‘Appointing a director from outside Boğaziçi University is unacceptable’

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The departments and units of Boğaziçi University have released a statement about the appointment of Assoc. Prof. İlhami Öztürk from the İzmir Bakırçay University as the director of the Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences by appointed rector Naci İnci on November 18.

Signed by the 29 departments and units affiliated with the Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences and the Institute of Graduate Studies in Science and Teaching, the joint statement has underlined that appointing a faculty member from outside the university instead of appointing a faculty member elected by the faculty members of the university themselves will harm its transparent and democratic governance; the statement has defined the move as unacceptable for this reason.

The undersigned departments and units have "seen with sadness and astonishment that a faculty member in a field that has nothing to do with any unit affiliated with the institute has been appointed as a director to the Institute of Social Sciences from outside the university."

Referring to "the several esteemed faculty members who have been working for the programs affiliated with the institute, have wide administrative experience and can fulfil the duty of chairing the institute", the joint statement has recalled that "the faculty members in question have openly expressed their own will and elected a director for the institute."

Underlining that appointing a person from outside the university contrary to its transparent and democratic governance will harm the university and is thus unacceptable, the departments have called for the withdrawal of this decision "which causes an irreversible public loss."

The joiny statement has noted that taking this step is "indispensable for Boğaziçi University to remain standing as a quality education and research university in international standards."

The undersigned departments

1. Computer and Instructional Technologies Education
2. Educational Sciences
3. Basic Education
4. Mathematics and Science Education
5. Foreign Language Education
6. Western Languages and Literatures
7. Translation and Interpreting Studies
8. Linguistics
9. Philosophy
10. Physics
11. Chemistry
12. Mathematics
13. Molecular Biology and Genetics
14. Psychology
15. Sociology
16. History
17. Turkish Language and Literature
18. Economics
19. Business
20. Political Science and International Relations
21. Tourism Management
22. International Trade
23. Management Information Systems
24. Computer Engineering
25. Electrical and Electronics Engineering
26. Industrial Engineering
27. Civil Engineering
28. Mechanical Engineering
29. Chemical Engineering

What happened?

With a Presidential decision published in the Official Gazette, President and ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appointed Prof. Melih Bulu, an academic from outside Boğaziçi University's academic community, as the rector of the university on January 2, which was met with harsh criticism and protests of students, academics and alumni.

Amid these protests, Erdoğan removed Bulu from office with a Presidential decision on July 15; the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) appointed his vice rector Prof. Naci İnci as the acting rector.

The YÖK accepted applications for the rectorship of Boğaziçi University till August 2 and President Erdoğan has appointed Prof. Naci İnci, who accepted his appointment as a vice rector while his two students from the Physics Department were arrested over the protests, dismissed Can Candan and Feyzi Erçin from the university and received a vote of no confidence from 95 percent of Boğaziçi academics. (AÖ/SD)