Our Head of the Board of Trustees Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver’s Message Regarding The İKÜ Agenda-XVIII
İstanbul Kültür University (İKÜ) Head of the Board of Trustees Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver published a message about the IKU agenda which has changed with the New Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
My Dear Kültür Family,
If I summarized the COVID-19 days in a few sentences after so many years, how would I begin? Sometimes I think about this question. Briefly; I can say, “It was a time when only certain thing was uncertainty.” Management in corona days; like a journey full of question marks and exclamations. When will the school start, how will the return to work be? How will the corporate culture, organizational climate, and educational atmosphere be affected and changed? Thousands of questions, thousands of answers, dozens of scenarios and emotional weight is very dominant, a big responsibility…
My Dear Kültür Family,
Due to our governance principles and philosophy, maintaining hope and trust is always our priority. However, besides our truths, the crisis also has facts that cannot be ignored. This period deeply affected the balance of all sectors in the country and the world. As Kültür family, we felt the pressure of the crisis at various levels and we continue to feel it. In our institutional history, we had experiences that we have never experienced before. For nearly 25 years, our university, which has been standing with its own resources, transferring what it earns from education to education and human resources, has applied for a Short Work Allowance to ensure economic sustainability for the first time. Keeping our employees' health and safety strong, physically, mentally and economically sound has always been our priority, especially during the darkest times of the crisis.
We have also seen that decision-making processes in the upper management, academic and administrative levels have reached sharper levels than ever before. As of April, we observed the signals of the economic contraction in the country and the world at the very beginning of the road. Measures and action plans that we developed to minimize costs, budget constraints, changing priorities, uncertainties that make assumptions difficult, and even times when trying to manage risk became a risk. So much so that 12 scenarios related to education planning have emerged in the process that is expected to be announced by YÖK only in the title of the fall semester. In the title of academic, economic, social, health and safety, each scenario has its own dilemmas, expansions and, of course, undesirable consequences. At this point, I would like to state that it is not easy for us to make, implement and announce some decisions.
My Dear Kültür Family,
In times of crisis, every question may not have a clear answer. In the environment of chaos, being 100% sure when making some decisions turns into a luxury. At this point, we focused on being consistent and agile in our decisions with a structure that supports governance, transparent communication and participation.
With Pandemic, we all give an individual, professional and institutional exam. In the short and medium term, the crisis will continue to make its presence felt at various levels, with different side effects. We may have to go through different tests ranging from health and safety to economic and social policies. At this point, it is time to stand with mutual trust and understanding. In the recovery period, we will need more than ever to understand each other in good faith and common sense.
Hope to overcome these days with health…
Dr. Bahar Akıngüç Günver
İKÜ Head of The Board of Trustees