Boğaziçi University

Public university in Istanbul, Turkey

  • English[4]
  • Turkish
ColoursLight blue and dark blue   Affiliations
Websiteboun.edu.tr

Boğaziçi University (Turkish: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), is a prominent public research university in Istanbul, Turkey founded in 1971 on the campus inherited from a former American educational institution, Robert College. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus strait. It has seven faculties and two schools offering undergraduate degrees and seven institutes offering graduate degrees. Traditionally, the language of instruction is English. [6]

Boğaziçi University is a center of attraction for students who excel in the nation-wide entrance examination, as well as for distinguished faculty.[7] Its liberal approach has fostered an interdisciplinary and international research environment, and the peaceful coexistence of different lifestyles and worldviews.[8]

History

Boğaziçi University main campus
Boğaziçi University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty building

In 1863, Robert College was founded in Bebek by Christopher Robert, a wealthy American philanthropist, and Cyrus Hamlin, a Congregational missionary devoted to education.[9][10] Six years after its foundation, the first campus (the current-day Boğaziçi South Campus) was built on the ridge near Rumeli Hisarı (the Rumelian Castle) with the permission of Sultan Abdulaziz.[9]

According to a college catalogue compiled for the 1878–1879 academic year, "the object of the College is to give to its students, without distinction of race or religion, a thorough education equal in all respects to that obtained at a first-class American college and based upon the same general principles."[11]

After Cyrus Hamlin, the college was administered by George Washburn (1877–1903) and Caleb Gates (1903–1932).[9] The college, which was established as an institution of higher learning independent of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) yet holding a significant number of missionaries among its faculty in its earlier years, adopted an entirely secular and non-denominational educational model in 1923 in compliance with the new republican principles of Turkey.[12]

Before 1971, Robert College, had junior high school, high school, and university sections under the names Robert Academy, Robert College, and Robert College Yüksek ('Yüksek" meaning "high" in Turkish). In 1971, the Bebek campus and academic staff of Robert College were turned over to the Republic of Turkey to be transformed into a public university named Boğaziçi University, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section (i.e. Robert College Yüksek). The rest of Robert College moved into the Arnavutköy campus of the American College for Girls; despite continuing to call itself a college it became merely a high school."[13]

In the fall of 1971, Boğaziçi University started its first academic year with former faculty and students of Robert College Yüksek as well as a new cohort of freshman students.[9] Aptullah Kuran, the former vice-president of Robert College Yüksek, was the founding rector of the university.[14] Since then, the university has gradually transformed from a small liberal arts college into a major research university.

Robert College 1880

Democratic Governance

At its inception, the university had a president and an administration, which was answerable to councils and committees made up of faculty members. All faculty, both senior and junior, attended the general assemblies, where important questions were discussed and decisions were made. [15]

The 1980 Turkish coup d'état affected participatory democracy at universities negatively, as it did many other institutions. During the years of martial law, Boğaziçi University was under the administration of a rector externally appointed by the newly established Council of Higher Education. During the normalization of politics in the post-coup period, faculty members of BU proposed a system for the election of the rector in 1992. Accordingly, the faculty members were to elect the rector. The Council of Higher Education accepted this model for all Turkish universities with a slight modification, whereby the names of the three candidates with the highest votes were to be submitted to the Council of Higher Education. The Council was to turn in one of these names, preferably the candidate with the highest vote, to the President of Turkey for appointment.

To ensure that their candidate with the highest vote would be appointed as rector, upon request from the BU faculty, the rector candidates accepted an informal agreement to reject the appointment, in the case they did not come in first and their name was the one submitted to the President. [16][17]

Seizure of Power

In 2016, the President did not appoint the Boğaziçi University candidate who received 86% of the votes but instead appointed Mehmed Özkan, the deputy of the former elected rector. Nevertheless, Özkan subsequently received a vote of confidence from the faculty.

