“QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Top Universities Under 50" rankings were revealed. The system uses the same methodology as the QS World University Rankings to determine the top universities under 50 years of age.  Sabancı University ranked between 61st and 70th. 

Reputation has greater weight in the QS system, and reputation accounts for 50% of the total score, which enables younger universities to compare their visibility and outreach. The "Under 50" rankings evaluates universities on six indicators based on four criteria determined to be relevant to prospective students, namely research, teaching quality, employability and international outlook. 

Four of the indicators are based on “hard” data, and the remaining two on major global surveys – one of academics and another of employers. The weight of the indicators based on hard data are 20% for student-to-faculty ratio; 20% for citations per faculty; 5% for international faculty ratio and 5% for international student ratio.  The weight of the survey indicators are 40% academic reputation and 10% for employer reputation. 

The Turkish institutions among the 150 young universities worldwide were Sabancı University as well as Bilkent and Koç Universities in the 51st-60th range, and Çukurova University in the 101st-150th range. Four Turkish universities were on the rankings this year. 

Sabancı University Faculty Member and Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat was elected for the third time to membership of the board of governors of ICGN (International Corporate Governance Network), a community that brings together asset managers and investors representing USD 26 trillion of capital. Melsa Ararat continues to be the first and only academic sitting on the ICGN board of governors, which has the power to influence investments and financial markets, particularly in the UK and US, through publishing guidances, discussion papers and surveys.

Sabancı University faculty member and Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat was elected to the Board of Governors of the ICGN (International Corporate Governance Network) for the third time in the Annual Conference held in Kuala Lumpur on July 10th, 2017. Initially elected in 2015 and now elected for a third time, Ararat continues to be the only member from emerging markets and only academic member of the ICGN board of governors.

Members of the ICGN board of governors have included corporate investment experts from around the world, and the regulatory authorities of Asian stock exchanges and capital markets. The agenda of this year's conference consisted of best practices for investors' monitoring and supervision obligations regarding the companies they invest in, general stability in financial markets, and economic growth. The conference began with a plenary session on "Redefining Capitalism for a Sustainable Global Economy" and featured academics from Malaysia, Singapore and Japan as speakers.

Melsa Ararat commented, “It is a vast responsibility to sit on the board of ICGN, an organization that influences corporate investment and asset management policies worldwide. I am proud to represent Sabancı University in this organization." Ararat explained that the main theme of this year's annual conference was systemic risks, and continued, "Investors are concerned more than ever about income disparity, cyber risks, and political risks. A popular subject this year was the state- or government-controlled investment and portfolio companies operating in some of the most developed financial markets in Asia. Speakers drew attention to the risks accompanying such organizations in autocratic regimes where democratic penetration is low. The possibility of preferential treatment in regulatory and judicial proceedings was brought up by speakers, who emphasized the importance of understanding the intersection points of corporate governance and public governance. The discussions here contained valuable lessons for the governance of the Asset Fund in Turkey."

Currently a governor member of ICGN's Business Ethics and Systemic Risk Committee, Ararat was among the team that created the Capital Markets Board Corporate Governance Principles first issued in 2003. Ararat is the founding director of the Corporate Governance Forum established by Sabancı University and TÜSİAD in 2002, and has been the coordinator of the global research network supported by IFC and focused on emerging markets since 2006.  Ararat has contributed to the majority of research projects on corporate governance in Turkey, and had served as CEO and board member in various multinational companies in the Far East, Japan and Europe, while becoming an expert on joint venture governance prior to joining Sabancı University.

About the International Corporate Governance Network

ICGN is a nonprofit entity founded in London in 1995. ICGN brings together corporate governance professionals led by asset managers and investors representing USD 26 trillion in assets, and issues guidelines, statements and papers to influence investors and financial policies towards better corporate governance. ICGN is an active member of all platforms related to global capital markets and the finance sector.

Dear Alumni,

Dear Faculty Members,

Valuable parents and guests,

On behalf of Sabancı University Board of Trustees, welcome to our Fifteenth Undergraduate and eighteenth Graduate Commencement Ceremony.

***

• Today is an exciting day for us all.
•  We are here to celebrate the success of our youth.

