CoHE President Özvar Attends Western Black Sea Universities Association
Meeting
October 18, 2021 / Bolu
Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University hosted the meeting of the Western Black
Sea Universities Association with the participation of CoHE President Prof.
Erol Özvar.
CoHE President Erol Özvar headed the meeting. The rectors of Bartın
University, Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, Bandırma Onyedi Eylül
University, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bursa Technical University,
Çankırı Karatekin University, Düzce University, Gebze Technical University,
Karabük University, Kastamonu University, Kocaeli University, Sakarya
University, Sakarya University of Applied Sciences and Zonguldak Bülent
Ecevit University participated in the meeting.
In his opening speech, CoHE President Özvar said that they gathered at Bolu
Abant İzzet Baysal University for the term meeting of the association,
which allows the knowledge of the universities that are located in the
region stretching from the Central Black Sea Region to the Eastern Marmara
Region to be evaluated.
"I would like to share my thoughts on the idea of a "good university" as
the main agenda of our meeting today, which I think also constitutes the
founding purpose of this union,” he said and added, “I would like to start
by saying that I see the Western Black Sea Universities Association as a
precious union that 14 Turkish universities have established and developed
over the last 15 years.”
Özvar emphasized that he believed the association was the outcome of the
pursuit in line with the ideal of the ways to create a good university and
said, “Doing quality scientific research with added value and training
individuals with critical and analytical thinking are the two main pillars
of this ideal. Generations consisting of individuals who can do research,
have developed the ability of systematic thinking, are equipped with
disciplinary knowledge and are aware of the importance of interdisciplinary
is of great importance for the future of our people/nation and
values/civilization.”
He stated that a good university should adopt an integrated approach that
includes the markets into the equation without being carried away with the
duality of education and research. “In this approach, concurrence is
essential rather than priority. In other words, there is a method in which
these three elements are carried out together. A university can neither
give up on education nor research,” he said.
“I would like to emphasize once again that scientific productivity is of
great importance within the scope of our 2023 goals. In today's world,
where scientific research and technology are in competition, the only way
to survive is to work and produce more. If scientific productivity develops
in a region and environment, our most important task is to build or develop
this region or environment in which scientists will work peacefully and
happily, and will be encouraged to produce. Achieving this task depends on
our management, that is, all of us, adopting a management philosophy based
on academic performance. All scientific production of academic staff should
be watched closely; internal management policies should be created for
universities and appointment, promotion, project support and incentive
mechanisms should be carried out according to this productivity. University
administrations should encourage especially young scientists to make
quality productions. So to speak, perhaps the most legitimate justification
for positive discrimination should be this productivity."
Özvar pointed out that another area that a good university embodies is the
level of internationalization and said, "In recent years, the Council of
Higher Education has adopted internationalization as a strategic goal and
has encouraged our universities to a great extent. In addition, our
universities should also make it their motto to be attractive for
international students.”
He noted that there were 255 students studying as YÖK scholarship holders
at undergraduate and graduate level in Turkey and that approximately one
third of these students were studying at the member universities of the
association.”
He said that he believed each Turkish higher education institution had the
capacity and potential of a “good university” and could build a worldwide
success story and added, “We will discuss the general situation of the
higher education institutions in Turkey together with the member
universities of the association. We will try to produce some new
perspectives for the future.”
The meeting was held at the Senate Meeting Hall of the Rector’s Office at
Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University. The participants discussed the current
situation of Turkish higher education and the expectations for the future.