To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Zehra Sayers.

Zehra Sayers has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 1 January 1998. She has been working as a faculty member at the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS), Sabancı University for 22 years, and served as the Deputy President from 12 January to 1 November 2018. 

Zehra Sayers’s answers to our four questions are below.

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

Z.S: My first impression of Sabancı University is based on the great excitement and enthusiasm of trying to plan and build a university with brand new ideas for Turkey from scratch. I never forget the pleasant days we spent together in the building in Karaköy with meetings and different sweet rushes in order to implement this giant project. I call them sweet rushes because we wanted to do something that had not been tried before and achieve perfection. We felt a responsibility to influence the future of the young people who would come to us. 

Other significant memories are of our efforts to visit high schools and introduce this soon-to-be-opened, unknown university and explain a new system of education. As I saw bright young people in high schools in different parts of Turkey, the feeling of being able to offer them something really beautiful and contribute to their development was very pleasing and motivating. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change? 

Z.S: Sabancı University has created an environment where I had to assume responsibility and which allowed me to make decisions on my own about things that I did not have much experience in such as creating a training program and designing and building labs from scratch. By supporting me in this environment, it has given me the opportunity to improve myself as a person, teacher, and human-being through innovations. I also learned a lot from the students who came to us, and I spent a lot of fun days with them. I have worked hard here, and Sabancı University has given a lot to me.

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

Z.S: I want it to continue to be an innovative university. It creates and develops innovations in education and remains a unique institution that allows the youth of our country to expand their horizons and improve themselves. 

And for myself, I do not know how, but I hope to keep being as a person who is still pursuing innovations in 20 years. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

Z.S: I would probably have stayed in a research environment in Germany. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Yasemin Birben.

Yasemin Birben has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 1 October 1999. Yasemin Birben, who has worked at Sabancı University for 21 years, worked in the University Services, Purchasing and Support Services, and Information Center units as a Communications Officer.

Yasemin Birben’s answers to our four questions are below.

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

Y.B: My first meeting with Sabancı University was thanks to my dear friend Yonca Kalkan from my previous job, who had just started working at the university. At that time, I had to work late at an institution where I managed advertising and public relations, and I wanted to spend more time with my son. Yonca told me that there was a department that is just being established at Sabancı University; she said, “Come and talk to them if you want.” It turned out to be a life-long commitment.

I remember when I arrived at the campus under construction in September 1999 for a job interview with my white suits, I was jumping right and left to avoid stepping on the fresh tar on the road. It did not take long for us to meet with Mr. (Şükrü) Dökücü, who I will always remember with respect; when he learned that I was a graduate of Kandilli Girls High School, he said, “The location of that high school is very beautiful, we wanted to build the campus there, but we could not make it happen.”

Soon after I started working, there was a university opening ceremony, and despite the rain, it went very well. After the speeches were over, our esteemed founder Sakıp Sabancı took the President of the time Süleyman Demirel under his umbrella and started walking arm in arm with him. I was standing by the lath on the puddle, and they were coming towards me because that was the only point they could pass. I was so excited, I immediately went for the professional camera around my neck, two bright faces under the same umbrella looked at me and smiled, and I pressed the shutter button... Unfortunately, my camera jammed for the first time, and I could not take that picture. After all, it is not on film, but a photo copied into my memory; I cannot possibly forget that memory for the rest of my life. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

Y.B: In the initial years I started working at Sabancı University, as I do now, I did every job like my own, taking very serious responsibility; it must have been because I worked as the owner of my own business for many years in the past, this has never changed.

During this time, I have known many beautiful people. If I wanted to express my gratitude to each of them here, the pages would not be enough. I have also had the opportunity to improve myself; as a person hungry to learn, Sabancı University offered me this opportunity. I feel very fortunate. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

Y.B: The first thing that comes to mind is that in 20 years, Sabancı University is likely to be among the top 20 universities in the world…

My dream for myself in 20 years can only be for my grandchildren to study with their Western friends on this campus…

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

Y.B: I would probably be working in an institution where I chose similar working hours.

Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC) has released the seventeenth issue of IICEC Energy Market Newsletter. 

Please click to read IICEC Energy Market Newsletter.

Sabancı University Behavioral Data Analysis and Visualization Laboratory (BAVLAB) Directors FENS member Selim Balcısoy, SBS Member Burçin Bozkaya and 2018 Management Ph.D Mohsen Bahrami’s article, published at the Big Data journal, got into the top 5 read articles of 2020.