• Before I begin, I would like to remember and thank everyone who made great efforts for our university and our precious students. 

• Sabancı University is the greatest achievement of the Sabancı Foundation, which has been working for the social development of Turkey for 43 years with the magnanimous support of the Sabancı Family. 

• I would like to thank the Sabancı Family and the Sabancı Foundation once more for their support. 

• I would also like to remember with great gratitude our Honorary Chairman, the late Sakıp Sabancı, who believed that a better future for Turkey lay in a well-educated and well-trained youth,  

• and ensured the establishment of our university with his creative and positive personality, understanding, and endeavoring spirit. 

Dear parents, 

• You believed in our university, trusted us with your children, and made great sacrifices for them. You deserve thanks for your trust and support. 

• Congratulations on the success of your children. 

• Our faculty, led by our President, Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu, went to great efforts to ensure that your children grew up to be knowledgeable individuals with sensibilities. I would like to thank them on behalf of us all. 

• I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of our Board of Trustees, 

• Secretary-General Haluk Bal and the entire administrative staff for their exceptional support in all processes, 

• Ayhan Sicimoğlu and friends for making our commencement ceremonies breathtaking memories, 

• And last but not least, Yekta Kara and the commencement committee for another excellent commencement ceremony.

Dear Youth, 

• Today is your day. 

• You are at an important turning point for your lives ahead of you. 

• You join the thousands of Sabancı University alumni to date. 

• You have worked and you have succeeded in completing a difficult phase. 

• A new era begins today, and I wish you all success in it." 

• While having talent, competence and knowledge is the start of the road to success, luck also plays a part in it. 

• Louis Pasteur said, "Fortune favors the prepared mind. 

• And you are already mentally prepared.  

Dear Youth,  

• As you are well aware, we are living through great changes.
  • While the transformative and disruptive effects of science and technology, from artificial intelligence to robots, are felt in every aspect of our lives, they also extend the average life expectancy of humans.                                                 

• Our median age is 24 for undergraduate students and 30 for graduate students. 

• This may sound too long to you, but barring any unexpected circumstances, you will live to be 100. 

• Your middle age will be at around 50 to 55, while retirement is expected at 75. 

• Therefore, you need to make longer-term plans compared to previous generations. 

• You must constantly develop your resources of knowledge and competency, and plan yourself for a life of 100 years.
• In the agricultural society, one could live a lifetime on the knowledge they inherited from their parents only. 

• Going to university was enough for finding a good job and cruising until a comfortable retirement in the industrial age. 

• Today, however, no school can give you the knowledge that an individual will need for life. 

• The knowledge and competencies taught in schools can only be foundations for your careers in business. 

• That is why I expect you to find your way back to Sabancı University in the future. 

• You will work for more than 50 years, having enough time for 2 or 3 different careers.

 Considering the wealth of experiences that would bring, it is impossible to transfer an exhaustive body of advice or experience to the younger generations. 

• However, successful people have one thing in common that never changes: their perspective on the world, or their attitudes. 

• They consult; they question; they inquire.
• They do their homework.
• They approach things with an open mind.
• They are constructive and solution-oriented.
• They plan their resources well, and they focus on getting results. 

• But most important of all, successful people always strive to improve the capabilities and possibilities given to them. 

• This perspective includes being open to learning, enthusiastic to reinvent or develop oneself, and being diverse in capabilities. 

• There is also the propensity to view life as a journey in learning, development and maturation, where one always develops and goes further. 

• Because they know one thing very well: what matters is not what you have today, but what you choose to do with it. 

• What you encounter is less important than how you handle it. 

• If you look at life with a mindset that is focused on development, you can go beyond what has been provided to you. 

• Remember that your success and happiness will be defined by how you build on top of what you have today. 

• The good news is that you have been raised at Sabancı University with the necessary competencies and this mindset. 

• We at Sabancı University aimed to help our students acquire a mindset that is focused on development. 

• You did not merely learn a science or a profession.  

• You were raised to become individuals who:
  • Adopt unchanging universal values such as human rights, equality and rule of law,
  • Have common sense,
  • Believe in the power of knowledge,
  • And can manage their feelings with conscience and consciousness.
  • You learned about lifelong learning. 

