Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Işık: “Sabancı University won 88.40 points to become Turkey's most entrepreneurial and innovative university in 2015.” 

At a press conference in TÜBİTAK, Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Işık revealed the 2015 TÜBİTAK Entrepreneurial and Innovative Universities Index that lists the top 50 entrepreneurial and innovative universities in Turkey. Sabancı University is the winner of the 2015 Index, and had topped the inaugural index revealed in 2012. 

Sabancı University increased its score in four of the five aspects considered for the index while maintaining its score in the last aspect, achieving a 7-point increase for a total score of 88.40.

The top five of the index are: Sabancı University in first place with 88.40 points; Middle East Technical University in second place with 85.96 points; Boğaziçi University in third place with 79.66 points; İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University in fourth place with 78.10 points; and Koç University in fifth place with 76.44 points. 

 The "University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Index" consists of 5 aspects, namely scientific and technological research competence, intellectual property, cooperation and interaction, entrepreneurship and innovation culture, and economic contribution and commercialization. 

Electronic Engineering graduates Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir developed chips that will enable breakthroughs in 5G and more advanced wireless communication technologies.

Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir developed circuits that achieve the highest performance in 5G and beyond with their functionalities and power properties. 

The circuits developed by Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir operate at 60GHz, which is predicted to be the operating frequency of the 5G mobile communication standard that will succeed the current 4G/LTE standard.

Breakthrough research in 5G technology

There are various research projects in similar frequencies and fields, and each group or institution announces the highest values they achieve. Samet Zihir designed the circuit with the most functionality/density and highest power in this field. The research revealed the extents of system size and complexity that may be designed with silicon technology.

Tolga Dinç designed the world's first transmitter that can receive and send data at the same frequency. Textbooks on wireless communication state that it is impossible to send and receive data on the same frequency at the same time. Although recent research implied that this may indeed be possible, it had proven impossible to design a chip capable of this even in the 3G/4G/LTE frequencies.

Columbia University PhD student Tolga Dinç and University of California-San Diego PhD student Samet Zihir carried out research during their undergraduate and graduate education within the Microelectronics Groupfounded by Professor Yaşar Gürbüz from Sabancı University.

Tolga Dinç (Sabancı University Electronic Engineering Undergraduate 2010 and Graduate 2012) and Samet Zihir (Sabancı Üniversitesi Electronic Engineering Undergraduate 2009 and Graduate 2011) spoke on the subject.

Young researchers Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir explain:

Sabancı University Electronic Engineering graduate Tolga Dinç: “By 2020, the 5G technology will have increased the need for wireless technology capacity by one thousand fold."

Recent data suggests that, due to increasing use of multimedia applications on smartphones and tablets, wireless data traffic and the demand for capacity doubles every year. This means that from the launch of the 4G technology in 2010 to 5G technology in 2020, the demand for wireless technology capacity will increase by a factor of one thousand. The demand for faster access will not end in 2020; it will continue to multiply year after year. These are such great challenges for the telecommunication industry that they are called the “grand challenge” or the “1000 X challenge.” Since the currently deployed techniques are at the point of saturation, new and revolutionary methods must be developed in the wireless communication sector. We are working to develop unconventional techniques and systems that may help to resolve this grand challenge in wireless communication.

Sabancı University Electronic Engineering graduate Samet Zihir: "Our project will contribute to technologies that millions will be using on handheld devices and at home in three to four years."

Humankind's desire for faster communication never ends, and never will. The primary objective of our project is deployment in next-generation mobile phones and relay stations. We expect our project to contribute to technologies that millions will be using on handheld devices and at home in three to four years. We can also say that the techniques we develop while designing circuitry will benefit the defense and automotive industries. 

We received great feedback after the awards. Many mobile operators contacted us for cooperation possibilities.

What did Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir’s professors say about the achievements?

