for the applicants from domestic universities, including higher education institutions in KKTC and those mentioned in the OSYM guide; OSYM certificate showing obtained scores from all score types is also required.

Applicants who are registered in a higher education institution abroad are required to meet the conditions in the Higher Education Programs and Quotas Guide.

For T.C. nationals registered abroad; OSYS certificate (Student Pleacement Exam) and OSYM certificate showing obtained scores from all score types is also required.

In order to be able to transfer from a higher education institution abroad to a program in our country for which success ranking is required; 

a) In the year a student starts his/her higher education, the university he/she is registered in must be in the first four hundredth percentile in the world rankings determined by the ranking institutions based on the Higher Education Council and meet the term/class and success requirements,

 b) In case of being registered in a university other than the first four hundred percentile;

1.Those who have completed their secondary education in Turkey must take the central placement exam and meet the requirement of success ranking in the relevant score type of the program for which the success ranking is required as of the registration year, 

2.Those who have completed at least the last two years of their secondary education abroad must have successfully passed at least four semesters of the diploma program they are enrolled in excluding the preparatory year.

It is required for the international applicants or the ones who complete entire high school education outside of Turkey, to submit one of the exam or diplomas stated in the list

3.       Transcript

An official document, demonstrating all courses, grades, and GPA's, issued by Student Affairs Office of the higher education institution the applicant is enrolled in. If the grading table is not on the transcript, an official letter explaining the grading system must also be submitted along with the transcript.

For international applications; those who have completed at least two years of their secondary education in an institution abroad must also submit their high school transcripts (report card).

4.       Detailed Description and Contents of The Courses

There must be documents with the contents and detailed descriptions of the courses indicated on the candidate's transcript. It will be useful for the overseas applicants to attach catalogs giving information about the foreign institutions or documents like these. It is required for each course which is succesfully passed. Courses which are found equivalent by the Faculty Administrative Board will be substituted with their grade.

5.       English Proficiency Exam Result

·         The document certifying that the student has passed one of the national and/or international foreign language examinations at a level determined by the university (*)

·         An official document indicating the program's education language prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university the applicant is enrolled in (for the institutions of which medium of instruciton is fully English). If the information is indicated on the transcript, no additional document is required.

(*) Exams and Scores for Foundation Development Year Exemption

6.       Student Certificate

The document demonstrating that the applicant is a student of the institution, prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university the applicant is registered in.

7.       Certificate of Disciplinary Standing

The document indicating the disciplinary standing for the domestic applicants prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university that the applicant is registered in.

8.       Letter of Recommendation

It is not mandatory; can be submitted optionally.Minimum 2, preferably 3 letters of recommendation

Recommendation Letter

9.       High School Diploma

High school diploma copy attested by the university, for the applicants graduated from a high school in Turkey

For the applicants graduated from overseas high schools, it is required to attach notarized Turkish translations of their high school diploma and diploma equivalency certificate obtained from Turkish Ministry of Education, along with the high school diploma

10.   The Passport Pages

Those pages with photo and identification information and approved notarized photocopies of the pages related to the years of education in the foreign higher education institutions for the overseas applicants.

 "Yurda giriş-çıkış belgesi” from e-devlet for students who have Turkish citizenship. As of March 2020, entry and exit inquiries are not mandatory due to the pandemic.

11.   The Document of Return from Abroad

The official writing indicating the state of the applicants whose parents have returned to Turkey upon completion of their offical duty or their working lives abroad.

12.   Copies of certificates, courses, internships, sports competitions with rewards taken before.

Which of the courses taken before to be substituted; and which course will be substituted with which one will be indicated in the Faculty Administrative Board resolution, after the transfer application is accepted.

2021-2022 Academic Year Fall Term Quotas

Sabancı University’s 19^th undergraduate and 22^nd graduate classes’ commencement ceremony was held physically on the campus in Tuzla. Realized with the participation of Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University and Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici, the 2021 commencement ceremony included Professor Uğur Şahin and Doctor Özlem Türeci, founders of the BioNTech company, as guests of honor. 

Sabancı University’s 19^th undergraduate and 22^nd graduate classes’ commencement ceremony was held physically on the university’s campus. During the ceremony, the top-ranking students deserving of a special award were announced. These awards are fully funded annually by the Sakip Sabancı Fund set up in the will of Sakıp Sabancı. The top-ranking students in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Sabancı Business School were Deniz Şahin, Selin Alara Dalgıç, and Orkan Mamado, respectively. Şevval Özkaymak delivered a speech on behalf of undergraduate students, and Alara Buyuran delivered her speech on behalf of graduate students. 

During the ceremony, upon the invitation of Güler Sabancı, a big round of applause was given to Professor Uğur Şahin and Doctor Özlem Türeci for their work for humanity, and to healthcare professionals for their services to people during the pandemic.

Realized with the participation of Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University and Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici, the 2021 commencement ceremony had Professor Uğur Şahin and Doctor Özlem Türeci, founders of the BioNTech company, as guests of honor. They joined the ceremony by videoconference and told young people that the pandemic showed the whole world how science and research made a difference for humanity. 

Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University stated that, unlike some other universities, Sabancı University held the 20201 Commencement Ceremony physically on the campus, considering the acceleration of normalization and vaccination processes and taking all the necessary measures. Telling the alumni they would be ready for the post-pandemic world thanks to the education they received from Sabancı University, Güler Sabancı continued, “I am fully confident that you will overcome these challenging conditions. You will be the leaders who provide solutions to new problems of the new world and contribute to society.” Referring to Rumi’s famous quote “every thorn that pricks your feet heralds the rose that you are searching for”, Güler Sabancı emphasized that it was again young people that would make this world a better place.  

Expressing the idea that people faced a totally different world due to the pandemic, Güler Sabancı said the following: “It takes versatile and fluent leadership to succeed in this period when everything is revisited, the roles of all institutions and organizations are redefined, change cycles are accelerated, and strategic perspectives require agility. To overcome challenges, the ability to find quick and rational solutions, in other words, skillfulness and emotional resilience become more important. It is important to become individuals that adapt to change, embrace change, and produce solutions instead of complaining. Remember that ability to adapt to change is an indicator of intelligence”. 

Pointing out that Sabancı University always aimed to be ahead of its time, Güler Sabancı noted that they set out to establish a world university and raise world citizens, and went on to say the following: “Today, you have all the competencies to become successful ‘world citizens’! During your academic life, you have received education from the strongest academic staff in Turkey under the best conditions. As universal values point to and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has said, you grew up as world citizens with free thought, free understanding and free conscience. You will build the rest of your lives on these foundations through your knowledge and your choices. We will be most proud of you when you become individuals who benefit their country, community and humanity.” 

WE HAVE CONTINUED TO INVEST IN EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE DURING THE PANDEMIC

In his speech at the 2021 Commencement Ceremony, Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici highlighted the fact that Sabancı University was one of the best universities in the country in terms of both the quality and originality of education programs, and of research outputs, which represent the University’s contributions to the world of science, and said, “we have always been guided by the light of reason and science”. 

Underlining that their objective was to become a well-known and appreciated university not only in Turkey but also all around the world, Yusuf Leblebici pointed out that Sabancı University ranked among the top three universities in Turkey in terms of project contribution to ongoing research studies. Specifying that they uninterruptedly took steps to further enrich education and research infrastructure during the pandemic, Leblebici said that the main campus, equipped with modern distance learning infrastructure, had been made ready for hybrid education in the real sense of the word for the next academic year, and that the university was ready to welcome all the students back to the campus. 

LIFELONG INSPIRING MESSAGES FROM SCIENTISTS

Professor Uğur Şahin and Doctor Özlem Türeci, founders of the BioNTech company, gave lifelong inspiring messages to the alumni as guests of honor of the Sabancı University 2021 Commencement Ceremony. 

Emphasizing that the pandemic showed the whole world how science and research could make a difference, Professor Uğur Şahin said that, as scientists, they managed to make a difference thanks to their education and more than ten years of research in collaboration with their colleagues, experts and trusted fellows. Congratulating Sabancı University alumni on their graduation, Şahin said, “What you have achieved today will have an impact on your future. Always keep this day in mind because this day is very special for three reasons.” Şahin continued, “First, today is your celebration day. A day you celebrate all the hard work and curiosity that got you to this moment. Stay curious. Stand up for the things you care about. By doing so, you will go far and won’t get tired of what you are doing. Keep exploring new destinations even if you don’t know where this will lead you. What I love most about my work is that every day I can learn from scientific papers, news, data, my wife, my colleagues and even from strangers. Stay open-minded. 

“Second, today is a day of gratitude. A day to thank those who have helped you to get there. The people who believed in you, supported you, taught you, cheered you on and dried your tears. Stay close to people who are as motivated as you. Together you will contribute to bigger achievements. Together you can make a difference.

“Third, today is also a day of reflection. Today marks the end of one era of your life and, at the same time, it is the beginning of a new era. It is the perfect time to ask yourself, “What is important to me? How can I contribute to society by fulfilling my duty?” To me, contributing to a certain purpose is what fills me with joy and gratitude. Dedicating my work to improving the lives of many. I am very grateful that we have been able to contribute to the fight against the pandemic and help so many people with our research and work. Today is your work. Be ready to start a new chapter for you, for your families and for future generations. First and foremost, make a difference and try to be useful. Many little things can lead to something big. Be humble, be curious, be faithful. I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin a new chapter in your life, I wish that for you.” 

“VACCINATION HELPS TO GET A CONTROL OF THIS PANDEMIC” 

Uğur Şahin shared his views about his work and the evolution of the vaccination process. 

Highlighting that their research focus was to develop medicines for cancer patients and, specifically, to develop medicines to help individual patients, Şahin said, “What turned out is that the technology that we have developed is not only able to develop medicines for individual cancer patients, but the same medicine can be used to develop a vaccine which is useful for mankind.” He continued, “The scale does not play a big role. I feel happy if I can help a single individual, as happy as I am that our vaccine has helped humanity to go back to our normal lives.” Şahin shared his views of the vaccination and normalization process. 