• The values and competencies you have acquired here will light your way in whatever path in life that you will follow.

Dear Youth, 

• We can see even today that artificial intelligence will transform work and business as we know it, and will shake the roots of social equilibrium. 

• We can foresee that in 20 years, many of the professions and jobs available today will be done by robots, or learning machines.  

• However, what sets sentient beings apart from robots is emotions. 

• And what sets humans apart from other species is their awareness of emotions and their ability to manage them. 

• That is the reason why no robot or artificial intelligence is able to replace human consciousness. 

• In an age when humanoid robots are being built, you must (absolutely!) avoid becoming roboticized humans.  

• In the new social order that awaits you, you must be aware of your emotions and work on how to manage them. 

• Make your feelings an integral part of your thinking and reasoning.

• Your consciousness and conscience will be your greatest advantages in competition. 

• At this stage, my advice is regardless of what job you do, you must love it and want to do it. 

• Your measure of success cannot be money alone. 

• To do this, the work you do should have a purpose that goes beyond it. 

• Money is of course important, and every human is entitled to enjoy the comforts of life, but none of those are the true measures of success in one's life. 

• People remember you not by how much money you make, but how you spend it. 

• I will also recommend the book 'Başarı Şimdi Aslanın Ağzında' by the late Sakıp Sabancı. 

• As we say our goodbyes, there is one thing I want you to remember: "True wealth and true success is the positive effect we have on people's lives." 

• May you have a long and prosperous life. 

• And always remember your alma mater!

The "Gürsel Sönmez Awards" established in 2006 in memory of the late Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences member and valued scientist Gürsel Sönmez were given for the 11th time this year.

Awards in honor of the late Sabancı University Faculty Member Gürsel Sönmez, who passed away in 2006, were presented during the Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, July 1, 2017.

Three graduate students won the 2016- 2017 Dr. Gürsel Sönmez Research Awards for their extraordinary achievements:

• Rebi Daldal, 2015-2016 Fall graduate of the Industrial Engineering Master's Program.
• Seyyed Hamed Mousavi, 2016- 2017 Spring graduate of the Mathematics Master's Program.
• Tolga Cağlar,  2016- 2017 Spring graduate of the Physics PhD Program.

The Dr. Gürsel Sönmez Award Committee set up every year by the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences received 151 submissions to date and handed 32 awards as a result of meticulousevaluation. 

2016- 2017 Dr. Gürsel Sönmez Research Awards Committee

Burç Mısırlıoğlu

Bülent Çatay

Güllü Kızıltaş Şendur

Murat Kaya Yapıcı

Selim Çetiner

Selim Saffet Balcısoy

Tuğçe Yüksel (Coordinator)

About Gürsel Sönmez and the Awards

Dr. Gürsel Sönmez joined the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences in September 2004. Shortly thereafter, on January 16, 2006, he was involved in a fatal traffic accident. His short academic career was nevertheless fruitful and significant, and he made great contributions to the sciences.

"Dr. Gürsel Sönmez Research Awards" were established by the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences to keep his legacy alive and remind students about his achievements to motivate them.  The Award entails prizes for one or more graduate students based on their research efforts and achievements to date. Submissions are open to both master's and doctorate students. Graduates and candidates may only apply once. Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by a member of Sabancı University faculty.

2017-2018 Fall Term Undergraduate Horizontal Transfer Applications

Applications from universities other than Sabanci University (SU) and undergraduate programs within SU will be evaluated by the relevant Faculty Boards, in compliance with "Regulations on the Basis Concerning Horizontal Transfer among the Institutions of Higher Education at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degree Levels ," published by the Turkish Higher Education Board (YOK) and the rules adopted by Sabanci University. Applicants may be able to invited for the interviews,as required.
All application documents should be submitted to Sabanci University Student Resources Unit by July 25th, 2017. The related Faculty Administrative Committee evaluates transfer applications.
Evaluation results will be sent to the applicants in the written form. Delays due to the post will not be accepted. An interview will be organized for the candidates who are satisfying the application requirements during August 2, 2017. Applicants to be accepted to the programs will be determined as the result of the examination of the application documents by the related Faculty Administrative Council.