Sabancı University Faculty Member Professor Yaşar Gürbüz: “I congratulate Samet and Tolga for their outstanding achievements. I am confident that they will be even more successful in the future. Both students are characterized by being idealists who persevere in their ideals. When their right choices are factored in, such achievements are rarely by chance. Tolga and Samet are the most recent brilliant examples of the right work we have been doing in the Electronic Engineering and the Microelectronics field in particular, in terms of both education and research, since our establishment 16 years ago. I would like to thank Samet and Tolga as well as everyone else who played a part in this process, and their PhD advisors Prof. Rebeiz and Prof. Krishnaswamy."

Tolga Dinç’s advisor, Columbia University professor of Electrical Engineering Harish Krishnaswamy said that he was proud on behalf of his university with Tolga's achievement, and commended Sabancı University faculty for providing Tolga with the strong undergraduate and graduate education that laid the foundation of his current work.

Samet Zihir’s advisor, University of California-San Diego professor Gabriel M. Rebeiz said to Sabancı University President Nihat Berker that hearing about the achievements of Sabancı University worldwide was not surprising, as evidenced by the most recent prizes won by our graduates Tolga Dinç and Samet Zihir, who is currently his student, among hundreds of submissions in the field. Rebeiz said, "Sabancı University should be proud of their graduates, and I believe Professor Yaşar Gürbüz plays a large part in the success of these young scientists."

The International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) and the Wheat Initiative announced today that funding was secured in Turkey for reference sequencing of wheat chromosome 5D. 

Reference sequencing of chromosome 5D will be carried out over the next two years by a team led by Hikmet Budak, head of the Plant Molecular Biology and Genetics Lab at Sabancı University, who received two grants from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock to produce the reference sequence of both arms of chromosome 5D.

Turkey's contribution to the Wheat Consortium is another step towards achievement of a high quality reference sequence for each of the 21 bread wheat chromosomes in order to provide plant breeders with high quality tools to accelerate breeding programs and produce a new generation of wheat varieties with higher yields and improved sustainability.

The completion of the project will have significant implications for agriculture around the world. The project aims to sequence the entire wheat genome and map the important genes carried by chromosome 5D. This will enable a non-GMO method of breeding new cultivars of wheat that will carry all functional and structural elements of various types of wheat. 

The team led by Hikmet Budak, head of the Plant Molecular Biology and Genetics Lab at Sabanci University, aims to produce the reference sequence of both arms of chromosome 5D, complete genetics work, and ultimately use the genome sequence to develop new cultivars of wheat, which is a staple food in Turkey.

Hikmet Budak said the following: "Wheat is one of the most important crops in Turkey as it is here that modern wheat originated. The reference sequence of chromosome 5D will provide valuable genomics tools for both researchers and breeders. TÜBİTAK and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock are well-aware of the impact that the sequencing of chromosome 5D will have on improving genomic assisted breeding.”

Hikmet Budak was part of the survey sequencing of wheat chromosomes, and his research output with the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium (IWGSC) was published in Science in 2014. 

Wheat is the most widely grown cereal crop in the world

It is also the staple food for more than 35% of the global human population. With a projected world population of 9.6 billion by 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) forecasts that the demand for wheat will increase by 60%. Since availability of new land is limited to preserve biodiversity and water and nutrient resources are becoming scarcer, the majority of this increase has to be achieved via crop and trait improvement on land currently cultivated. A high quality reference genome sequence would contribute greatly to achieving this goal.

2015-2016 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 24th, 2015. The related Faculty Administrative Committee evaluates transfer applications.
Evaluation results will be sent to the applicants in the written form. Delaysdue tothe post will not be accepted. An interview will be organized for the candidates who are satisfying the application requirements during August 3, 2015. 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 275 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 totally for Faculty of Engineering and Natural Science, min 1500/2400 score totally for Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and School of Management),
• ACT, Math, Science reasoning and total 21/36,
• GCE A Level Certificate (min. 2 courses),
• ABITUR (1-4 diploma score),
• International Baccalaureate  (IB min 24/45 diploma score),
• Matura (2/1 diploma score),
• French Bakalorya (min 10/20 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/2015-2016_uluslararasi_si...