The top-down appointment of Melih Bulu, an external candidate with close ties to the Justice and Development Party, on January 2, 2021 represented a radical and unprecedented intervention in the university's governance.[18][19] Resistance and acts of protest by faculty, students, and alumni immediately followed. [20][21][22] More than 150 students were detained.[23] The new rector dismissed the earlier faculty deans to appoint himself or candidates from outside the university to their positions.[24]

Bulu was dismissed from the rectorship by President Erdoğan on July 15, 2021.[25] Following this, Naci İnci, another government-backed contender was appointed to the office, despite receiving a 95% no confidence vote and the existence of 17 alternative candidates approved by the faculty.[26][27]

The imposition of Bulu and İnci as rectors in spite of outspoken opposition from the faculty signaled a political takeover of Boğaziçi.[28] The extensive executive powers granted to rectors under the Higher Education Law[29] (which were de facto never implemented at Boğaziçi University due to its democratic governance history and institutional practice) mean that the university has become a microcosm of the country’s one-man rule.[30]

Student and faculty resistance continues unabated in despite of legal bans.[31] As of late 2023, daily protest vigils had taken place for more than 1,000 days.[32]

Campus

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Boğaziçi University South Campus Washburn Hall

Boğaziçi University operates on seven campuses in Istanbul. Four of these campuses (South Campus, North Campus, Hisar Campus, and Uçaksavar Campus) are within walking distance to each other on a hill above the affluent district of Bebek on the European side of Istanbul, overlooking the Bosphorus (hence the name).

The South Campus is considered to be the most popular Boğaziçi University Campus. It houses various historic buildings of Robert College, including Hamlin, Washburn, Theodorus, Dodge, Albert Long and Anderson Halls as well as the Kennedy Lodge, named after John F. Kennedy, and currently serving as a welcoming facility for visiting professors and staff.[33]

The North Campus is home to Aptullah Kuran Library, which contains more than 740,000 printed books, 800,000 e-books, 55,000 e-journals as well as an extensive collection of Braille books, and a collection of rare books and manuscripts.[34][35]

The Kandilli Campus is on the opposite side of the Bosphorus in Çengelköy, and hosts the historic Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI).[36]

The Kilyos Sarıtepe campus, located on the Black Sea coast, is home to a private beach. It is the first self-sufficient university campus in the world, meeting all of its electricity demands from its own wind power plant.[37]

In 2022, the Anadolu Hisarı Campus, which was previously under the administration of Marmara University, was transferred to Boğaziçi University.[38]

South Campus Rectorate Building

Dormitories

Washburn Hall at Boğaziçi University Main

The university has ten dormitories on its different campuses. Boğaziçi's First Men's and Women's Dorms are housed in some of the oldest buildings in the historic South Campus and offer students the chance to participate in the university's active social life.

There are also four dormitories on Boğaziçi's North Campus. The First and Second North Campus Dormitories were opened in 198, the former for female students, the latter for males. They have similar 1980s modernist architectural designs. The Third North Campus Dorm was opened for female students in 2010. The Fourth Dormitory of the North Campus has been in service since 2011, and mainly accepts graduate students.

The Kilyos Campus Dormitories are approximately one hour's drive away from Boğaziçi South and North campuses. The First Kilyos Dormitory serves female students while the Second Kilyos Dormitory is for males.

The Superdorm and Kandilli Dorms also provide accommodation to Boğaziçi University students. The Kandilli Dormitory for female students opened in 2017 on the Kandilli Campus. The waste water collected from the bathrooms at the Kandilli Dorm is reused in the toilet reservoirs after treatment.[39]

International rankings

University rankings
Global – Overall
CWUR World[40]645 (2020–21)
CWTS World[41]1074 (2020)
QS World[42]651-700 (2021)
THE World[43]601–800 (2021)
USNWR Global[44]=197 (2021)
Regional – Overall
QS Emerging Europe and Central Asia[45]13 (2022)

Boğaziçi University ranks first in Turkey and 197th internationally according to U.S. News & World Report 2021 Best Global Universities Rankings,[46] and shares the fifth rank among Turkish universities according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2021 (internationally: 601 – 800).[47]

Music and sports festivals

Taşoda Festivali

Taşoda Music Festival is organized by Boğaziçi University Music Club every spring. It is the most important amateur music festival held in Turkey and takes its name from Music Club's studio at the South Campus.[48]

Every May the Boğaziçi Sports Festival is held at the South Campus and other university venues. Usually, some 300 to 800 students from all over the world come to compete in various events.[49]

Departments offering bachelor's degrees

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Boğaziçi University

Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Engineering

Faculty of Managerial Sciences[50]

