“We Will Develop University-Industry Cooperation” Dr. İsrafil Kuralay, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Ticaret University, was our guest at Geniş Açı.
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Dr. İsrafil Kuralay, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Ticaret University, answered the questions of İsmail Mücahit Aydemir in the Geniş Açı (Wide Angle) Program. In the program in which the new term at Istanbul Ticaret University was discussed, the earthquake disaster that we experienced on February 6th was discussed first. Emphasizing that Istanbul Ticaret University was fully mobilized after the February 6 Earthquakes, Dr. Kuralay stated that the spirit of national solidarity shown by the country is very valuable. Talking about the new term projects at Istanbul Ticaret University, Dr. Kuralay explained that in the new term, university-industry and university-trade cooperations will be developed with the support of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO). Emphasizing that Istanbul Ticaret University Communication Science and Internet Institute is of great importance as a first in Türkiye, Dr. Kuralay has said: “Universities, academicians and communicators have great responsibilities in the digital age.” Adding that they aim to increase the facilities of Istanbul Ticaret University, Dr. Kuralay has further said, “We are planning to put our Eminönü campus into operation in September. In addition, the Historical Liman Han (Harbor Inn), which was restored by ITO, has started to serve all our university students and staff.”
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“Our Country Will Come Out of These Hard Days Stronger”
Dr. Kuralay, who started by conveying his feelings and thoughts about the earthquake disaster that occurred on February 6th, talked about the earthquake aids of Istanbul Ticaret University. Dr. Kuralay has said: “I don’t think we have yet fully grasped the magnitude of this disaster. As a nation, we are truly in great pain. Tens of thousands of our people died, were injured or emigrated. Our animals, historical artifacts and villages suffered great damage. A great spirit of solidarity and state-nation cooperation was demonstrated in unity and solidarity. I think that our country will come out of this process very quickly and come out of this destruction stronger.”
“Istanbul Ticaret University Mobilized for the Earthquakes”
Dr. Kuralay has said, “I especially congratulate the students of our university for the great sensitivity they showed. Particularly, the Young Red Crescent community mobilized other student communities, demonstrating a great example of solidarity. In addition, our Psychology department provides free therapy support to earthquake victims, which is very pleasing. Our academicians sent their aid to Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) through a bank account. In addition, nearly 100 truck load of aid sent by ITO, the organization to which our university is affiliated, is really important. I congratulate and thank everyone who contributed.”
“We Have Many Projects in the Pipeline in the Our University’s New Term”
Dr. Kuralay has said: “Istanbul Ticaret University, which has made great contributions to the academic life of our country, has done very well and thousands of our students have graduated since its foundation. We will continue these works in the future as well. Good things are being done here, and we will multiply these efforts. I especially care about increasing the sense of belonging of our students and their involvement in the management processes. We will also increase our efforts to increase the academic quality of our university.”
“Our Institutes and Preparatory School will continue their activities in Eminönü as of September”
Dr. Kuralay has further said: “We certainly have problems, and we are trying to solve them. For example, we will have our campus building in Eminönü ready for our institutes and preparatory school as of next fall semester. Apart from this, we have different projects to increase the campus facilities of our university.”
“We Will Strengthen the Relationship between our University and ITO”
Answering the question asked about the support of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) to Istanbul Ticaret University, Dr. Kuralay said, “ITO is one of the largest chambers in the world with a history of 140 years. Being a university affiliated to such a chamber gives us excitement. We will strengthen the relationship between the University and ITO. We need to bring together the committees, the management and the assembly of ITO with the academic activities at the university, so that the business world benefits more from the academy and the academy benefits more from the business world in order to provide a better education. There is always this perception that the business world and academia are going in different directions. However, I think that the two should support each other and move forward together. While the academy can provide support for the institutionalization, growth and branding of the business world, the business world can execute larger branding processes by evaluating the trends in the world with the academy.”
“Communication Science and Internet Institute, A First in Türkiye”
Dr. Kuralay has said: “Communication Science and Internet Institute, which I attach great importance to, is an institute that was established at Istanbul Ticaret University as a first in Türkiye. Our institute needs to carry out more multidisciplinary studies in the new term. For example, it is necessary to produce a global solution with a multidisciplinary perspective on the effects of social media. In the digital age, where problems do not remain local, solutions should not be only local. Citizen journalism and social media, which we saw the benefits of in the context of the earthquake, offer great opportunities, yet also carry risks. Social media features messages from individuals to masses. Since it is not possible to educate everyone, I think individuals should be held liable for their messages. Everyone needs to act consciously and responsibly in the social media, because communication is for everyone. However, it is our duty to protect the communication profession. This was accomplished in the newspapers and television and radio channels. They were brought under a discipline and the institutional system settled. However, there is a very chaotic situation in digital media and academic studies in this area need to be increased and solutions must be found.”
“We Will Develop University-Industry Cooperation With Concrete Steps”
Dr. Kuralay has said: “University-Industry cooperation, as a concept, has become very cliché, but it is we who will save it from being cliché. In this new term, we can further increase the relationship between ITO and our university and make it permanent. Our aim is to bring the university, traders and successful business people together with the students and to offer the students the opportunity to meet the business life. We plan to increase academic publications and studies by strengthening our relations within ITO. Thanks to our esteemed president Mr. Şekip Avdagic. He provides all kinds of support to our university at every opportunity.”
“Liman Han Provides a Great Opportunity for our Students and Academicians”
Stating that the historical Liman Han (Harbor Inn) was restored by ITO, Dr. Kuralay said, “There is Kitap İstanbul (Book Istanbul) in the Liman Han. There are also reading rooms, specialized libraries and research centers. These opportunities can be used by our students, academicians and staff. We need to also add the university-trade secor cooperation to the university-industry cooperation. We will have people seen as brands both in universities and in the business world”.
“The Number of our International Students is Increasing”
Dr Israfil Kuralay said: “Our university has around 1200 international students. They are very important to us. We have students from almost all countries of the world both in our undergraduate and graduate programs. Mutual cultural exchange creates a peaceful ground for humanity. In the new term, we will strive to enrol more international students. In many countries of the world, I met with senior executives and even prime ministers, etc. graduated from the universities in Türkiye. We will continue to keep in touch with our guest students after they graduate through our alumni association.”