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.
2.  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.  Certificate of Equivalence of YOK : A document issued by YÖK's Equivalency Unit - Recognition Office, certifying that the student’s higher education institution is recognized by YÖK (the Higher Education Council of Turkey)

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 President Professor A. Nihat Berker said he was confident that Sabancı University alumni would never have severe failures or hindrances in their journeys through life.

Professor Berker said, “Achievements of the present and the future are thanks to you above and beyond all.  It is thanks to your self-confidence, eagerness to tackle life, and your diverse yet freely-formed skills.  This is why you should thank yourselves before anyone.  Immediately afterwards, you should thank your parents and loved ones for bringing you up, missing you, and bearing with days and months of your absence.  They are now extremely proud of you, and we are thankful to them."

Professor Berker said “As Sabancı University faculty and employees, we served you to find your inner fire and happiness" and continued that the freedom of choice, human-focused mode of operation, constant questioning and striving for the better at Sabancı University was an example for Turkey, and event whole continents. Professor A. Nihat Berker said that the main purpose of a university is to serve it students, continuing "Of course, it must do this in the best way possible.  If there are no students, there is no university; if the students don't matter to a university, the university doesn't matter either."

Professor A. Nihat Berker went on, “As faculty and employees of Sabancı University, we have the opportunity to get to know you, exercise our minds, share your excitement and success, which give us all youth and enthusiasm.  This is a blessing that is not found in many other professions, and we are thankful for that. Your excitement makes Sabancı University a better school in all respects:  Just the latest examples include Times Higher Education’s "100 Under 50" rankings based on meticulous analysis and strict criteria.  We have been ranked 13th worldwide and 1st in Turkey.  The average age of the top 20 universities is 40.2, and at 16 years of age, we are the youngest of the top 20.  We are also 21st among all universities in Asia, regardless of age. We are 15th among universities in 22 emerging economies including the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).  On the national scale, we were first once and second twice on the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Index compiled by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology for three years.  I am sure that we will improve on these results in the years to come."

Professor Berker said that they were proud of other Turkish universities achieving high positions on international rankings, continuing "We will continue to be in effective and widespread collaboration with our great competitors. We are happy to be the university that grants the most assistance to other universities in Turkey.  We view Turkey as a vast campus, and are aware that our students are in fact our children."

Professor Nihat Berker mentioned the national and international, personal and collective achievements of Sabancı University students, alumni, faculty and employees in labs, artistic endeavors, books written, workplaces, sports fields, and across difficult geographical locations. He said that his happiest moments were sitting at a random table in the cafeteria during lunch, teaching physics to 300 students of the IF200 class, and the spontaneous laughter that erupted during commencement rehearsals. 

Professor Nihat Berker gave some advice to new graduates: "Life may be difficult at times, but it is a breathtaking adventure.  We all live once and there are no practice laps.  Your most important duty is to yourself.  This means making yourself happy and being successful in the way your heart wants, sometimes by changing direction.  A happy person becomes successful, and a successful person becomes happy.  A happy and successful person will benefit their surroundings.  The most important mission of the society is to provide an environment for the individual to be happy and successful, and guarantee rewards for skill and hard work.

Never fall in the trap of negativity and excuses.  We had a teacher in high school who always complained about the way the country was in, and said he would have been a great teacher if the country wasn't in such a bad way, and we hated him.  We all know the greatest counter-example.  That great man who influenced all our lives never said: "My country is occupied, my strongholds are occupied and my armies dispersed; what can I do?"  Instead, he rolled up his sleeves, used his power and wisdom, took risks, trusted the youth and the future, and won on behalf of all of us.  This is a great example for all of us, all of the time.  Don't run from problems - meet them head on, be positive and hopeful, never surrender, and be strong, assertive and resilient.  In the end, you will always win."

