Appointed rector becomes a ‘civil servant’ six months after his appointment

* Photo: haberler.boun.edu.tr

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Appointed as a rector to Boğaziçi University from outside its academic community by President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 2, Prof. Dr. Melih Bulu was not a civil servant as he had worked only at foundation universities.

However, Bulu has been "chosen up" for a professor position at İstanbul Medeniyet University. The public university made an announcement for the related position opening on February 28 and it was alleged that this position was opened specifically for him. All in all, six months after he was appointed as a rector to Boğaziçi, also a public university, he is now a civil servant.

The decision has also been shared on the website of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). Bulu, the appointed rector of Boğaziçi University, is registered as a professor at the Department of Business and Department of Management and Organization of İstanbul Medeniyet University.

CLICK - Bulu doesn't meet requirements for professorship at Boğaziçi

What happened?

The YÖK previously announced that Melih Bulu "did not have to become a member of permanent academic staff" in order to become rector. However, according to a decision taken by the Boğaziçi University Senate, Bulu was required to meet some criteria to first become a professor, then a rector. Being a civil servant was one of these requirements faced by Bulu.

"The suitable position for Melih Bulu was announced" by İstanbul Medeniyet University, which was founded as a "public university" in 2010. The related professor position was announced on the website of the university's Directorate of Personnel Department.

The position opening almost fully overlapped with the field of specialization of Bulu. In the related announcement, the "qualities sought for the professor position" at Medeniyet University were: "Being an Associate Professor in the field of management and organization; having scientific works in the field of innovation and competition; having taught classes on Strategic Management and Game Theory at an institution of higher education."

Bulu previously worked at foundation universities such as İstanbul Ticaret, Şehir, İstinye and Haliç universities. Having taught classes at Boğaziçi, he was not a member of the permanent staff there.

Announcement 'defined' Bulu's career'

The state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), on January 5, reported a news story about Melih Bulu, saying, "Boğaziçi University Rector Prof. Melih Bulu is notable for his academic career and his works in the private sector." In this news report, the achievements of Bulu were shared with the public by making similar emphases to the ones made by the YÖK.

Noting that one of his aims was to ensure that Boğaziçi University ranks among the top 100 universities of the world, the AA said that "in addition to his academic career, including being the rector of two universities, he is also experienced in entrepreneurship, management and counselling in several fields, ranging from the defense industry to the services sector."

The Agency also noted that Bulu "became a candidate to be nominated for İstanbul Ataşehir District Mayorship from the AKP at the local elections in 2009 and a candidate to be nominated as an İstanbul MP candidate from the AKP at the general elections in 2015."

Sharing further details about the academic career of Bulu, the AA said: "In 2003-2010, he taught part-time 'Business Strategy and Game Theory' classes at Boğaziçi and İstanbul Ticaret University. In 2009, he started working as a full-time academic. He became an Associate Professor in 2008 and became a professor in 2016. Between the years of 2010 and 2014, he was the Head of Management Department at İstanbul Şehir University."

"Bulu worked in several positions throughout his academic career, such as being a head of department, dean, MBA coordinator, international business cooperation coordinator. In 2016-2019, he was the founding rector of İstinye University. In 2020, he became the rector of Haliç University. As a founding rector, he played a role in the development of İstinye University." (DŞ/SD)