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 Ayşe Kadıoğlu.
Ayşe Kadıoğlu has been a member of Sabancı University since January 1, 1998. She has been a member of the Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) for 22 years, also serving as FASS Dean from September 2013 to October 2016, and Acting Dean from October 2016 to January 2018.
Ayşe Kadıoğlu’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.K: It was the summer of 1997. I was an Assistant Professor at Bilkent University. I was closely following the foundation work for Sabancı University because my spouse Erdağ Aksel was involved. We had just been offered to join the university. We knew it would be built somewhere around Bayramoğlu, Gebze. We had been invited to a Sabancı University meeting. We figured that we could stop by and see the university location if we drove to Istanbul. Starting around Gebze, we began to look for signs of the Sabancı University construction. We pulled into a gas station, and then took a side road, looking about us for any clues. My son, sitting in the back, was just 4years old. Erdağ and I saw a sign at the same time: it said Sabancı University. We were on the university property. We got out to a vast, empty plot of land. My son started running, and we joined him. So our first impression of Sabancı University was running through its property before it even existed. We had an idea of Sabancı University, but my first encounter with the physical institution was when I saw that sign.
What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?
A.K: I joined Sabancı University in January 1998, when the university was in the foundation stage. Our first offices were on the 17th floor of the Sabancı Holding. Then we moved to Karaköy, and finally to the campus. Our first offices on the campus were where the Information Center stands today. It was an extraordinary experience to be involved in thbe foundation of a university. I believe that my years at Sabancı University, and my experience as faculty member and administrator, made me a better person. I already knew that I would be an academic for life. But being an academic at Sabancı University, and during the foundation of the university, we not only had to focus on our academic work, but were also involved in the making of an institution, which was an entirely different thing. I believe that the experience enriched me as a human, improved my problem-solving skills, made me more pragmatic, and encouraged me to step outside the mold in a world where academics are inclined to be egocentrically absorbed in their own work.
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.K: When coronavirus forced everyone to stay home, Sabancı University made a tremendously fast and successful transition to online education. I find this very important. Staying on top of shifting circumstances requires a solid foundation. I believe this is one area where people and institutions are alike: you need a solid foundation to achieve sustainable success. Foundations development has been a top priority for Sabancı University since the beginning. When people have a strong foundation in education, they may run into temporary setbacks or unfavorable circumstances, but they will find the strength and capability to get up and continue on their path. The same applies to institutions. Sabancı University is built on a solid foundation. In 20 years, the foundation spread its roots and became a tradition, and will continue towards the future with strong, sure steps.
My dream for myself in 20 years is to be somewhere by the sea where I can still read and entertain loved ones at vibrant tables. Without social distancing!
Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?
A.K: I believe our paths would have crossed sooner or later. Maybe I can't imagine otherwise because it has been so long! I could have stayed at Bilkent for a while, and then gone to Boston... I really don't know. Reimagining history in a way that has not occurred is not the strong suit of Social Scientists. We are so focused on how actual history occurred that it is beyond me to ask "what if". Sometimes I question my ability to dream, but then, wasn't Sabancı University a dream in the beginning? Wasn't the first question we asked the determining factor in this journey? After all, we had asked "what should a global university look like?" and had built our dreams on this.