Rector's Speech

Hello, I am Prof. Dr. Yücel OĞURLU, the Rector of Balıkesir University. I am a law professor specializing in administrative law. Balıkesir University, established in 1992, has its roots dating back to Karesi Muallim Mektebi, founded in 1910. Located at the intersection of the Marmara and Aegean regions in Balıkesir, our university consists of 14 faculties, 4 institutes, 2 vocational schools, 12 vocational higher schools, and 27 research centers. With approximately 3,000 staff members, including about 1,500 academic personnel, our university serves 30,000 students. We have 14 faculties offering undergraduate education at our university. The Necatibey Education Faculty, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Tourism, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Theology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Faculty of Fine Arts, and Burhaniye Faculty of Applied Sciences. Additionally, we have two higher schools, one being the School of Foreign Languages and the other being Edremit Civil Aviation School, which offers undergraduate education. Furthermore, we provide associate degree education at 12 vocational schools located in the city center and different districts of Balıkesir. Our university ranks high in preferences among universities in Turkey. As university administrators, we are committed to positioning Balıkesir University as a leading and pioneering institution in all fields. In this regard, our goals include internationalization, increasing our domestic preference, and maintaining the quality of education at the highest level. We continue to work on enhancing the quality of education, including improving the quality of academic research, enriching our research opportunities, strengthening our physical infrastructure, and increasing collaborations between the university, the city, and the industry. We place great importance on partnerships with the city and the industry. Our collaborative projects within the framework of cooperation protocols are still ongoing. We frequently engage with the business community, striving to maintain continuous dialogue and exchange of ideas. Our academics are not only involved in scientific endeavors but also actively collaborate with various stakeholders, including municipalities, City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Commodity Exchange, and Bar Association, as well as NGOs, public institutions, and private organizations, fostering partnerships in both scientific and industrial endeavours. Our newly established technology transfer office and Technopark serve as a bridge between our academics, the city, and the industry. Through these structures, we aim to translate the knowledge and expertise of our university into quality outputs. Our main campus, Çağış Campus, is one of the largest university campuses in Turkey, covering approximately 6,000 acres. In addition to our faculties, it houses the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Central Library, dormitories, dining halls, cafeterias, as well as social, cultural, and sports facilities. Our university hospital is also located on the main campus. Students studying at our campus, surrounded by nature, have the opportunity to meet their various needs, including accommodation, dining, social, cultural, and sports activities, in addition to education and research facilities.
Our university has Olympic-quality sports facilities that serve various sports branches. These facilities are open to all students who wish to engage in sports at both professional and amateur levels, with a particular emphasis on students from the Faculty of Sports Sciences. Among our students, we have athletes who have achieved European and world championships as well as Olympic success. For instance, our graduate Ali Eren DEMİREZEN is a national boxer who currently works as an academician. Our national wrestler Yasemin ADAR is also an alumna of our university. Furthermore, Kerem KAMAL, another national wrestler, is currently a student at our university. Our university continues to contribute to Turkish sports in various disciplines. Our university's athletes successfully represent us in a wide range of branches, including football, volleyball, wrestling, boxing, and the University Sports Federation. The sports infrastructure, equipped with Olympic standards, plays a significant role in the development of our athletes. Additionally, our university continues to host numerous national sports events. Balıkesir University, along with the province of Balıkesir, offers students a wide range of accommodation options. Within our Çağış Campus, there are modern state dormitories and private dormitories. Moreover, in the city center, there are state dormitories, private dormitories, and dormitories owned by our university foundation, providing accommodation services to our students. In addition to the new dormitories constructed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports on our campus, we will continue to offer our students economical and safe accommodation options through our new dormitory projects. Internationalization goals are also highly important for our university. Balıkesir University has a strong potential for internationalization. As university administrators, we are carrying out significant studies to manage this potential effectively. We have units that are brand leaders in many fields, supported by the city's position and resources. Among our priorities is to make our university more visible and recognized in line with this vision. In this regard, we have signed nearly twenty new international agreements in a period of approximately three months. Our collaboration agreements with nearly 300 universities, primarily within the scope of ERASMUS, are ongoing. We will continue to add new agreements to this list every day. Within the framework of our agreements with European countries and Turkish Republics, we maintain exchange programs for students and faculty members. Our university includes the Institutes of Science, Health Sciences, and Social Sciences, as well as the Edremit Olive Research Institute. The first three institutes actively provide postgraduate education. The Edremit Olive Research Institute primarily focuses on scientific research and applications. Additionally, our institute has been organizing various courses, panels, and seminars aimed at farmer education since its establishment, providing academic knowledge flow to the sector. A total of 2081 undergraduate students continue receiving education in our institutes. My advice to students who will choose a university is to prioritize their personal interests. I believe it would be better for them to choose fields and programs that they will enjoy and make them feel happy. Additionally, I recommend that they examine the fundamental elements related to the university and the city they will live at. Factors such as accommodation, nourishment, transportation, as well as research and application opportunities, integration with the city, industrial collaborations, internationalization opportunities and resources should be considered during their decision-making process, which will assist them in choosing the right university. I wish success to the students who will take the university entrance exam. We invite you to Balıkesir University.