20/12/2010
Sabancı University Founding President Professor Tosun Terzioğlu and Istanbul Policy Center Founding Director Professor Üstün Ergüder were given the “Emeritus Professor” title. Attending the ceremony at Sabancı University were Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı, Board of Trustees members, President Professor Nihat Berker, faculty members, students and employees.
Speaking at the ceremony, Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı said, “When the Sabancı family and our teammates set off years ago, we had a dream of an education institution that did not exist at the time. Our premise was simple: ‘Why not?’ We showed courage and ambition to do the things we thought to be right, even if it was the more difficult path to take. We built this institution from scratch, empowered by the capable leaders that took us to different levels.
Institutions bear the mark of their leaders. Both Founding Professor Tosun Terzioğlu and the Founding Director of the IPC, Üstün Ergüder, led us by example and were crucial to our advancement.”
Sabancı University President Professor Nihat Berker said, “Great institutions need great people. Great people contribute to institutions greatly with their personalities, experience and knowledge. Institutions that have these people are very fortunate. We are doubly fortunate.” Berker added that he enjoyed working with Professors Terzioğlu and Ergüder, and that universities grow with the presence of such valuable individuals. Berker then presented Professors Terzioğlu and Ergüder with their custom-built chairs that bear their names, signifying his wish that they would stay with the institution for years to come.
At his speech, Sabancı University Founding President Professor Tosun Terzioğlu said, “It is a great honor to be here today. When I look back, I realize that I began my career 42 years ago. Since then, I have had a wealth of administrative experience. I have been an administrator for 27 years. I have always learned, always listened. I learned lots from the people I listened to. I did not talk much, but always loved to learn. For me, participation at Sabancı University always had great importance. We have a Declaration of Academic Freedoms that many of us are proud of.” Terzioğlu added, “The university is not me, not Ms. Sabancı, nor the individual students. The university is a house of contradictions. There is the faculty, like myself, and then there are the students: young people 17-18 years of age. They have the energy, we have the experience. It befalls all of us to process the underlying wealth and come up with rare gems. Tosun Terzioğlu said that the purpose of the university was to learn, and continued, “The university is an adventure in learning. This is the same for me, and the same for our young students. It is hard to organize these adventures. Everyone learns from each other. This is not always what is expected in Turkey. This reminds me of herds of sheep. There is the herd, the shepherd, a dog, and a ram with a bell around its neck. The herd follows in their footsteps. This is not what is expected of a school. No university should be like this.”
Istanbul Policy Center Founding Director Professor Üstün Ergüder said, “I came to Sabancı University following a long career, when I was 63. From 1948 to 2000, I had been a part of Robert College. I went to the UK and received my doctorate in the USA. When I came back, the place was called Boğaziçi University. The deeds of the Council for Higher Education and other institutions felt like betrayal. I became an administrator to battle with these. My life was spent there. If someone had told me that I would switch institutions at the age of 63 and adopt the new place as my own, I would not have believed them.” Üstün Ergüder added that he was very satisfied with the 8 years he spent at Sabancı University, and that he would continue to serve in this institution.
Emeritus Professorship at Sabancı University
Emeritus professorship at Sabancı University is bestowed on distinguished professors in good standing who have made great contributions to the university and society in general, and who retire after 68 years of age. Candidates are nominated by the Faculty Dean and must be approved by the President followed by the Board of Trustees.
In addition to attracting new and superior talent, Sabancı University aims to actively utilize the vast talents, knowledge and expertise of experienced faculty members with the emeritus professorship title. The title ensures that the scientific efforts and productivity of retired professors are supported, and that they take part in university activities.