Skip to main content

Our Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver's Message on IKU Agenda - XX

Dear Kültür Family,

I got a lot of feedback after the last message I shared with you on July 31st. It was very meaningful for me to know, see and hear that my notes on the university agenda reached their purpose and place during 19 weeks. I would like to state that I will continue to share our university agenda with you every two weeks in the upcoming period, and I would like to thank all my colleagues for feeding our communication with their comments.

Dear Kültür Family,

With the results shared over the past two weeks, the normalization agenda has been replaced by second wave scenarios. The pressure of the crisis is increasingly felt along with the economic side effects of the pandemic. Although we are more conscious and prepared than the shock phase we experienced in March, we still have a long struggle ahead.

There is no shortcut to get out of the crisis. At this point, the most effective coping strategy is to touch the life layers affected by the crisis with courage and calmness. Choosing to remain active instead of being passive in processes that await solutions, the most important thing is to be involved in the solution processes with our knowledge, mind, emotions and courage.

As Kültür Family, I think that we successfully passed a very important test in this sense during our preference days between 28 July and 14 August. All of our staff worked on our campuses and digital platforms. The academic and professional effort displayed in the digital and physical field was invaluable. "How should be the preference period this year?" from the moment the question is raised; We pushed the limits of being able to think creatively and exist in the physical and digital field. As a result; 4053 meetings were held with 3851 candidates on our digital platform and at our campus. Numerical indicators are of course important, but 2020 candidate communication has passed into our institutional memory as a period when we are managing the crisis, not the crisis managing us. I would like to thank all of my colleagues who contributed to the process with their presence, ideas, knowledge and support, and our team of Kültür ambassadors, each of whom is very valuable to us, during this period of critical studies such as master's degree applications and summer school. It is our common wish that this effort should not go unrequited and be reflected in the registration period that will begin in the first week of September. I sincerely believe that our records will be planned in the best way without compromising the principle of Health and safety and that our academic and administrative staff will provide the necessary support in this process.

Last week, another change that closely related to our university took place in our academic calendar. Our 2020-2021 academic calendar was updated, following the statement from YÖK. Our new academic year start date is set as October 5, 2020. It is extremely important that the current calendar is carefully considered by all our members in all activities planned for the new period.

Dear Members,

Our meetings continue with our board of directors, deans and vocational school directors. In the new academic year, we continue to work on the strategic and logistic planning of our campuses and our hybrid education scenarios. One of our most important topics in our 2020-2021 plans is research and publication performance. Our Expectation With our 8 Faculties, 2 Vocational Schools, Research and Application Centers, that we will be able to increase research and publications that support scientific thinking, protect the public interest, and serve as a guide for the press and non-governmental organizations. We will continue to support our academic staff in this regard. In addition, our Technology Transfer Office (TTO) has also prepared its work plans. We strongly request IKU TTO, which is designed as an address to encourage new and creative ideas, to be supported by all our academic and administrative staff.

This year, we should be able to use alternative channels that focus on strengthening the intellectual effort, creative thinking and research spirit of our university more actively. In this context, the Kültür page reserved for our university in Science and Technology Magazine for Everyone is a very important opportunity. In this period when we rediscover the need of sharing and the healing power of producing; Our page is always open to our members who take time to read, research and write. On this occasion, I would like to state that our encouragement will continue for our members who have contributed and participated in this study.

Dear Kültür Family,

We are in a period where we learn by living. We all feel and will continue to feel the impact of the breaks and gaps created by the pandemic in different layers of our lives. In this crisis that targets human health and safety, we need to be as durable as we can. It is very important to be able to open new ways, horizons and doors of thought to ourselves and each other. Distance is now a must. Therefore, it is a basic need to develop new formulas in communication, interaction, sharing and solidarity. As Kültür family, we are strong enough to achieve this.

Hope to see you on healthy days...

Regards
Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver
Chairman of the Board of Trustees