APLICATIONS FROM UNIVERSITIES OTHER THAN SABANCI UNIVERSITY

General Rules for the Application Requirements:

1. Equality : The equality of the institutions and programs which candidates are to leave must have been recognized by YOK for the overseas applications.

2. Equivalence : Institutions and programs which candidates are to leave should be the equivalent of the Undergraduate Programs of SU.

3. Term Completion : 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 60/100 (2.29/4.00) or cumulative grade point average in the grade conversion table on the transcript. Candidates, applying from the universities implementing the grading system other than equivalency table of 4.00 and 100, should submit an official document and/or 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 where the medium of instruction is English are exempted from English Language exam. In all other applicants, the students are required to pass the English Language Assessment Exam (ELAE). Those candidates who fail to attend or get a satisfactory score in the exam are obliged to attend and successfully complete a full course of English Language Preparation in order to continue with undergraduate courses. Failure to complete this course successfully will result in termination of enrollment at Sabancı University.

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.

Application Documents:

All documents must have been ofically 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 : Applicants who apply for more than one program must fill just one Application Form. The form must have been fotocopied as many as the number of programs applied for and the bank receipt for the payment of the non-refundable fee of 350 TL to the SABANCI University account numbered 30727 (IBAN NO: TR87 0004 6007 1388 8000 0307 27) with Akbank SABANCI University Branch must be attached to each form. Applicants for sophomore year should indicate the program set related to the graduation program they wished to study on their application form. The departments of these applicants will be determined in accordance with Sabancı University Undergraduate Education Regulations.

1.  The Certificates of Examination Results : There must be a copy of OSYS certificate used for the admittance to the institutions the applicants are to leave for the applicants from domestic universities,including higher education associations in KKTC and those mentioned in the OSYM guide. 

       For  applicants, holding TR citizenship,  from overseas universities, should have one of the documents stated below:

In case of applications submitted from abroad, prospective students that are Turkish nationals must prove that they obtained the minimum score required to be placed in the relevant undergraduate program (185 points) in the OSYS exams administered in the year they are admitted to the university abroad or satisfied the requirements regarding any of the following examinations and minimum results.

• SAT 1 (min 1500/2400 score , new system min 1090),
• ACT, Math, Science reasoning and total 21/36,
• GCE A Level Certificate (min. 2 courses),
• ABITUR (1-4 diploma score),
• International Baccalaureate  (IB min 28/45 diploma score),
• Matura (2/1 diploma score),
• French Bakalorya (min 12/20 diploma score).  
• Maturita (min 70/100 diploma score)

Foreign national students should submit one of the tests/diplomas stated in the below link.

http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/sites/default/files/copy_of_2016-2017_uluslararasi_sinav_listesi_final-tr-revised_last.pdf

1.  Transcript : An official document demonstrating all GPA's, grades, and all accepted courses from Student Affairs Office of the higher education institution the applicant is enrolled in.

1.  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.

1.  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 (accepted by the University) or an official document indicating the program's education language prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university the applicant is enrolled in(preferably enclosed) (for the fully English teaching institution) If the information is also indicated on the transcript, no more document is required.

1. 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.

1.  Certificate of Disciplinary Standing: The document indicating the disciplinary standing for the domestic applicants (preferably enclosed prepared by the Student Affairs Office at the university applicant is enrolled in)

1. Letter of Recommendation : Min 2, preferably 3 letters of recommendation (enclosed). Sample letter is attached to the Application Form.

1. High School Diploma : It is useful for the applicants graduated from domestic high schools to attach approved copy of their high school diploma and for the applicants graduated from overseas high schools to attach notarized turkish translations of their high school diploma and certificate of diploma equivalence from Turkish Ministry of Education - Teaching and Training Board. This certificate will be required later if the applicant is accepted.

1.   The Passport Pages: Those pages with photo and identification information and approved photocopies of the pages relating to the years of education in the foreign higher education institutions for the overseas applicants.

1.  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.

1.  Financial assurance to have education in Sabancı University (required for foreign students admitted.)

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

 Quotas:

Sabancı University takes strong steps towards becoming a world-class institution. As a mark of approval on quality, the Sabancı University School of Management renewed its accreditation by AACSB, one of the leading accreditation institutions worldwide.