Mohsen Bahrami, Selim Balcısoy, Burçin Bozkaya

Big Data is a leading peer-reviewed journal covering the challenges and opportunities in collecting, analyzing, and disseminating vast amounts of data. The article is titled ‘Using Behavioral Analytics to Predict Customer Invoice Payment’ and is accessed freely. Please click to read.  

Sabancı Business School moved 6 steps up to  63rd place in the Financial Times European Business Schools Rankings in 2020. Sabancı Executive MBA program is ranked among top 50 Executive MBA programs with is 46th place.

The FT European Business Schools 2020 ranking methodology is based on the performance of five major programs: MBA, Executive MBA, Master of Management (MiM) and two certificate programs.

The Financial Times is recognized as the world's leading ranking organization at both school and program level in the Business Schools rankings. Business Schools must have AACSB or EQUIS accreditation in order to be ranked in FT European Business School Rankings. Sabancı Business School continues to step up in  FT European Business Schools Rankings with its outstanding success in Executive Development Programs, the percentage of International Faculty members,  all faculty members with PhD degrees.

You can view the all ranking table via http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/european-business-school-rankings-2020

Since 1984, European Union has implemented its research, development and innovation activities within Framework Programmes and the 9th programme will start in January 2021 under the name of Horizon Europe. The programme will be carried out with a budget of 95.5 billion Euros between 2021-2027 with the aims of strengthening the scientific and technological foundations of the EU; increasing its innovation capacity, competitiveness and employment;  meeting the priorities of its citizens and maintaining the existence of socioeconomic models and values. Legal entities from EU and Associated countries like Turkey can participate in the programmes. While individual applications can be made for programs such as Marie Skłodowska-Curie and ERC, participation of consortiums of at least 3 different EU and Associated countries are expected for Cooperation Programs. 

As Sabancı University, we have started our preparations before the Programme opens.

We are organizing a series of Information Days, each focusing on different research areas for our Faculty members and reseachers. At the opening, our dean, vice dean and directors discuss the performance and projects of SU within the 8th Framework Programme, Horizon 2020.

Afterwards, we present Horizon Europe draft work programmes and calls, TÜBİTAK supports and awards, ERA-NETs, international networks and partner search mechanisms. At the end of each event, researchers who have submitted EU applications share their experiences. 

Information Days, which started with ‘Health & Biotechnology’ and  ‘Social Sciences & Humanities’ areas in the last weeks, will continue with the following schedule. 

• 23.12.2020 - Digital
• 06.01.2021 - Manufacturing & Materials
• 13.01.2021 - Mobility
• 20.01.2021 - Food & Bioeconomy
• 27.01.2021 - Energy
• 03.02.2021 - European Innovation Council 

As event organizer, Industrial Collaboration and Technology Licensing Office (ILO) announces the agenda and registration links of each event separately every week.

For more information on Horizon Europe you can contact ILO via  ilo@sabanciuniv.edu.

Sabancı University Integrated Manufacturing Research and Application Center (SU-IMC) Integrated Manufacturing Webinar Series continues with Yiğit Karpats "Model based investigation of cutting tool-workpiece interactions during machining of CFRPs" seminar.

Please click to register webinar. 

Sabancı University Integrated Manufacturing Research and Application Center (SU-IMC) organizes series of thematic seminars/webinars at different levels of academia and industry to understand and prioritize the recent institutional, organizational and technical developments for the Composite Structures. 

SU-IMC Thematic Webinar Series program

The 8th Women Directors in Turkey Conference organized by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum was held online this year on Thursday, November 19, 2020 with the support of Akbank, IFC, Limak Investment and Zorlu Holding. The conference under the theme of 'An Inclusive and Equitable Future' was held with the participation of experts in this field and shared the results of the 2020 Women on Board in Turkey Report.

According to the report results:

• In 2020, the proportion of women on BIST Boards increased from 15.9% to 17%, and the number of female directors increased by 5.3%.
• The rate of women among independent board members in BIST 100 companies, continuing its increase from 2019, increased from 17.7% to 20.2% in 2020.
• While only 37 BIST companies’ Boards of Directors were women, the ratio of female CEOs remained at 2.5%.

The 8th Women Directors in Turkey Conference, organized by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum, was held online this year on Thursday, November 19, 2020. Held with the support of Akbank, IFC, Limak Investments and Zorlu Holding, the theme of the conference this year was “An Inclusive and Equitable Future”.

