Emphasis on Sustainable Success at ITU’s 2023-2024 Academic Year Ceremony

Our university started the 2023-2024 Academic Year with the opening ceremony held at Ayazağa Campus. Our Rector stated that ITU’s 250-year-long legacy will continue to illuminate the path ahead.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) started the 2023-2024 Academic Year, in which it opened its doors to its students for the 251st time, with the opening ceremony held at Ayazağa Campus Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center on October 16. Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of Defence Industries, participated in the ceremony to give the students the first lecture of the academic year.

The opening ceremony attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, our Vice-Rectors, Secretary-General, academic and administrative staff and students was broadcast live on ITU’s social media accounts.

The opening ceremony of the new academic year started with the screening of the short film “ITU Cycle ”. ITU 250th Anniversary Turkish Music Chorus, consisting of academic and administrative staff, performed a musical concert. At the ceremony, the Rectorate donated saplings to the “250 Thousand Saplings in the 250th Year” campaign on behalf of the chorus members.

The year 2023 is a peak point

After the concert, our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu greeted the guests with the words, “I hope that this will be an academic year in which we, as the ITU Family, will achieve greater success, create more added value and work harder.” Prof. Dr. Koyuncu also shared the excitement of the 250th Anniversary Events: “The year 2023 has been a peak point in our 250th Anniversary Events, which we have been working on for almost three years.”

250th Anniversary special documentary series, museum and more

Underlining that the 250th Anniversary Events emphasize the guiding, building and transforming characteristics of Istanbul Technical University throughout its 250-year history, Prof. Dr. Koyuncu said, “In 2023, we have lived and continue to live ITU’s 250th Anniversary enthusiasm to the fullest with seminars and special meetings, sports competitions, 250th Anniversary special publications, documentaries, museum, interviews, ITU Awards, 250th Anniversary book studies and ITU 250th Anniversary Documentary, which will premiere in the coming days.”

Strong momentum in university preference

Prof. Dr. Koyuncu said, “Our goal during the promotion days was not only to promote ITU… We primarily want to instill a vision in our young people and enable them to choose professions that will make them happy in the future,” and drew attention to the strong upward momentum in the number of students who prefer ITU. He said that with the announcement of YKS preferences, the best students preferred ITU again this year, as every year: “This year, while more students from the top one thousand joined us, two students who ranked first in Türkiye joined the ITU Family. A total of 102 students from the top thousand in the 2023 YKS preferred ITU this year. Considering that we mostly take students according to the numerical score, we are talking about a very significant rate exceeding 10 percent. Last year this number was 98. The previous year it was 48…”

ITU members and the national technology move

ITU’s 2023-2024 Academic Year Opening Lecture was given by Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of Defence Industries. Prof. Dr. Görgün gave the students inspiring advice with his presentation in the opening lecture.

Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün started his opening lecture by thanking all the stakeholders who contributed to ITU’s achievements and said, “The wisdom from our roots is transforming into today’s technology,” and made a comprehensive presentation on the history of science.

Pointing out that innovation and technology-based security solutions play a critical role in maintaining peace and security, Prof. Dr. Görgün said, “ITU is one of the leading universities contributing to this.” Providing students with information about the historical development of the defence industry from the Ottomans to the Republic, Prof. Dr. Görgün emphasized the important contribution of ITU to the defence industry due to the fact that Turgut Özal, the 8th President and a graduate of ITU, established the Presidency of Defence Industries in 1985.

Congratulations to students and academics

Our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu presented congratulatory certificates to our new students who entered our university with degrees and to our project teams that were successful in national and international competitions. The ceremony ended with the presentation of plaques to our faculty members who received awards from various institutions for their academic achievements.