Meaningful Academic Year Opening from ITU with the Light of Science and the Voice of Conscience

ITU welcomed the 2025–2026 Academic Year with an opening ceremony held at the Ayazağa Campus. The ceremony, which began with an opening speech by ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, featured two separate inaugural lectures. Prof. Dr. Enis Doko gave an enlightening speech on the academic preservation of Palestine's existence. EELISA President Dale A. Martin, in turn, shared his views with ITU members on ITU–EELISA relations and university–industry collaboration.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) opened its doors to students for the 253rd time on September 29, 2025, with the vision of being a “Research University Focused on Responsibility and Impact.” The 2025–2026 Academic Year began with an opening ceremony held at the Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center on the Ayazağa Campus. ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, vice rectors, faculty deans, directors of schools and institutes, academics, students, and administrative staff gathered at the ceremony, which was also attended by Sarıyer District Governor Ömer Kalaylı. During the ceremony, which was broadcast live on ITU’s social media accounts, students who ranked in the top 1,000 in the 2025 Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) and enrolled at ITU took their seats in the conference hall wearing blue jackets.The ceremony was hosted by Gülşah Sönmez, a Lecturer in the Vocal Arts Department at the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory (TMSC).

The 2025–2026 Academic Year Opening Ceremony began with a moment of silence and the Turkish National Anthem. Following the screening of the ITU Video, Prof. Dr. Tolgahan Çoğulu, a faculty member of the Instrument Department at the ITU TMSC, and Ayşegül Aykaç, a graduate of the Musicology Department, gave a musical recital. The recital was appreciated by the participants as a unique reflection in music of the interdisciplinary production culture that brings together art, science, and technology.

In his opening speech, ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal gave a presentation addressing ITU’s overall status and development in the fields of education, research, and innovation during the last academic year.

Prof. Dr. Mandal noted that ITU increased its impact across all areas, from education and research to innovation and entrepreneurship, during the last academic year. He shared current data and examples, including students' successes in national and international competitions, the high preference rate in the YKS, the expansion of scholarship and support opportunities, the growing interest in interdisciplinary programs, the opening of new research centers, the strengthening of university-industry collaborations, and the expansion of its international network. Our Rector pointed out that these developments lay the foundation for a stronger, more impact-focused academic environment for our students and academics, centered on science, production, and university-industry collaboration.

Underlining that they are stepping into the new academic year with the guidance of science, the direction of conscience, and a sense of shared responsibility, drawing strength from ITU’s long-standing legacy of more than two and a half centuries, our Rector reminded the audience of ITU’s humanitarian and academic responsibilities: To stand by the truth guided by science and to defend justice, peace, and human dignity in the face of the suffering and events unworthy of human dignity occurring in different regions of the world.

Prof. Dr. Enis Doko, a faculty member at Ibn Haldun University, delivered the first inaugural lecture of the new academic year with his speech titled “Maps Without Memory: Reclaiming Palestine in Academia.” In his talk, Prof. Dr. Doko discussed the “single narrative hegemony” of Zionism in academic fields such as history and archaeology related to the geography of Palestine, as well as in place naming, and explained what can be done academically against Zionist propaganda carried out through instruments of knowledge. Prof. Dr. Doko concluded his speech by commemorating the tens of thousands of innocent people and more than 190 academics who lost their lives in the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza.

EELISA President Dale A. Martin addressed ITU students, academics, and administrative staff with the second inaugural lecture of the new academic year, titled “From Siemens to EELISA: Deepening Cooperation Between Academia and Industry.” He spoke about EELISA and ITU’s role within EELISA, and university–industry collaboration in light of his own experiences. He called on students to build teams and use the international opportunities offered by ITU.

Our Rector Prof. Dr. Mandal presented EELISA President Martin with a copy of an astrolabe crafted in Al-Andulus in 1216 by Muhammad ibn al-Fattuh al-Khama'iri and currently exhibited at the ITU Museum.

Congratulatory certificates were presented by our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal to the students who enrolled at ITU with the highest scores in the 2025 Higher Education Institutions Exam (YKS) and to the teams that ranked in TEKNOFEST 2025 and other national and international competitions.