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IKU Head of the Board of Trustees Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver’s Message Regarding the IKU Agenda - XXVII

Istanbul Kültür University (İKÜ) Head of the Board of Trustees Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver published a message regarding the IKU agenda which has changed with the New Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

My Dear Kültür Family, 

It was the first phase of the pandemic period that I started sharing about the IKU agenda. I have shared 27 messages since March. While preparing my notes, which I see as family communication rather than a corporate task, I also have certain concerns. It is important for me to be able to reach you without getting lost in details and repeating. So are the feedbacks you send after sharing. Each one is very valuable. Especially in these days when we are under the pressure of the second wave, understanding each other and feeling that I can be understood gives confidence and hope.

My Dear Kültür Family, 

We are going through a serious and difficult test under the title of life. As much as what we experience, the things  we read, watch and listen also affect our understanding of the world. I recently read an article talking about the 24 hours of an academic. It was a striking content on the pandemic, especially the hardships women faced. During the quarantine days, I thought of the times when I witnessed my female colleagues' dilemmas, their upbringing anxieties, and their tiredness. Their superhuman effort to "raise everything without feeling anything"… The pressure and worries on you in the face of the restrictions that are on the agenda again …

I am aware of the difficulties you are going through. As a woman and as a person, I understand you. However, understanding and knowing alone is not enough. We should also be able to do something together. We must find a way to lighten the burden with a collective effort. The facts of the second wave do not present a very bright picture. There is a difficult and uncertain distance in front of us. At this point, I want to know and listen to the needs of our employees at every level in order to maintain their work-private life balance, motivation and mental endurance. Of course, it is not possible to completely take the burdens that damage the work-life balance that we live in in the first phase, but there is always a solution to alleviate it. A mobilization prepared with common mind and emotion in order to manage the process more calmly compared to the previous period will be good for all of us. Let's review our roles and responsibilities if necessary. What do we need to feel better and achieve work-life balance? Regardless of hierarchy or titles, the feedback of all my colleagues that this message reaches is very important. Let's not be in the moments that do not respond to our needs even though we have worked in good faith and feel obliged to participate at the end of the day. In this difficult period, let's develop together the solidarity projects specific to us and our needs. Let's design the communication environment we need in our emotional struggle against the crisis together. In the current period, we really need solidarity to divide the burdens a little. We hosted Belkıs Kazmirci in September with the theme of Resilience, and at the end of the event, we received very positive feedback from our participants. In December, we will bring Psychiatrist Dr. Gülcan Özer together with the Kültür Family in an interactive seminar that will last for like one and a half hours. In addition to the topics you want to be addressed in this meeting for our university staff, I would like you to share your opinions that you believe will be useful in the coming period with our Corporate Communication Department Team. I would like to thank all my friends that will contribute.

My Dear Kültür Family,

We once again experienced the power of solidarity in the “Together We Are Stronger” campaign, which we launched under the coordinatorship of IKUMED about a month ago. With your contributions, we delivered tablets to our students with limited access to technology in the distance education process. Every thank you message from our students increased my respect and love for the work we do. I would like to thank all my colleagues who have contributed.

Our Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Nazif Ekin Akalan, recently stated that as SBF, they are always ready to support our staff in their health needs within their field of expertise. The spirit of solidarity we show with our internal resources is important. I believe that our examples will increase and I thank our Faculty of Health Sciences for their support.

Dear Members of Kültür Family,

The second wave brought with it several restrictions. The data show that the pandemic is on the rise. Thanks to the measures we have taken as a university, the number of cases in our active working population is extremely low. We stand by our colleagues affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. We would like to state that we are in contact with them regarding their health and safety. I would like to thank our General Secretary Ender Rıza Ekici and all our administrative staff in the process management. The number of active on-campus personnel is carefully controlled by all academic and administrative units; and on this occasion, once again, I would like to ask you to strictly follow the mask, distance and cleaning rules.

My Dear Kültür Family,

The pandemic seems to affect our business processes for a while longer. Distance education has both productive and difficult aspects. The same is also valid for our students. Within the scope of the second wave restrictions, especially our 1st and 2nd grade students will be able to go out for a limited time. During this period, CATS is the most important instrument they stay in touch with about university life, and our academicians are their role models. It is a basic need for our academic and administrative staff to review their communication processes with our students and produce creative and innovative ideas about structuring, depending on remote work. It is the vision of our academics that will pave the way here. I would like to state that we, as Rectorate and Board of Trustees, wait for your studies and suggestions on how we will transform, how we will think, how we can use technology more effectively, more efficiently and creatively.

I have no doubt that we will overcome the second wave together, in which we are much more conscious and experienced than the first phase of the pandemic. With our physical and technological equipment and precaution mechanisms, we have the means to carry out the process in a healthy and safe manner. Health always comes first for us. We will leave these days behind with the trust and solidarity we have for each other. Sincerely Yours,

Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver
Head of the Board of Trustees