Sabancı University took another step towards internationalization and renewed its AACSB accreditation. The Sabancı University School of Management continues to be the youngest Turkish school of management accredited by AACSB with what is known as a global certificate of quality. Less than five percent of management schools worldwide currently hold the AACSB accreditation.

The program imposes stringent audit and assessment procedures performed by a team of international experts. 

Speaking on the occasion, Sabancı University School of Management Dean Professor Füsun Ülengin said, “The AACSB accreditation is a mark of excellence in management education, and is granted to less than five percent of management schools worldwide. Acquiring and maintaining the AACSB accreditation requires high-quality education, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a curriculum that addresses the needs of businesses."

Ülengin said that the renewal of the accreditation confirmed the success of the culture of improvement nurtured since acquiring the initial accreditation five years ago, and that these efforts reinforced the position of the Sabancı University School of Management as one of the leading institutions of superior business education in Turkey and the region.

Füsun Ülengin concluded: “This momentous success would not have been possible without the invaluable contribution of our faculty, students, university management, steering board members, alumni, project partners, business partners, and the Sabancı University School of Management community as a whole. We will be in pursuit of the best education and research with fresh dedication and commitment to innovation alongside our mission and vision."

Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı speaking at the Sabancı University Commencement Ceremony:

• You will live to be 100. You must develop and plan your resources for a life of 100 years.
• In an age when humanoid robots are being built, you must avoid becoming roboticized humans!
• Make your feelings an integral part of your thinking and reasoning.
• Your consciousness and conscience will be your greatest advantages in competition.
• One common feature of all successful people is their perspective on life.
• Regardless of what job you do, you must love it and want to do it. Your measure of success cannot be money alone.
• True wealth and true success is the positive effect we have on people's lives.  

900 students from 30 countries received their degrees at the 18th Graduate and 15th Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony held on the Sabancı University campus.

On Saturday, July 1st, 2017, Sabancı University held the commencement ceremony for its 18th graduate and 15th undergraduate classes. Graduates received their diplomas at a ceremony on the Tuzla campus of the university, attended by over 6000 people. The top ranking students of the three faculties also received their awards. Winners were Fulya Türker in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Lina Meija Peroni in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Elif Ertürk in the School of Management. Among Sabancı University graduates this year were students from 30 countries.                              

Speaking in the ceremony were Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı and President Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu as well as Gökçe Karşılıklı Haliler on behalf of graduate students, Tanra Gürçay on behalf of undergraduate students, and Sabancı University Alumni Association President Zeynep Bahar Çelik.

You must constantly develop your resources of knowledge and competency, and plan yourself for a life of 100 years

Güler Sabancı began by saying: “You are at an important turning point for your lives ahead of you. You have worked and you have succeeded in completing a difficult phase. A new era begins today, and I wish you all success in it."

Sabancı added that while having talent, competence and knowledge was the start of the road to success, luck also played a part in it. Reminding Louis Pasteur's words "Fortune favors the prepared mind", Güler Sabancı said that the graduates of Sabancı University were already prepared.

Güler Sabancı said that the transformative effects of science and technology, from artificial intelligence to robots, were felt in every aspect of our lives, and extended the average life expectancy of humans. She emphasized the need to make longer-term plans compared to previous generations. Sabancı said, "You must constantly develop your resources of knowledge and competency, and plan yourself for a life of 100 years."

Sabancı explained that while in the agricultural society one could live a lifetime on the knowledge they inherited from their parents only, and going to university was enough for finding a good job and cruising until a comfortable retirement in the industrial age, no school could give the knowledge an individual will need until the end of their life today. Güler Sabancı expressed her confidence that, since the knowledge and competencies taught in schools could only be foundations for people's careers in business, graduates would find their ways back to Sabancı University in the future.

Güler Sabancı added that today's graduates would work for more than 50 years, having enough time for 2 or 3 different careers, and considering the wealth of experiences that would bring, it was impossible to transfer an exhaustive body of advice or experience to the younger generations.

One common feature of all successful people is their perspective on life

Güler Sabancı said that all successful people had a common feature, which was their perspective on the world. Sabancı continued: "They consult, they question, they inquire, they do their homework and approach things with an open mind; they are constructive and solution-oriented, they plan their resources well, and they focus on getting results. Most important of all, successful people always strive to improve the capabilities and possibilities given to them."

