Rector's Speech

My name is Professor Dr. Tevfik Tezcaner and I am a Specialist in Cardiovascular Surgery. I have been serving as the Rector of Ufuk University for about one and a half years. Ufuk University entered into the Turkish higher education system through the efforts of the Traffic Accidents Aid Foundation in Turkey. It was founded in 1999 and we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. The Traffic Accidents Aid Foundation in Turkey was founded by Prof. Dr. Rıdvan Ege. Its aim is to provide assistance concerning the evaluation, the study and the consequences of every type of problem related to traffic accidents in Turkey. Education and training is an important part of the aims of this foundation. Accordingly, Ufuk University was established with an entry in the Official Gazette in 1999. Ufuk University fulfills its mission within the framework of higher education legislation; and serves in a contemporary and meritable fashion, influencing our country in social matters. Our vision is to be an excellent university; one that is sought after and preferred in Turkey. Ufuk University focuses on two main areas. One is social sciences and the other health sciences. There are colleges, faculties and institutes for both. Our campuses are located in two places: İncek and Balgat. All social sciences departments are located on İncek Campus. All departments related to the health sciences and the Rıdvan Ege Hospital are located on Balgat Campus. The Social Sciences Institute and the Health Sciences Institute are on Balgat Campus. Programs are carried out here in almost all of the faculties. We have one doctoral program and 16 master's programs. One of the tasks of every university in Turkey is to participate in issues related to social responsibility. Ufuk University is doing its best in this regard. To give an example, health awareness activities have been initiated recently by the Faculty of Medicine in Gölbaşı. Contacts with both the District Governor and the Municipality of Gölbaşı were established and projects were carried out in this manner. Many similar social activities have been undertaken by Ufuk University with great passion. The Balgat Campus is within the city and transportation is available between Balgat Campus and İncek Campus, which is located about 15 kilometers away. We have a sufficient number of free service buses. These service buses provide student transportation between the two campuses. One of the most important features of Ufuk University is that its academic staff is composed of well-qualified, highly competent people.With about 320 lecturers, our academic staff is over 300. Our teaching staff are competent and experts in their fields. As with any university, we have appointment and promotion procedures and principles while establishing the academic staff. Of course, while making such decisions, academics who have participated in various studies abroad at graduate or undergraduate level are preferred. The efforts of our higher education institution regarding internationalization also bolsters us. Decisions taken by senior management also require us to take some internationalization related actions. For some time we have been working on Erasmus program student and academic mobility. In this framework, our students and academics have benefited from Erasmus Mobility. Firstly students who want to come here should know that they will receive a high quality education. Undoubtedly, Ufuk University knows the necessity of providing a good education. However, apart from this, we are also aware of what are the sources of a good life for university students and what benefits these will provide to their professional careers and their lives in general. To this end, Ufuk University intends to fulfill all such aspirations, be they student societies and activities in the realm of sports, culture and art. We have a dormitory on İncek Campus. Since İncek Campus was opened it has had a dormitory for male and female students. However last year it served as a girls' dormitory. This year we are in the process of building a male dormitory again. Therefore, students coming from outside the city will be provided with dormitory facilities.Ufuk University also feels extremely responsible for the activities of its students in their life outside the classroom. Balgat Campus has an outdoor sports field and sports such as basketball and volleyball can be played there. We have a separate sports complex on İncek Campus. It is an indoor complex housing a sports area, a swimming pool and a fitness center. Dear prospective students; this university is an institution which provides contemporary and high quality education in a friendly environment. We will be pleased to see you among us.