Professor Berker concluded by saying that the graduates were beginning a new phase of their lives: "Yet, even when you are at the sprightly young age of 60, never forget to regard life with the eyes of a child. Live with joy, excitement and curiosity."   

400 bachelor’s degrees, 178 master’s degrees and 16 doctorate degrees were awarded at the Commencement Ceremony held on the Sabancı University campus. Among Sabancı University graduates this year were international students from 25 countries.

On Saturday, June 20th, 2015, Sabancı University held the commencement ceremony for its 16th graduate and 13th undergraduate classes. Graduates received their diplomas at a ceremony on the Tuzla campus of the university, attended by over 5000 people. The top ranking students of the three faculties also received their awards. Winners were Ersin Çukurtaş and Bilal Demir in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Aygen Öztürk in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Berrak Atik in the School of Management.

Speaking at the ceremony were Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı and President Professor Nihat Berker as well as Executive MBA graduate Hulusi Kıyık on behalf of graduate students, Manufacturing Systems Engineering graduate Saime Aslan on behalf of undergraduate students, and Sabancı University Alumni Association Chair Zeynep Bahar Çelik.

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 Awards were given to Computer Science and Engineering PhD graduate Çağlar Tırkaz, Biological Sciences and Bioengineering PhD graduate Bala Anı Akpınar, and Mechatronic Engineering MSc graduate Moustafa Shojaeian.

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 Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı gave life advice to new graduates at the commencement ceremony.

"You have been raised well and equipped with diverse qualifications. The philosophy of our university gave you benefits like free thought, freedom from prejudice, openness to different thoughts and opinions, embracing differences as assets, and valuing the importance of knowledge."

“Remember: the only thing we are certain about the future is that it will be different. Therefore one must be open to change. This is a sign of self-confidence and self-respect."

"We live in a digital age. Everything around us is becoming digital. Use technology to simplify life and create value."

"Know yourselves well. Have confidence in yourselves but never stop soliciting opinions, questioning, and continuing to learn."

400 bachelor’s degrees, 178 master’s degrees and 16 doctorate degrees were awarded at the Commencement Ceremony held on the Sabancı University campus. Among Sabancı University graduates this year were international students from 25 countries.

"The voters did their part and made their preferences manifest. Now it is the turn of the elected. We expect them to reach an understanding as soon as possible, form the new government, and start working without any undue delay."

Güler Sabancı discussed the elections of June 7th. She said that ballot rates were high and the voters showed their desire to have four political parties in the Parliament, which was a step towards peace and understanding in the context of the Turkish democracy. Güler Sabancı said that the voters did their part and made their preferences manifest, continuing “Now it is the turn of the elected.”

Sabancı noted that democracy meant consensus and solutions, and considering the great issues ahead of Turkey today, she called for the elected to reach an understanding as soon as possible, form the new government, and start working without any undue delay.

Güler Sabancı drew attention to the fact that there were 97 women in the Parliament this term, which is a record high in the history of Turkey. Güler Sabancı said “Although this result is 'pleasing' it is by no means 'satisfactory.' Women represent 50% of our population and their participation and representation in business must increase if women are to achieve the status they deserve. Gender equality is an important issue worldwide, and here in Turkey we still have a lot of ground to cover. With the new government, we should leave the difficult days behind and keep working diligently for Turkey - all together."

"Development in Turkey was never only economic for the Sabancı Family."

Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı began her speech by remembering and thanking people who gave support to Sabancı University.

Güler Sabancı said that development in Turkey was never only economic for the Sabancı Family, and that they have always believed that social development must go in tandem with economic development. She said that Sabancı University was the most important, labor-intensive, longest-term and largest project ever undertaken by the Sabancı Foundation.

