The best way to introduce our university is to say we are luckier than most in Turkey because we have an astronomic observatory, native Japanese teachers in the department of foreign languages and so many ancient ruins nearby that the archaeology department will be digging artefacts for centuries to come.
Onsekiz Mart University in Canakkale is a campus with a view and a vision. It overlooks the Dardanelles Straits, bridging Europe and Asia, and the fabled cities of Troy, Assos, Gallipoli, Abydos and Sestos are just a short drive away.
Despite its historical riches, our university is a young one, only gaining full independent status in 1992. But Canakkale University has come a long way in a short time. It has more than 22 000 students, enrolled at nine faculties and in 13 vocational colleges spread across three main campuses, and 927 academic staff members.
In its managerial approach the university focuses on four areas:
n Student-centredness: we want students who will be productive, conscientious and responsible members of the world community. Self-development is all important at this stage of their education, hence the lively social scene on and off campus. Student societies include drama, folk dancing, rock music, mountaineering, underwater sports, photography and chess, among many others.
n A global outlook: the European Credit Transfer System has been operating for several years and we have 48 outgoing students and 19 incoming students under the aegis of the Erasmus and Leonardo exchange programmes. The university has cooperation agreements with Tubingen University in Germany, Silesian University in the Czech Republic and the National Sports Academy of Bulgaria. We are partners with Troy University in the United States, Azerbaijan State University and Ballarat University in Australia.
Canakkale probably hosts more national and international conferences than any other university in Turkey and in 2010 it will hold a World Universities Congress focusing on the role of universities in helping to solve global issues.
n Research and technology: recent years have seen an enormous expansion in resources committed to research. We have two postgraduate institutes, one for natural physical sciences and the other for social studies. The 10 existing research centres are closely allied to the strengths of the university in astrophysics, ceramics, foreign languages, archaeology and, more recently, environmental issues. Facilities include laboratories, a “smart” classroom and a library/information centre with full access to scientific online databases. The results of this strategy are seen in the success of projects funded by the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Organisation and other cooperative schemes.
n Entrepreneurship: until recently, because of the low population of the province and its distance from major transport hubs, business potential was limited. That is changing. Partnerships with local business and commerce, in particular the Canakkale Chamber of Commerce and the Canakkale Association of Businessmen, are developing the area’s potential in organic farming, port facilities, diving, tourism and many other potentially rewarding areas.
Through a process of synergy with the prevailing socio-economic and geographical conditions, the university focuses its energies not just on following the traditional higher education pattern, but also on building mutually beneficial relations with local, national and international institutions.
This is not to say that the picture is all rosy. Problems exist: the university relies on the state for 95% of its budget, but government funding has not kept pace with the growing youth population; infrastructure and equipment barely keep up with requirements; and different political inclinations among student groups have led to occasional clashes on campus.
While Canakkale University shares similarities with other medium-size provincial universities in Turkey, its location and history give it an individual character that attracts faculty and students seeking challenges and new frontiers.
Ibrahim Aksu works at the departments attached to the rector’s office and Murat Kasimoglu is an associate professor in the department of management sciences