Güler Sabancı remarked, “This perspective also includes being open to learning, enthusiastic to reinvent or develop oneself, and being diverse in capabilities. There is also the propensity to view life as a journey in learning, development and maturation, where one always develops and goes further. Because they know one thing very well: what matters is not what you have today, but what you choose to do with it."

Continuing "What you encounter is less important than how you handle it," Güler Sabancı said: "If you look at life with a mindset that is focused on development, you can go beyond what has been provided to you. Remember that your success and happiness will be defined by how you build on top of what you have today. The good news is that you have been raised at Sabancı University with the necessary competencies and this mindset."

We aimed to equip our students with a development-focused mindset

Emphasizing that Sabancı University aims to help its students acquire a mindset that is focused on development, Sabancı said that students at Sabancı University did not merely learn a science or a profession, but were raised to become individuals who adopt universal values such as human rights, equality and rule of law, have common sense, believe in the power of knowledge, and manage their feelings with conscience and consciousness. She underlined the focus on "learning to learn" at Sabancı University. Güler Sabancı continued: “The values and competencies you have acquired here will light your way in whatever path in life that you will follow."

In an age when humanoid robots are being built, you must avoid becoming roboticized humans!

Güler Sabancı said “We can see even today that artificial intelligence will transform work and business as we know it, and will shake the roots of social equilibrium. We can foresee that in 20 years, many of the professions and jobs available today will be done by robots, or learning machines."

Explaining that emotions set sentient beings apart from robots, Güler Sabancı said that what set humans apart from other species was their awareness of emotions and their ability to manage them. That, according to Sabancı, was the reason why no robot or artificial intelligence was able to replace human consciousness. Sabancı said, "In an age when humanoid robots are being built, you must avoid becoming roboticized humans"

and gave advice to new graduates:

• "In the new social order that awaits you, you must be aware of your emotions and work on how to manage them.
• Make your feelings an integral part of your thinking and reasoning.
• Your consciousness and conscience will be your greatest advantages in competition.
• At this stage, my advice is regardless of what job you do, you must love it and want to do it.
• Your measure of success cannot be money alone.
• To do this, the work you do should have a purpose that goes beyond it.
• Money is of course important, and every human is entitled to enjoy the comforts of life, but none of those are the true measures of success in one's life.
• People remember you not by how much money you make, but how you spend it.
• I will also recommend the book 'Başarı Şimdi Aslanın Ağzında' by the late Sakıp Sabancı.
• As we say our goodbyes, there is one thing I want you to remember: 'True wealth and true success is the positive effect we have on people's lives.'"

“We keep building bridges”

President Ayşe Kadıoğlu said that in nearly 20 years of education, Sabancı University brought a fresh perspective to higher education in Turkey with its pioneering and innovative endeavors. Ayşe Kadıoğlu continued, “We are the first university in Turkey that allowed its students to enroll to a faculty and later make well-informed choices about their diploma programs, and we have set an example to other universities in Turkey."

Referring to the Composites Center established last year in an impressive university-industry partnership, Kadıoğlu said that other centers working in collaboration with different institutions made great contributions to research and education. She added that the first English-language PhD program in gender studies in Turkey would begin in September under the guidance of the Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence. Kadıoğlu continued, "I would like to share some good news that is of interest to us all: we have begun work on opening a new location, Sabancı University Maçka. We intend to create connections and develop new ways of cooperation there. We are also working towards establishing a Sakıp Sabancı Chair and Center in Turkish Studies at Columbia University. We will keep building bridges." 

"Sabancı University has always favored freedom over free rein"

Ayşe Kadıoğlu said that a diploma was the certification of an ending, continuing, "Regardless of how important that ending is, the means or the process that took us to that end matter more. The adventurous journey of learning and knowledge holds just as much, if not more, meaning as the end." Kadıoğlu stated that it was through this process that students acquired some values unique to Sabancı University.