Remembering the late 9th President of Turkey, Süleyman Demirel, Güler Sabancı said "The late Demirel supported our university since the beginning and was with us both for groundbreaking and inauguration. May his soul rest in peace."

"We imagined an innovative, different university."

Güler Sabancı said that when they had set off to found a global university twenty years ago, they had imagined a university that was innovative and different. Sabancı said that they made a difference in higher education in Turkey, choosing to create a new and unique model that was not a reiteration of existing university models.

"This success belongs to us all!"

Güler Sabancı spoke on the international achievements of Sabancı University:

"We are delighted to see that the values we adopted when we began this journey and sought to uphold ever since are among the criteria employed by international rankings.

Our university may be only in its 16th academic year, but we have been gaining recognition on Times Higher Education rankings since last year.

We were 15th among the best universities in emerging economies. This bolstered our pride and confidence for further success.

Then, on April 29th, we ranked 13th on the "100 Under 50" rankings, where we were included for the first time.

We were further honored and delighted to be included in the Asian Universities Rankings revealed only a few weeks ago. We were the highest-positioned private university entering the list for the first time."

Güler Sabancı said that a factor which ensured further international achievements by Sabancı University was the emphasis on research as well as education for sustainable success. Güler Sabancı said, “The number of research papers per faculty member, and the number of citations received to these papers, increase day by day. Our research funds keep growing. All of these are extremely important to me as they display the research power and success of our university. This success belongs to us all!"

“I am confident that the Reunion... Buluşma Exhibition will move you with its youth and energy."

Saying that the high position achieved by Sabancı University was proof that they were on the right path and motivated them to advance further, Güler Sabancı expressed her pride in the achievements of Sabancı University alumni in every area.

Güler Sabancı mentioned the exhibition “Reunion… Buluşma” by young Sabancı University alumni, saying that the exhibition is a first and a different example of achievement. Explaining that the exhibition, available for viewing at the Sakıp Sabacı Museum in Emirgan, was very special to them, Güler Sabancı said “Young artists, graduates of Sabancı University, reunited at home for the first time. I am confident that the Reunion... Buluşma Exhibition will move you with its youth and energy."

"We live in a digital age. Everything around us is becoming digital. Use technology to simplify life and create value."

Addressing the new graduates, Güler Sabancı said that they would achieve success, trigger change and make a difference in business or academic life just like the 7000 alumni before them. Güler Sabancı continued, "You have been raised well and equipped with diverse qualifications. The philosophy of our university gave you benefits like free thought, freedom from prejudice, openness to different thoughts and opinions, embracing differences as assets, and valuing the importance of knowledge."

Emphasizing the importance of constant focus on the future, Sabancı said “Remember: the only thing we are certain about the future is that it will be different. Therefore one must be open to change. This is a sign of self-confidence and self-respect."

Güler Sabancı said “You can’t change everything whenever you want. Have COURAGE to change what you can.  Have PATIENCE for what you cannot.  And have WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE to discern between the two.

Saying that the graduates were beginning a new era of their lives where it is normal to have dreams as well as concerns, Sabancı said: "Know yourselves well. Have confidence in yourselves but never stop soliciting opinions, questioning, and continuing to learn."

Güler Sabancı said that we live in a digital age and everything around us is becoming digital, advising graduates to: "Use technology to simplify life and create value."

Sabancı noted that success may await graduates as well as disappointment, continuing: "You may sometimes be left with difficult choices. In this case, universal values should be the star that guides you.  You should navigate by human rights, equality, rule of law, and science and knowledge."

"The freedom of choice at Sabancı University, our human-focused mode of operation, constant questioning and striving for the better is an example for Turkey - an example for whole continents."

Sabancı University invited world-renowned scientist and Harvard University faculty member Professor Gökhan Hotamışlıgil for the Academic Year Closing Lecture.

As in previous years, the speaker for the Academic Year Closing Lecture was chosen by a democratic and participatory election process led by the Commencement Class.

