Sabancı University, celebrating its 25th year, held its 23rd term undergraduate and 26th term graduate commencement ceremony.
Founding Chair of the Sabancı University Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı Addressed New Graduates at the Commencement Ceremony:
“Remember, while building the future, it will be your duty to develop technology as well as to add conscience and spirit to it”
Sabancı University graduated its 23rd undergraduate and 26th graduate students in its 25th year. This year, nearly a thousand students from the faculties of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences, and Sabancı Business School received their diplomas at the ceremony held on the Tuzla campus. Sabancı University Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı, Sabancı University President Prof. Dr. Yusuf Leblebici, faculty members, and families of the graduating students attended the ceremony.
Addressing the young graduates at the ceremony, Founding Chair of the Sabancı University Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı said the following in her speech: “As you graduate from Sabancı University, you are now entering a new period of your life. You have worked hard and succeeded. Remember that the human brain establishes, thinks, feels, and makes thousands of connections at every moment. A mind nourished by love, kindness, and curiosity is more open and productive.”
Emphasizing the importance of technology, Güler Sabancı particularly drew the attention of young people to the subject of artificial intelligence and stated that how and for what purpose technology is used is of great importance today, and said, “While using artificial intelligence to make life easier, you should not ignore developing and evaluating your own brain and all your competencies. You are now at the center of the transformation. You have access to information, critical thinking skills and a sense of responsibility. Remember, while building the future, it will be your duty to add conscience and spirit to technology as well as to develop it.”
Güler Sabancı, who also called on young people for social responsibility, said: “The world is going through a very turbulent and difficult period in recent days. Wars, inequalities, climate crisis… No matter how difficult the conditions are! No matter how difficult the times you are going through! Never give up on contemporary values, human rights, equality, the rule of law, and the path to peace.”
Finally, Güler Sabancı, who drew attention to the importance of young people’s skills and thanked the Sabancı Family and the Sabancı Foundation, concluded as follows: “Life does not always go upwards, sometimes you may fall. But a good education and strong skills give you the strength to get back on your feet in those moments. You were raised in a free and egalitarian environment at Sabancı University. You will be remembered among the most successful young people of Turkey and the world. May your path be clear!”
“Our students’ success rankings are increasing every year”
Sabancı University President Prof. Dr. Yusuf Leblebici, in his speech at the commencement ceremony, said, “I would like to proudly say that the success rankings of our new students joining our university continue to rise every year. According to university exam results, we have more than doubled the number of students we have accepted from the top 1000 in the last 5 years.
Stating that the rate of female students at the university exceeding 40% this year is another source of pride, Leblebici said, “97% of our graduates start working in the sector they want as soon as they receive their diplomas or continue their postgraduate education in the country they want. In terms of international visibility, we are in a better position than many well-established universities in Europe. It gives us great pride to have climbed 112 places in one year in the QS rankings, which include more than 1,500 universities worldwide.”
Leblebici emphasized that despite being a young university, the point Sabancı University has reached is pleasing, and said, “We are moving forward with firm steps towards the goal of reaching and exceeding the level of contemporary civilization indicated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Knowing that we are one of the institutions carrying this flag at the forefront makes us very happy.”
Finally, Sabancı University President Yusuf Leblebici wished the graduates success in their career journeys and said, “From now on, you will be an ambassador of Sabancı University in every environment you go to. The people around you, your colleagues will see you as the quality, well-educated, self-confident individuals raised by this university. Our only expectation from you as your old home is to do the best you can do and give the best you can give.”
Faculty top students were awarded
During the ceremony, awards from the fund established according to the will of the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees, the late Sakıp Sabancı, were also given to the faculty top students. Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences top student Anıl Şen, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences top student Mariyam Binte Azmat, and Sabancı Business School top student Selin Nazlı Çene received their awards from Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı.
Murat Gürbüz, a graduate of the Industrial Engineering Program of Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, emphasized in his speech on behalf of the graduates that graduating in this meaningful year, in which Sabancı University celebrates a quarter of a century, carries a special pride and responsibility for them. Gürbüz stated that at Sabancı University, they learned not only academic knowledge but also the strength to fight against difficulties, the determination not to give up, and to look to the future with hope. Sabancı University Graduates of 2025 showed their happiness by throwing their caps in the air at the end of the ceremony.
Progressing towards becoming a globally-recognized research university
32% of Sabancı University graduates continue their education or career abroad. Sabancı University, which is the strongest university in Turkey in terms of graduate employability, has proven its success in this field at the international level. Sabancı University, which is among the top 250 universities worldwide in the 2023-2024 Global Employability University Rankings and Survey published by Times Higher Education, ranked 355th in the overall evaluation made among 1904 universities. Sabancı University, which has an active project budget of 63.4 million dollars, currently has 244 research projects. Sabancı University is taking firm steps towards becoming a true research university recognized and appreciated all over the world.