The keynote speaker of the conference Head of the IMF Strategy, Policy and Review Department, Ceyla Pazarbaşıoğlu drew attention to the pandemic having increased the inequality between genders and said: “The global average female labor force participation in 2019 was about 20 percentage points lower than males.  The Covid-19 crisis is likely to exacerbate gender inequality. For instance, women are more likely to work in face-to-face jobs that have been more acutely affected by social distancing measures. In the United States, about 54 percent of women working in social sectors cannot telework. In Brazil, it is 67 percent. In low-income countries, it is more than 88 percent who cannot telework. Women also bear the brunt of family care responsibilities. among parents with at least one child under the age of 6, men were roughly three times more likely to have returned to work than women. So far, only 41 percent of countries have introduced measures to protect women’s economic security in the face of the pandemic. But some countries have moved quickly. Austria, Italy, Portugal, and Slovenia have introduced a statutory right to (partially) paid leave for parents with children below a certain age, and France has expanded sick leave to parents impacted by school closures if no alternative care or work arrangements can be found. These policies are not only crucial to lift constraints on women’s economic empowerment, they are necessary to promote an inclusive post-COVID-19 recovery. While things may at times seem daunting, the pandemic also presents the greatest opportunity of our lifetime to usher in an inclusive and equitable future. "

Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat said in her speech: “Participatory economic decision-making mechanisms ensure gender balance in decision-making bodies paves the way for decisions to be equitable, fair and inclusive. If policy makers in Turkey are not more determined about women’s representation both politically, and in government controlled or private companies, the gap between the European Union and other developed countries and Turkey will further increase. It is essential for companies, before they are caught in quotas that will force sudden changes, to set targets for the representation of women in decision-making mechanisms, develop policies and report on them, both for the future of companies and for the economy of the country.

The “2020 Women on Board in Turkey Report” was also shared at the conference. 

The number of women in Boards of Directors continues to increase steadily.

According to the results of the  “2020 Women on Board in Turkey Report”, in 2020, the proportion of women in BIST Board of Directors increased from 15.9% to 17%, and the number of women members increased by 5.3%. In BIST-100 companies, the ratio of women in the boards of directors increased from 13.7% in 2019 to 15.6%. In 2020, the rate of female board members in 30% Club companies reached 20%.

The major focus of the 30% Club campaign in increasing the female ratio among independent board members in Turkey BIST 100 companies reported an increase from 17.7% to 20.2%, positively continuing the upward trend in 2019. The report also shows that 116 companies have achieved the minimum rate of women members recommended by the Capital Market Board (CMB) of 25%, but this constitutes only 29% of all companies.

With 41 companies with at least 3 women members constituting only 10.3% of all companies, it can be observed that 356 companies have still not yet been able to achieve effective gender diversity in their decision-making mechanisms.

134 companies among all BIST companies, and 25 companies in the BIST-100, are still managed by all-male boards. Of all BIST companies, there are only 37 women chairpersons and only 14 female CEOs are on the boards of directors. 

Slow but positive change in the number of boards with at least one female member

In 2020, the boards of 134 of the 397 companies consist of only men. This number corresponds to 33% of all companies. From 2012 to 2020, the ratio of companies with at least one female member on the boards of directors has slowly but positively changed, as in 2019, and the ratio of companies with all male boards in 2020 has decreased to 33.8%.

In 2020, an increase in the ratio of female members both among the total members of the board of directors and among the independent board members can be observed. The ratio of women among the independent board members, on the other hand, has exceeded the ratio of women in total and reached 18.5%.

In 2020, we see that 42% of 458 women are from families that are company controlling shareholders. The 265 women who have broken the glass ceiling and were elected to the board of directors constitute only 9.8% of the board memberships of BIST companies

Companies with the highest score have been announced

In the conference, two separate panels were held, and the awards of the Women Empowered Board” were conferred on their recipients. The companies with the highest 3 scores on the  “Women Empowered Boards of Directors Index” developed by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum academicians, and which have at least 2 female professional board members in the BIST 100, are respectively:  Aksa Akrilik Kimya (also a member of the 30% Club), Koç Holding and Tekfen Holding. The company that reached parity in the Board of Directors index and received the highest score in the Star Market index was Türk Prysmian Kablo ve Sistemleri.

Moderated by Murat Yeşildere, Senior Partner of Egon Zehnder, the panel titled "Examples from the World in Diversity on Boards" was held with the participation of the 30% Club Steering Committee and the UK House of Lords Member Mary Goudie and Catalyst President and CEO Lorraine Hariton.