Gökhan Hotamışlıgil spoke to the Sabancı University Commencement Class for the Academic Year Closing Lecture on Friday, June 19, 2015 at the Sabancı University Performing Arts Center.  Gökhan Hotamışlıgil's lecture was titled “Competition, Solidarity and Mingling with the Crowd."

Gökhan Hotamışlıgil spoke on how evolution affects cultural and social life today. Hotamışlıgil said that humans, unlike other creatures, could rally around a symbol and exhibit solidarity. He advised the youth to think well before choosing where they would be competitive. Discussing the importance of solidarity, Hotamışlıgil said, "Solidarity, discussion, conversation and understanding can help people become more productive. One of the most important signals or motivators of solidarity is need. People are more inclined towards solidarity when they have a need for it."

Following the lecture, Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, President Nihat Berker and graduates laid the commemorative brick in the Alumni Pier.

Applying to the TÜBİTAK call for promoting the notion of entrepreneurship and innovation in universities and ensuring early realization of successful business ideas, Sabancı University became one of the 14 Turkish universities to receive TÜBİTAK support and started its first term in early 2014.

In the Spring 2015 term, 40 students registered to the TÜBİTAK 1601 Entrepreneurship Certificate Program received courses from Sabancı University faculty members including Kutlu Kazancı on Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship; Assistant Professor Umut Ekmekçi on Creative Thinking and Idea Generation; Associate Professor Mahmut Bayazıt on Management Skills, Leadership and Decision-Making Techniques, Effective Negotiation Techniques; Professor Dilek Çetindamar on Business Modeling and Gülru Gözaçan on Effective Presentations.

In addition to the courses, the students visited ITU ARI Teknokent to meet with ITU Seed entrepreneurs, and went to the offices of Pozitron, which was sold to Monitise for USD 100 million in 2014, IMONA, and Düğün.com to speak to their executives. The program also invited SecureDrive founder Murat Şahin, ESKİMO founder Tolga Canözkan, and Metamorfoz ICT founder and co-creator of SUCard, the Sabancı University graduate Ergi Şener to the Tuzla campus. These were public events where participants found the opportunity to listen to the experiences of entrepreneurs.

Program implementer Naci Kahraman said: "The 'Entrepreneurship School' is coordinated by the Sabancı University Entrepreneurship Council and supported by TÜBİTAK, and we did our utmost to make it much better than a program where you simply spend a few hours in class every week. We designed the program with courses, extracurricular activities and practical application. We think of the Entrepreneurship School as a form of intensive master's in entrepreneurship. We were particularly delighted to hear from engineering students that they benefited greatly in terms of management skills. We completed the third term of the Entrepreneurship School, and we plan to keep improving our program to offer further benefits. We are enthusiastic about tech-based projects to emerge from this school to transition to the Sabancı University Pre-incubation Center SUCOOL. As the Entrepreneurship Council, we would like to congratulate all graduates and wish them success in their academic and professional endeavors."

The Entrepreneurship School gave 17 graduates at the end of the term, including one MSc and one PhD student and one PhD researcher from the Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center (SUNUM).

The full list of graduates is below:

1. Aykut Kadayıfçı – EE 4th Year
2. Baturalp Topçu – MS 2nd Year
3. Buse Yıldırım – IS 4th Year
4. Cansu Çalbıyık – MS 2nd Year
5. Dilek Çakıroğlu – MAT PhD
6. Emre Ekinci – ECON 2nd Year
7. Ersin İncir – CS 2nd Year
8. Günsu Eskicioğlu – MS 2nd Year
9. Dr. Hilmi Ege – SUNUM Researcher
10. Kerem Çetiner – MS 4th Year
11. Kübra Özbıyık – MS 4th Year
12. Mehmet Albayrak – MS MSc
13. Müge Seğmen – CS 4th Year
14. Özlem Çelebi – MS 4th Year
15. Umut Gönülkırmaz – MS 4th Year
16. Yusufcan Bozkuş – MGMT 2nd Year
17. Yüce Ülker – MS 4th Year

Akbank held the third "Akbank Family Company Academy" in association with the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU to help family companies institutionalize and become sustainable.

