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 Ahmet Evin.
Ahmet Evin has been a member of Sabancı University since October 1, 1997. He has been a member of the Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for 23 years, is currently an Emeritus Professor, and was the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from 1997 to 2001.
Ahmet Evin’s answers to our four questions are below.
What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?
A.E: My first encounter with Sabancı University happened in the summer of 1995, on occasion of the Search Conference. There were participants from all over the world who represented a very wide range, both geographically and professionally. Amidst animated discussions and hearty contributions, the answer to the question "What kind of a university?" began to emerge as an outline. Getting this result in two days was perhaps the first success of the University. The recommendations in the Search Conference stayed unchanged through the design process. Those first recommendations shaped the design of the University's vision, mission, and education and administration models. Our initial brainstorming session later contributed to creating and shaping institutional philosophy.
I have another memory to share. In the fall of 1997 –when the campus wasn't even groundbroken, the Karaköy Contact Office was in renovation and not yet acquired– we the skeleton crew of the university started working in an office at the Sabancı Holding towers. One day, the late Hacı Sabancı came down to our floor and I ran into him at the entrance. He said he had an appointment with the Rector. I said, “Thank you for coming down, but Tosun (Terzioğlu) could have come up to see you.” Hacı Bey’s reply told me that the university had love and respect woven into its very fabric. Hacı Bey said: “We don't view the university like a company. The university is an institution of science and education that we all respect. If we are to speak about the university, we don't call the Rector to us; we go to the university and request an appointment from the Rector.”
What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?
A.E: As the memories I've just told give it away, it has almost been 25 years since I met Sabancı University. I have gained vast experience in many different areas. Most important among my learnings was how to build a university. It's not something that befalls everyone, you know.
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?
A.E: In 20 years, I hope Sabancı University will have developed along its vision and mission to be closer to its objective of becoming a global university. A university that cultivates international partnerships while preserving small campus appeal; one that has the capacity to implement projects on a great scale with a strong faculty, student exchange programs, and research projects.
Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?
A.E: I had joined the first Sabancı University Search Conference from Germany. I am now writing from Germany as well. If it weren't for Sabancı University, I would not have lived in Istanbul; I would most likely be in the US or Germany now.