School of Foreign Languages

  • Advanced English
  • English Preparatory Division
  • Modern Languages Unit

Faculty of Law[51]

Faculty of Communication

Institutes offering graduate programs

Institute for Graduate Studies in Sciences and Engineering

Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Institute of Environmental Sciences

Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute

Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences

Vocational School of Hotel Management

  • Tourism Administration Program (secondary education)

Institute for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence[52]

Other Units

Independent centers

  • Asian Studies Center
  • Boğaziçi University Center for European Studies
  • Boğaziçi University Center for Psychological Research and Services
  • Byzantine Studies Research Center
  • Center for Economics and Econometrics
  • Istanbul Center for Mathematical Sciences (IMBM)
  • Mithat Alam Film Center
  • Nafi Baba Sufism, History, and Cultural Heritage Research Center
  • Nazım Hikmet Culture and Arts Research Center
  • Peace Education and Research Center
  • Polymer Research Center
  • Sustainable Development and Cleaner Production Center (SDCPC)

Student clubs

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Rectors

  • Cyrus Hamlin (1863–1877)
  • George Washburn (1878–1903)
  • Caleb F. Gates (1903–1932)
  • Paul Monroe (1932–1935)
  • Walter L. Wright Jr (1935–1943)
  • Floyd H. Black (1944–1955)
  • Duncans Balantine (1955–1961)
  • Patrick Murphy Malin (1962–1965)
  • Dwight James Simpson (1965–1967)
  • John Scott Everton (1968–1971)
  • Aptullah Kuran (1971–1979)
  • Semih Tezcan (1979–1982)
  • Ergün Toğrol (1982–1992)
  • Üstün Ergüder (1992–2000)
  • Sabih Tansal (2000–2004)
  • Ayşe Soysal (2004–2008)
  • Kadri Özçaldıran (2008–2012)
  • Gülay Barbarosoğlu (2012–2016)
  • (appointed) Mehmed Özkan (2016–2021)
  • (appointed) Melih Bulu (2021)
  • (appointed) Naci İnci (2022)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'nin yeni rektörü Prof. Dr. Mehmet Naci İnci oldu". 21 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b "About BU - Facts and Figures". Boğaziçi University Website. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Sayılarla Boğaziçi Universitesi 2019 Archived 16 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine Boğaziçi University
  4. ^ "The University". boun.edu.tr. Boğaziçi University. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017. The language of instruction at BU is English
  5. ^ "Our founding universities". The European University of Brain and Technology. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Boğaziçi University - History of Boğaziçi University". web.archive.org. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  7. ^ "2019 taban puanları | Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Tanıtım Sitesi". web.archive.org. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Boğaziçi University - About BU". web.archive.org. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "History of Boğaziçi University". Boğaziçi University Website. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. ^ Freely, John (2012). A Bridge of Culture: Robert College-Boğaziçi University. Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınevi.
  11. ^ "Robert Kolej, Amerikan Kız Koleji, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Arşivi". Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Arşiv ve Dokümantasyon Merkezi. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  12. ^ Freely, John (2012). A Bridge of Culture: Robert College-Boğaziçi University. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınevi.
  13. ^ "About Robert College". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Who is Aptullah Kuran?". Boğaziçi University Archives and Documentation Center. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  15. ^ Gall, Carlotta (1 February 2021). "Prestigious Istanbul University Fights Erdogan's Reach". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Türkiye'de rektörlük seçimleri 75 yılda nasıl değişti? 2016 sonrası atamalar üniversiteleri nasıl etkiledi?". BBC News Türkçe (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ Tuncer, Abdullah Murat (2022). "Election as a Rector Appointment System in Turkish Universities; Academic freedom or autonomy?". International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. 06 (04): 273–276. doi:10.47772/ijriss.2022.6417. ISSN 2454-6186.
  18. ^ "Students and faculty at top Turkish university battle Erdogan's attempt at control". The Washington Post. No. February 2021. Archived from the original on 7 February 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  19. ^ "The High Stakes of Turkey's University Protests". No. 9 February 2021. Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 15 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Prestigious Istanbul University Fights Erdogan's Reach". The New York Times. No. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  21. ^ "Student protests grow as Turkey's young people turn against Erdoğan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Istanbul university students clash with police over rector appointment". The Guardian. No. 6 January 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  23. ^ "Protests at top Turkish university trigger more than 150 arrests". The Irish Times. 2 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  24. ^ SCF (2 February 2022). "Boğaziçi University rector appoints himself as faculty dean in controversial move". Stockholm Center for Freedom. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  25. ^ "Turkey reverses controversial appointment of university rector". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  26. ^ English, Duvar (23 August 2021). "Boğaziçi University protests Erdoğan's appointment of yet another unwanted rector". Duvar English (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Boğaziçi University academics react to appointment of Naci İnci as new rector". Ahval. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  28. ^ Pehlivan, Clare (18 March 2024). "The High Stakes of Turkey's University Protests". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  29. ^ "2547 Higher Education Law". www.lawsturkey.com. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Turkey: Freedom in the World 2023 Country Report". Freedom House. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  31. ^ Minute, Turkish (2 June 2023). "Boğaziçi students protest despite ban after Erdoğan's election victory". Turkish Minute. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Bogazici University protest vigil still going strong after more than 1,000 days of 'resistance'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  33. ^ "Boğaziçi University – South Campus". Boğaziçi University Web. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  34. ^ "About the Library". Boğaziçi University Library Website. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  35. ^ "Library". Boğaziçi University Website. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  36. ^ "Kandilli Observatory – History". Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute Website. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  37. ^ "First clean energy, self-sufficient campus in the world". No. 14 January 2015. Daily Sabah. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  38. ^ "Marmara Üniversitesi kampüsü, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'ne tahsis edildi". www.sozcu.com.tr (in Turkish). 18 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  39. ^ "Dormitories". Boğaziçi University Website. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  40. ^ "World University Rankings 2020-2021". Center for World University Rankingsg. Archived from the original on 8 June 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  41. ^ "CWTS Leiden Ranking 2020". Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  42. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2021". Top Universities. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  43. ^ "World University Rankings". Times Higher Education (THE). 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  44. ^ "U.S. News Education: Best Global Universities 2021". Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  45. ^ "QS World University Rankings-Emerging Europe & Central Asia". Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  46. ^ "U.S. News Education: Best Global Universities 2021". Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  47. ^ World Rankings 2021 Archived 29 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine Times Higher Education
  48. ^ "BÜMK Caz Orkestrası" (in Turkish). boun.edu.tr. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  49. ^ "Boğaziçi University Sports Fest". Boğaziçi University Sports Fest Website. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  50. ^ "Boğaziçi University - Faculty of Managerial Sciences". bogazici.edu.tr. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  51. ^ "Boğaziçi University - Faculty of Law". bogazici.edu.tr. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  52. ^ "Graduate Programs | Institute for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence". dsai.bogazici.edu.tr. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  53. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Bilişim Kulübü – Compec". compec.org. Archived from the original on 5 September 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  54. ^ "BUMATEK". bumatek.boun.edu.tr. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  55. ^ "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Spor Kurulu". Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Spor Kurulu. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  56. ^ "Guinness World Records – First solo circumnavigation of the globe using human power". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  57. ^ "Guinness World Records – First Person to Row Three Oceans". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  58. ^ "The end of democracy in Turkey?". The Hertie School. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  59. ^ "Murat Ulker". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2015.

Further reading

  • Ata, Ranan. 2006. Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'nde Sonbahar. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
  • Çıracıoğlu, Vecdi and Mustafa Baykan. 2013. Bilim Yolunda 100 Yıl: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
  • Freely, John. 2012. A Bridge of Culture: Robert College-Bogazici University: How An American College in Istanbul Became A Turkish University. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
  • Freely, John. 2009. A History of Robert College. Istanbul: YKY.
  • Hamlin Cyrus, 2014. Among The Turks – My Life and Times. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları (Originally published separately by Robert Carter & Brothers, New York, 1878; and Congregational School and Publishing Society, Boston and Chicago, 1893).
  • Kuran, Aptullah, 2013, Bir Kurucu Rektörün Anıları: Robert Kolej Yüksekokulu'ndan Boğaziçi Üniversitesi'ne. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları.
  • Washburn, George. 2012. Fifty Years in Constantinople and Recollections of Robert College. Istanbul: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Yayınları (Originally published by Houghton Mufflin Company, Boston and New York, 1909).

External links

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