The Rector Speaks

Hello, I'm Musa Kazım Arıcan. I am the Rector of Social Sciences University of Ankara. My field is Philosophy and my field of study is Spinoza. Spinoza is a well-known name in our country in recent years. My master's and doctoral studies were also on Spinoza. My associate professorship work is on cultural diversity and cultural pluralism. My professorial work is on Islamic Thought. I work in the Programme of Turkish-Islamic Thought at the Department of Philosophy. In addition to my academic studies, I try to focus on civil society studies. I take part in both stakeholder institutions and organizations and non-governmental organizations that carry out independent cultural, intellectual and artistic activities. I am in City Councils, which have an important role in city administrations. Along with the academy, I try to maintain relations with non-governmental and stakeholder organizations. Social Sciences University of Ankara is one of the youngest and most dynamic universities in our country. It is the first thematic social sciences university of our country. It was established in the center of Ankara, in the middle of historical places where our Republic was first established. It was planned in 2013 as a university that mainly values ​​research. It is a university that tries to realize education, research and social contribution processes in the best way. Our university is located in a place intertwined with history, spirituality, culture and art, such as the first Head Office Building of the Republic of Turkey, Sümerbank Building, Revenue Office, Finance Higher Education Center (MAYEM) and Governor's Office. The center of Ulus is where our campus is located. Our university is located in a place surrounded by the 1st Assembly, Hacı Bayram Veli, Ankara Castle and the Anatolian Civilizations Museum. Social Sciences University of Ankara consists of 7 faculties with the theme of social sciences. Our university defines its academic activities as education, research and social contribution. Our academic activities are language and culture oriented. It adopts a "Multilingual, Multicultural" philosophy. The philosophy of "Multilingual, Multicultural" is the mission of our university. Our academic staff consists of professors with strong international experience. Academic programs at our university are carried out on multiculturalism and multilingualism. Foreign language education is mainly carried out. The second foreign language is the basic education policy of our university. In the academic process, our students take a second foreign language as an elective course along with a main foreign language. They choose one of 10 languages ​​in our programs in English and in Arabic. In this sense, we see multilingual education as a unique aspect of our university. We aim at multiculturalism as an academic process in which international students, especially students from different countries and cultures, take part. In our academic staff, we have professors who have international experiences.
In our educational processes, our students strive to receive practical training along with theoretical training. Our students are definitely included in the projects during their education processes. International student exchange is a process that we encourage by supporting our students' Erasmus and internship mobility. Our university is located at the center of city, intertwined with everyday life. In this way, our students can easily reach all the opportunities provided by the city. In Ankara, the capital of our country, and in the center of Ankara, many social, cultural and artistic activities can be easily accessed inside and outside of our university. In our university, we have a Young Office center and cafes especially for our students. We are trying to provide opportunities for our students with our student societies and student clubs. Due to our central location, the Credit and Hostels Institution and private dormitories are within easy walking distance from our university. Therefore, there is no dormitory problem for the students who prefer our university. Museums, cultural centers and art centers are right next to our university. With our many protocols and collaborations, we strongly support our students to benefit from these opportunities. Now, we recommend our students to make a choice by taking the changing world conditions into account. A single diploma will no longer matter in the new world. Higher education can also turn into a certification. For this reason, we recommend our students to make a long-term planning while making their choices. We recommend that they have the opportunity to learn at least two languages ​​in the field they will choose in higher education, and even choose a university where they can learn more than two foreign languages. We recommend that they take advantage of Erasmus opportunities and target at least one graduate program as a master's and doctorate in the department they intend to study. The changing world now necessitates this. In higher education, we recommend not only university-based education, but also seminars, collaborations that can be taken from the university, partner institutions, public institutions, and seminars, events and certificate programs in which they can improve themselves in these processes. In this sense, we think that Social Sciences University of Ankara is the right address for students for their personal careers and development. We welcome all candidates to Social Sciences University of Ankara. I wish you all a safe and healthy exam period. We hope that you will be placed in the departments that are suitable for your abilities and talents by making the right choices. We welcome you all to Social Sciences University of Ankara.