Moderated by Turkish Economic Social Studies Foundation Research Director Itır Akdoğan, the panel titled “The Direction of Future Research on Gender Diversity in Boards of Directors and Senior Management” was attended by the Professor of Finance at WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, Burçin Yurtoğlu, Head of the Department of Finance at London School of Economics and Professor Daniel Ferreira and Said Business School University of Oxford Finance Professor Renee Adams.

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is Tülay Artan.

Tülay Artan has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 5 July 1999. She has been working as a faculty member at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Sabancı University for 21 years.

Tülay Artan’s answers to our four questions are below.

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

T.A: In our first year, when we temporarily settled in the Information Center after Minerva Han, our days were spent with many long meetings. With the responsibility of building a university, a faculty, and master's and doctoral programs, I cannot forget many moments from the days spent literally “under one roof” (on the second floor of the Information Center). It was a perfect environment for us academicians to get to know each other, and you can say that we continued with these memories the following years. 

Our students, especially undergraduates, whom we met in the first year, really adopted the principle of “creating and developing together”. It is an achievement of the founding spirit of Sabancı University that there are some of those among that group whose youth days I still remember very vividly, and some of whom I still communicate with, and some whom were our graduate students and are now colleagues. 

I have to say that my most important gain from the first term is to know a one of a kind Rector like Tosun Terzioğlu; to work with him, to trust him, and to feel that he trusts us. 

Among the things I cannot forget is, every day in the first year(s), I mean every day, I would start having this unbearable feeling of hunger as soon as I stepped on the campus, and I would constantly complain that there was no way to suppress this hunger; it must have been the pressure of deprivation caused by the university environment. 

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

T.A: 20 years ago, as a social scientist in Turkey, my desire to do the best with the opportunities that Sabancı University offered us was very strong. Under the conditions of our country, we have been able to do the best for a long time. I consider it a great privilege to be part of the great experience of Sabancı University History Program from day one. 

First of all, we have been able to experience the privilege of being proud of our students. Sharing the principle of “creating and developing together” in the History Program has led to many valuable friendships. Perhaps it is these friendships that make the Sabancı University experience most valuable to me. In addition, we have had a lot of fun together. On the other hand, as a researcher working in a field that is not jurnalistic and sensational and takes a very long time to master, I must say that it is a privilege to find the opportunity to conduct research under such efficient conditions at Sabancı University, which are not easy to find in other places.

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

T.A: 20 years later, what come to my mind when I think about Sabancı University is a reputable institution in Applied Sciences, no matter what the targeted framework is (World-Asia-Turkey?). Unfortunately, I cannot predict 20 years from now. Of course, I am planing to continue my projects and complete my books. 

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

T.A: I would be back in the US. 

To celebrate the 20th year of our university, we have prepared a set of four questions to ask faculty and administrative personnel who have been with us since the beginning, and to our first students. They all tell "the story of 20 years" from their own perspectives.

Going in alphabetical order, this week's interviewee for "The Story of 20 Years" is  Selim Birsel.

Selim Birsel has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 4 January 1999. He has been working as a faculty member at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), Sabancı University for 21 years. 

Selim Birsel’s answers to our four questions are below.

What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?

S.B: When I first started working at Sabancı University, the entire university was located in our Minerva Han building in Karaköy, each floor was allocated to a faculty. The first meeting I attended was a university meeting organized by our Rector Mr. (Tosun) Terzioğlu after New Year, and all of us could fit in a meeting room. We were just a bunch of people. In 1999, we were working for a university that would open that year, it was not just a plan anymore.    

What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?

S.B: 20 years ago, I was younger, of course. I also remember being inexperienced in some areas. In the following years, I have gained experience in many areas and had the opportunity to realize some of my dreams. 

What comes into your mind when you think of Sabancı University in 20 years? What are your dreams for Sabancı University for the next 20 years? What about yourself?

S.B: High-quality and responsible individuals who can think for themselves. I dream of a university that can serve as an example in the world and be among the first preferences of those who pursue a higher education. 20 years from now, I will not be working at the university anymore. I think I can imagine that I will be somewhere in the field, where I can do my research, my art, which gives me peace of mind, maybe I can fish sometimes.   

Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?

S.B: It is very difficult for me to answer that question. 

I think I would rather look ahead and forward than think about my life in the past.