After a successful launch in October 2014, the third Akbank Family Company Academy was held this year to respond to the great interest in the subject. The program is designed in partnership with the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU to increase the competitive strength of family companies, achieve healthy growth, and support efforts towards sustainability and institutionalization.

Akbank’s Vice President of Small and Medium Enterprise Banking Bülent Oğuz said that they continued to improve the program, explaining: "We observed that family companies needed support and direction in sustainability, and implemented the Akbank Family Company Academy. We gave our first graduates in 2014, and now completed the 3rd program. The feedback we received from our participants was overwhelmingly positive. This compelled us to improve and continue the program. A new section of the program enables participants to benefit from the knowledge and experience of Sabancı Holding companies. Furthermore, a partnership with Brisa, a leading player in the industry, makes the program available to Brisa business partners as well. We are delighted that Brisa chose to go ahead with our program. The 30 Brisa business partners taking part in the program were certified in hands-on training about how to survive and thrive under fierce competition, and carry their companies on to future generations." 

Oğuz pointed out that family companies were critical for the development of the Turkish economy, saying "This program is important to us because we believe that the growth of family companies is instrumental in the development of the national economy. Among the companies registered in Turkey, 95% are SMEs, and 98.8% of SMEs are family companies. The development of family companies means the development of SMEs and the national economy as a whole."

Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU Director Dr. Cüneyt Evirgen said the following about the program:

"The time we live in requires that we implement the right and actionable mechanisms for institutionalization and sustainable growth.  As EDU, we hope to support SMEs, which bear critical importance in the Turkish economy, to institutionalize through the Akbank Family Company Academy. This program enables second and third-generation business owners to utilize the latest techniques and applications in the world of business to identify the development opportunities in their companies, and prepare business plans that will guide them through the institutionalization process. Application-oriented content draws the framework of the program, and the curriculum is bolstered with academic guidance and field visits.

Brisa General Manager Hakan Bayman commented:

"We at Brisa use every opportunity to emphasize the importance we place on sustainability. We believe that one of the vital aspects of sustainability is to develop continuous and well-rooted relationships with our business partners. Businesses enriched with the participation of family members have to expand their vision and increase their efficiencies to achieve strong growth in the competitive world of business. Acting on our vision of growing together with our business partners, we joined forces with Akbank and the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU to help our business partners gain these competencies, make their businesses more sustainable, and ensure that their ventures are carried forward to future generations through greater institutionalization. I congratulate all business partners who were certified at the end of the training. As Brisa, we will continue to support our business partners to achieve our vision of growing together."
The program covers subjects most needed by the executives of family companies, including strategic management, business development, innovation, institutionalization, finance, good management practices, legal issues and human resources management. Global and local examples were used to merge theory with practice. At the end of the program, factory visits were made to Sabancı Holding companies and sessions were held to see human resources practices at Sabancı Holding entities in place in order to enable participants to gain firsthand experience about the subjects taught in the program.
Participants are also able to purchase consultancy programs that include the actions they will need to take for institutionalization and the creation of a family constitution from program partners at special discounts.

Experts from Deloitte Turkey and Pekin&Bayar Attorney Partnership took part in the program as well

Courses designed for family companies that wish to evolve into a corporation, keep up with current developments through academic training, and plan to handover company management to the younger generation were given by EDU advisors who are subject matter experts and long-time executives in business, as well as the trainers of program partners Deloitte Turkey and Pekin&Bayar Attorney Partnership. In addition, meetings were held with five distinguished executives, including the CEOs of Sabancı Holding companies. Participants found the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with executives and ask them questions. Trainers and professionals taking part in the conversations shared their actual experiences and personal examples to put theory into practice.