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 Gülseren Caşın.
Gülseren Caşın has been a member of the Sabancı University family since 1 October 1999. Gulseren Caşin, who has been working at Sabancı University for 21 years, served as an administrative officer in the Publishing House, Corporate Development, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Institutional Communications units. Since 2011, she has been the Certified Training Programs Officer first in the Rectorate unit and then in the Business Development Unit.
Gülseren Caşın’s answers to our four questions are below.
What was your initial memory / impression of when you met Sabancı University for the first time?
G.C: The first time I met Sabancı University was in July 1999 in the building in Karaköy with the late Hosni Paçacıoğlu, the Secretary General of the university. I was very excited that Mr. Paçacıoğlu shared his dreams about the university and told me what they were going to do at the newly established Publishing House. Particularly the idea of “Creating and Developing Together” had a big impact on me. He told me that the position of the Administrative Officer of the Publishing House was open and that if I accepted, I could have the position, and we agreed on the general framework. He said that the office where I would work was going to be in the building in Karaköy; however, the offices were full, but I could when they were emptied and available. Since the campus was still under construction at the time, the administrative staff worked in the Sabancı Center and the faculty members worked in the building in Karaköy. Although the move to the completed buildings on campus had started, I did not hear from anyone I was to start work. When we met again with Mr. Paçacıoğlu on a boat trip including employees and their families, I was very surprised to hear him say, “Why haven't you started working yet?” When I said, “No one called me, Mr. Paçacıoğlu,” he replied with “Then, come and start working tomorrow,” which made me very happy. I started working in Karaköy the next day (1 October 1999) without knowing my salary. Later I found out about my salary, of course…
What are the differences between yourself 20 years ago and yourself today, and how did Sabancı University contribute to that change?
G.C: I have never felt tired for 21 years arriving at the campus of Sabancı University every morning with joy and excitement, with the dreams of taking our activities further that year and implementing projects to bring new young people into our school. Sabancı University has given me the opportunity to love young students, to conduct joint projects with them, to implement the philosophy of “Creating and Developing Together” as a team.
Under the academic leadership of Prof. Dr. Nihat Berker, our former Rector, we have set sail to a new educational adventure with the Summer High School project in 2011, a first in Turkey. Each summer, we have found the opportunity to provide high school students from various schools of Turkey and the world with the opportunity to attend classes prepared by the distinguished faculty members of Sabancı University for two weeks, to allow them to experience university life, and to share their friendships and joy. In addition to equipping these beautiful and bright young people with academic knowledge which will make a great contribution to their future lives, I have always been extremely touched by the tears that they would shed during their departure from the campus.
To date, more than 7,000 students have attended our summer high schools. The fact that some of these students became students of Sabancı University in the following years and that the income from Summer High Schools was transferred to the Sabancı Scholarship Fund each year, and our contribution to educational lives of our students have been the inspiration and the most important motivator in my work.
However, perhaps the most beautiful part of it is that our assistant students, who we work with every year in summer high schools, from time to time share their successful careers around the world with me after graduation, which is the second great joy that Sabancı University has given 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?
G.C: To see Sabancı University as the first university from Turkey to be awarded the Nobel Prize in this long and meaningful period of 20 years. My children did not graduate from Sabancı University, but they grew up on the Sabancı University campus with the culture of the Sabancı University family, which is the most important thing to me. My dream is for my little granddaughter Mina to study at Sabancı University and to watch her graduation with our family from the front of the stairs of the amphitheater and applaud.
Where and how would you be now if your paths hadn't crossed with Sabancı University?
G.C: I think I would still have crossed paths with Sabancı University somehow. I believe that working at Sabancı University is a privilege. This is a huge family home. I have always been and always will be proud and honored to work at Sabancı University.