01/11/2024
Sabancı University Vice President for Institutional Affairs and Social Impact, Istanbul Policy Center Director and Professor of International Relations, our Esteemed Professor E. Fuat Keyman, who passed away on October 18, 2024, was commemorated with a special ceremony.
His loved ones remembered Fuat Keyman in different ways at the commemoration ceremony attended by his family, friends, Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees, Güler Sabancı, and Sabancı University members.
The commemoration ceremony, presented by IPC Administrative Affairs Manager Meryem Saygıner, began with a speech by Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Dean Meltem Müftüler-Baç. Starting her speech by talking about her 30-40-year friendship with Fuat Keyman and his untimely passing, Meltem Müftüler-Baç said that Fuat Keyman was a very good family man who was very devoted to his family and attached special importance to his wife and children. Meltem Müftüler-Baç also emphasized that Keyman delivered his last class at Sabancı University on October 2 and that he never left his students or his work until the last minute.
After her speech, Meltem Müftüler-Baç handed the floor over to Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici. President Yusuf Leblebici pointed out that Fuat Hoca will be remembered not only as a highly appreciated and recognized scientist in his field, but also as a wise person who always gave positive energy to all the people around him, his colleagues, friends, and students, and motivated them towards the better. Leblebici, who stated that he was always very happy to have known him, touched upon the fact that Fuat Hoca made a great contribution, effort, and endeavor in Sabancı University reaching its exceptional position today.
The commemoration ceremony continued with the speech of our Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı. Starting her speech by saying that today was a difficult day, Güler Sabancı stated that Fuat Hoca had always been constructive throughout the time she had known him. She said that he always handled his job, his projects, and subjects with very successful leadership, and that he handed things over to the relevant people and motivated them. Güler Sabancı expressed her belief that the youth, his students, and his companions will carry our Fuat Hoca’s vision and principle to even greater heights, and emphasized that this is the best way to commemorate Fuat Keyman.
Speaking at the ceremony regarding our professor, our vice presidents Cem Güneri and Mehmet Yıldız, our deans Ayşegül Toker and Erkay Savaş, FASS Faculty Member Ayşe Kadıoğlu, FASS Faculty Member Özgür Demirtaş, IPC Urbanization and Local Governance Studies Coordinator Ayşe Köse Badur, FASS Faculty Member Zafer Yenal, IPC Researcher Şebnem Gümüşçü, IPC Senior Specialist Kamil Yılmaz, IPC Research and Administrative Affairs Senior Specialist Cana Tülüş Türk, 2012-2013 IPC Mercator Senior Researcher Ömer Madra, SU Gender Director Zeynep Gülru Göker, FASS Faculty Member and IPC Social Psychology Studies Coordinator, Senior Specialist Nebi Sümer, FASS Student Yağmur Söylemez, FASS Faculty Member Berk Esen, and FASS Founding Dean and Emeritus Faculty Member Ahmet Evin expressed their gratitude for Fuat Hoca’s great contributions to our University, Istanbul Policy Center, the academic world, the society, and our country, They spoke about Keyman's visionary and academic perspective, as a very good leader with strong foresight. During the commemoration ceremony, where many of his characteristics were discussed, from his work that paved the way for female academics as a public intellectual, aimed at social benefit, to the value he gave to young people, speakers also underlined Keyman's elegant, sensible, and modest personality.