Marmara University 2018-2019 Academic Inauguration Ceremony was held on Thursday, October 18, 2018 in Sultanahmet Rectorate Building, Ord. Prof. Dr. Nihad Sayar Conference Hall. Besides Parliamentary Speaker Honorable Binali Yıldırım, state protocol, academicians and students of the university participated in the ceremony.
After a moment of silence and National Anthem, the ceremony continued with the concert of Marmara University Turkish Music Ensemble. Following Introduction Film, the opening speech was made by Rector of Marmara University Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar.
Rector Özvar said “We have celebrated 135th anniversary of Marmara University” and gave information about the history of the university. By expressing that universities are appreciated with their fundamental duties, Özvar continued his speech, saying: “These fundamental duties are education, scientific researches and social services. Students of all world nationalities from China to America, from Ivory Coasts to Japan receive education in our university. With the approbation of Honorable President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and with the protocol signed between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Defence, the Housing Development Administration and the Marmara University, Kenan Evren Barracks land that its new name is Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Complex was transferred to the Marmara University in 2017. We are beholden to our President. Our new complex project that aims to gather a lot of departments of our university under a single roof is not only a settlement plan. By establishing such a higher education settlement, we imagine to add new things to the Istanbul’s urban, cultural and scientific vision. Even though we are dealing with financial troubles nowdays, I would lite to state that we are working in harmony with all institutions of our state to carry out this project. Thanks to the scientific research funds that are provided by our state to the universities, there has been great progress in our country’s scientific performance”. Özvar also pointed out that Marmara university ranked 16th in the list of the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2018, and thereby, it ranks above among a few universities, which are entitled to the research university.
Rector Özvar then continued his speech, saying that “Our Nanotechnology and Biomaterial Research and Implementation Center, which ranked third as of its establishment in Turkey, has a lot of international publishing and patent works more than 100 since its inseption. Our university’s funding is nearly 77 million turkish liras that have been allocated for the scientific researches between 2010-2018 years. Thus, our institution financed approximately 2400 project between those dates. Our lecturers have published in total 14.660 international publishing with this oppurtunity".
As stated by Rector Özvar, “Today, we host a ceremony in which we pride ourselves on presenting an honorary doctorate as well as holding the academic year inauguration ceremony of the Marmara University. Within the decision of the Marmara University’s senate, we will make a presentation of an honorary doctorate to Turkish Parliemantary Speakers Honorable Mr. Binali Yıldırım”, he ended his speech with a word of thanks to the guests.
Following Rector Özvar’s speech, the biography of Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Honorable Binali Yıldırım was readed by Marmara University General Secretary Murat Arısal. President Yıldırım made his speech after being awarded an honorary doctorate for his achievements in the field of political science and public administration.
Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Honorable Binali Yıldırım began his speech, saying that “I would like to express my sincere gratitude for this invitation of 2018-2019 Academic Year Inauguration Ceremony of Marmara University, which provide us to live a better world in shared values of our nation”. He said also “Marmara University is an important institution offering an insight into tens of thousand of young people until today. Honorable President who are ruling our country graduated from this university”. Saying that economic conditions are increasingly becoming competitive among societies, Yıldırım also pointed out that the consumption habits are changing rapidly and occupations are becoming different. By saying that information technologies continues to expand in our lifes and these technologies are becoming commercialize, he stated there is no choice but to catch the future.
Pointing out the expression freedom in his speech, Turkish Parliamentary Speakers Yıldırım continued, saying, “The universities are not the instituations that people who can not stand different ideas but are the centers moving the thoughts to the universal frontiers. Dear students, we are a nation that our known history goes back to five thousands of years. We will continue to exist after the history as well as before the history".
“We establihed great states and ruled the world. If you can not renew yourself, you are defeated against the one that has renewed itself. All we have a duty to develop and renew our Republic of Turkey. I said before that the world are ruled by the states generating information. The abilitiy of the nucleer bombs and ballistic missiles is in the softwares which are developed for them. The informations and datas we see in the newspapaers and social medias are the production of the developed countries”.
"We have seen a lot of information sharing such as research, report, explanation. Today, perhaps a lof of people don’t know that muslims founded the first university in the 800s. We are proud to have the muslim scientists who made numerous contributions to the scientific fields such as medicine, philosophy, astronomy. Because we’re having such a good civilization, we must keep it".
In the end of his speech, Yıldırım appealed to students, saying, “You should have a big dreams when you start the university education. Don’t let your circumstances defeat you. If you deal with the challenges you are faced with, you only get stronger. You would be in the pursuit of your dreams. One of your feet would remain in your own culture. Your mind will always be guidance to your excitement".
At the end of Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Binali Yıldırım’ speech, the ceremony ended with the presentation of mutual gifts between Rector Özvar and Mr. Binali Yıldırım.