 "Knowledge may not free the body all the time, but it frees the mind"

Ayşe Kadıoğlu spoke, “First and foremost, Sabancı University alumni know exactly what freedom is. There is a great difference between freedom and free rein. Since established, Sabancı University has favored freedom and informed choices over free rein. Knowledge may not free the body all the time, but it frees the mind. And you graduate today as free minds who know the difference between being free and doing as you please."

Kadıoğlu continued, “Secondly, it has always been our priority to stand against all discrimination and respect all differences. I am sure that you will do your part for a better country and a better world by upholding these values in your everyday lives."

Ayşe Kadıoğlu said that students met scientific thought for the first time in Sabancı University, continuing, "What makes a thought scientific is its being open to verification; this requires being receptive to criticism and the coexistence of self-confidence and humility."

Ayşe Kadıoğlu concluded by saying: “Criticism is not about destruction; it is about construction. Make sure that your critical thinking has a constructive side to it. You are capable of doing this because you are Sabancı University graduates."

Gürsel Sönmez Awards presented to 3 graduates

Awards in honor of the late Sabancı University Faculty Member Gürsel Sönmez, who passed away in 2006, were presented at the ceremony. This year's Dr. Gürsel Sönmez Research Award recipients were Physics PhD graduate Tolga Çağlar, Industrial Engineering master's graduate Rebi Daldal and Mathematics master's graduate Seyyed Hamed Mousavi.

Hat-tossing was followed by live music and dance shows by Ayhan Sicimoğlu. Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı joined the dance to share the excitement of graduation with the students.

Sabancı University's continuous work on gender reaches a new height with the inauguration of the Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Center, Sabancı University Acting President Ayşe Kadıoğlu and Center Director Ayşe Gül Altınay discussed the university's work on the subject since 2006 and its projects planned for the future.

The Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) opens a new page in gender studies in the university.  The opening event of the Center was held at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum on Wednesday, May 31. Studies undertaken to draw attention to gender relations and equality as an important component of social life since 2006 will be taken to further levels under the guidance of the Center.

Academics, civil society and business leaders met at the opening
Introductory remarks of the event hosted by Sabancı University Acting President Ayşe Kadıoğlu were delivered by Ayşe Kadıoğlu and Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence Director Ayşe Gül Altınay.  Introductory remarks were followed by a panel discussion moderated by Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences member Ayşe Öncü. Speakers in the panel were the Center's Advisory Board members Yeşim Arat from Boğaziçi University, Kenan Çayır from Istanbul Bilgi University, Sociologist and Istanbul Women's Museum Curator Meral Akkent, KAGİDER Chair Sanem Oktar, and prominent gender author Karin Karakaşlı.

Ayşe Kadıoğlu: “Becoming a Center raises the stakes”
Delivering introductory remarks to the event, Sabancı University Acting President Ayşe Kadıoğlu began by saying that the Center was a prolific organization that conducted diverse activities ranging from landmark programs like the Purple Certificate Program to street events.

Kadıoğlu explained that the Center's participatory approach to expansion was compatible with the way Sabancı University preferred to work. Kadıoğlu said that the Forum was able to expand into a Center thanks to the accumulation of experience and knowledge through activities like the Purple Certificate Program. Saying that becoming a Center raised the stakes, Kadıoğlu informed the audience that Sabancı University would be launching the first English-language international PhD program on gender.  According to Kadıoğlu, this will be an encouragement for other PhD programs.

“Women's demand for equality needs respect, not love”
Ayşe Kadıoğlu said that the focal point of women's demand for gender equality was respect rather than love, reminding the audience that women suffered the most violence at the hands of their loved ones. Referring to Hannah Arendt’s concept of "the banality of evil", Kadıoğlu said that evil was always closer than it appeared, and concluded “Men who subject women to violence define them using widespread social codes such as 'Women are flowers, they are vulnerable; they are not safe in the street at night.' That is why women who want equality rather than being protected and guarded will be in the streets and squares more than ever."

“We combat discrimination and defend pluralism, participation, and openness of knowledge”

Also speaking in the event, Center Director Ayşe Gül Altınay delivered a presentation outlining the history, work and principles of the Center.

Ayşe Gül Altınay emphasized that the Center's purpose and principle had been combating all forms of discrimination in social and personal affairs since the beginning. Altınay said that the Center built processes and initiatives designed to enrich social accumulation in a way that was compatible with the academic principles of Sabancı University.