WE WILL GO BACK TO OUR NORMAL LIVES

“I am very confident that we will go back to our normal lives. So, what we are seeing is that vaccination helps to get a control of this pandemic. It is important, of course, that everyone is getting vaccinated. That will most likely happen in Turkey in the next 3-4 months, allowing us really to get not only the infections under control but also reduce hospitalization and continue with our normal life. It is important to consider the lessons from this pandemic that science and collaboration could make such a big difference. Therefore, we should have an optimistic view of the future  and invest in science, invest in education, invest in research, and stay open to collaborations.” 

You can watch Prof Şahin's speech in full from the link below. 

IF YOU ARE NOT FAILING, YOU ARE NOT GROWING

Pointing out that she was honored to address the alumni at the commencement ceremony of Sabancı University, which she named as one of the finest universities in the world, Dr Özlem Türeci said, “The skills you have developed over the past years will guide you in the future. They will support you in having an impact on science and society. And, you are in good company. Many alumni from this university including Canan Dağdeviren have made a difference for society.” 

Stating that, on their personal journey, she and Uğur Şahin had to make many decisions without knowing the consequences or the outcome in advance, Türeci said they were guided by three virtues, namely: courage, humility and perseverance. 

Advising Sabancı University alumni to act with courage and humility in all that they did, Türeci said they should not be afraid to fail. She continued, “Continued effort is the key to unlocking your potential, your own superpowers. Failing twenty times and succeeding the twenty-first time. Yes, that is a recurring theme in Uğur’s and my life. Early in my career, I realized that if I wanted to accomplish something greater, I had to deal with both success and failure. Don’t waste energy trying to cover up failure. If you are not failing, you are not growing.”

In her messages to Sabancı University alumni based on her own life experiences, Özlem Türeci said that the easiest, straightforward path was not always the right one and might not necessarily bring them closer to their goal; having the courage to take a left or right on the path might be the route to their actual destination. Stating that it was the path that served their goal, Türeci said, “our goal was to turn science into survival and into a better life for humanity.” 

You can watch Dr Özlem Türeci’s speech in full from the link below. 

You can watch our 2021 Commencement Ceremony from the link below. 

Zeynep Çelik has been named the inaugural Sakıp Sabancı Visiting Professor at the Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies at Columbia University. Her deep expertise and unique historical perspective on the architecture and urbanism of the region will enhance the Sabancı Center’s goals.

“In Zeynep Çelik, Columbia welcomes a truly distinguished scholar of history, art, and archeology,” said Amy Hungerford, the Executive Vice President of Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Columbia. “We are grateful that the generosity of the Sabanci family allows us to continue enriching Turkish studies at Columbia with a scholar and teacher of this caliber.” 

The Sabancı Visiting Professorship was established in 2016 by the Sabancı family, who at the same time created the Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies at Columbia with a gift of $10 million dollars. This endowed center, the first of its kind in the United States, was created to enhance the scope of Columbia’s intellectual exploration of Turkey. Columbia has a long relationship with Turkey that includes not only the Sabancı Center, but also the Columbia Global Center in Istanbul established in 2011. 

The visiting professorship and the Center are named for the late Sakıp Sabancı (1933-2004), a Turkish philanthropist and businessman who transformed his family’s business into one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey. The Sabancı family is known in Turkey and internationally for its leadership and generosity visible through its foundation, a museum, an international research award, and Sabancı University. The family has been instrumental in the expansion of the study of Turkey at Columbia. 

The Sabancı offers public events and scholarly programs, doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships, and the Visiting Scholars Program, all of which will be enhanced by the arrival of Professor Zeynep Çelik. As the inaugural Sabancı Visiting Professor, she will contribute to the Center’s mission to increase knowledge and awareness of Turkey through research, teaching, and intellectual exchange. 

"At the Sakıp Sabancı Center, we are extremely pleased about Professor Çelik's appointment,” said Holger A. Klein, Director of the Sakıp Sabancı Center and Lisa and Bernard Selz Professor of Medieval Art History. “Her presence on the Morningside campus will be of great benefit not only to the Center but also to the entire community of scholars here at Columbia. Since her scholarly expertise spans several disciplines ranging from Ottoman history and historiography to art and architectural history, archaeology, and urban studies, the classes she is planning to teach will be attractive to students at all levels in departments across the Humanities and Social Sciences." 

Professor Çelik comes to Columbia from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she was a Distinguished Emerita Professor. Her books include The Remaking of Istanbul, which was awarded the Institute of Turkish Studies Book Award in 1987;  Scramble for the Past: A Story of Archaeology in the Ottoman Empire, 1753-1914;  and her most recent, Europe Knows Nothing about the Orient: A Critical Discourse (1872–1932). She considers architecture and urban forms key expressions of societies and cultures and insists on their potential to open important questions, above all, political questions. Earlier this year, she was named a Fellow of the Society of Architectural Historians. 

"I am thrilled to join the Columbia faculty, History Department, and the Sakıp Sabancı Center as the first Sakıp Sabancı Visiting Professor,” said Professor Çelik. “My gratitude goes to the Sabancı family for generously funding this position and the Center, which is the platform for Turkish and Ottoman Studies on campus and beyond."