Speaking of activities like the Purple Certificate Program and Gendered Steps, Altınay said that they supported the development of joint decision mechanisms, solidarity, creativity, and accessibility of information both within the Center and among the general population, and that they strove to create platforms which would enable interaction between academic, civil society, artistic and political circles.

The transformative effect of gender awareness
Introductory remarks were followed by a panel discussion with members of the Center's Advisory Board. Panelists shared their thoughts on the difference enabled by gender studies in their areas of involvement, and the transformative effects of gender awareness. They also shared personal stories of the difference that gender awareness made in their lives. 

The closing meeting of the "Green Climate, Green Economy" project implemented by Sabancı University Istanbul Policy Center, Green Thinking Society and the Green European Foundation, and the presentation of the project's final output, the "Green Economic Policies for the Climate" report, were held at the Minerva Han in Karaköy on Thursday, June 1, 2017.

Following introductory remarks by Project Coordinator Özgecan Kara from the Green Thinking Society and Project Scientific Coordinator Ümit Şahin from Istanbul Policy Center, the report was presented by principal author Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı.

The joint project by three institutions that work on various aspects of climate change and develop policies makes policy recommendations under three headings: climate-friendly city, climate-friendly energy, and climate-friendly soil. The report recommends that renewable energy is integrated into urban transformation projects and regulatory obstructions are removed, legislation for restorative agriculture is adopted, incentives are provided for passive buildings which minimize energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the Metropolitan Law numbered 6360 is revised and city centers are planned in a way that enables commuting on bicycles. Other contributors of the project were consultants Sevil Acar from Kemerburgaz University, Osman Balaban from METU, Barış Karapınar from Boğaziçi University, and Ateş Uğurel from Solarbaba.

“There is a general opinion that the cost of climate change prevention is too high”
In her introductory remarks, Green Thinking Society Project Coordinator Özgecan Kara discussed the meetings held for drafting the report, as well as the contributions of interviewed individuals and the participatory nature of the project.

Istanbul Policy Center Project Scientific Coordinator Ümit Şahin said that there was a prevalent general opinion that the cost of solutions to climate change was too high to be paid. Şahin said, “We must publish analyses which show the economic backing to proposed solutions in order to change popular opinion. The report we present today is in a way the sequel of the Low-Carbon Development Ways and Priorities Report issued previously by Istanbul Policy Center."

“Holistic policies are needed for sustainability”
Istanbul Technical University professor and the report's principal author Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı said that Turkey had one of the highest rates of increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Aşıcı argued that the transition to a green economy had to be achieved with a reduction in the government's weight in the economy and expansion of its regulatory role. Discussing preferences in economic policy, Aşıcı emphasized the importance of following holistic policies to achieve economic and ecological sustainability.

“There are obstacles to transformation”
Ahmet Atıl Aşıcı said the following about the obstacles to transitioning to a green economy: “The greatest obstacle is incentivizing fossil fuels. The objectives of the Ministries of Energy and Agriculture clash due to fragmented approaches. Decision-making processes, policies and strategies are determined and implemented in non-participatory ways, which create conflicts of interest."

Decentralized, renewable energy solutions, commodization of the city, and investment in soil

Sevil Acar from Kemerburgaz University said that the green economy advocated by the project was small-scale and decentralized, being founded on participatory mechanisms. Acar said, “Turkey is ideally positioned for the transformation to green economy. It has a dynamic private sector and there is great interest in renewable energy contracts."

Osman Balaban, a consultant in the project, commented “We need a decentralization program that increases the power available to local administrations and strengthens their financial structure. We also need to change our perspective on urban transformation."

Barış Karapınar discussed the importance and potential of soil in combating climate change. Saying that the potential was not fully utilized, Karapınar continued: “Investments that will improve the organic matter content of soil are effective in retaining carbon, and are cheaper. These investments can also improve soil fertility.”

Also speaking of unprocessed agriculture, Karapınar said that shallow farming increased the soil's water retention rate, biodiversity, and carbon retention ability.  Karapınar noted that soil had great potential in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, and invited less political debate.