We Remembered Atatürk on the 87th Anniversary of His Passing

On the 87th anniversary of his death, Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was remembered with respect, gratitude, and longing by the members of Istanbul Technical University.

The Istanbul Technical University (ITU) community gathered at the SDKM on Monday, November 10, 2025, for the Commemoration Ceremony of the Great Leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Hosted by Büşra Nur Albayrak from our Media and Communications Office, the ceremony began at 9:05 a.m. with a moment of silence accompanied by sirens and the recitation of the Turkish National Anthem. Students, academics, and administrative staff participated in large numbers in the commemoration event.

After watching a video of participants listening to Ghazi's 10th Anniversary Speech, Gökdeniz Kurt, a second-year student in our Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and a member of the Board of Directors of the ITU Enlightenment 1923 Atatürkist Thought Club, delivered a speech on behalf of ITU students. In his speech titled “Atatürk and the Turkish Nation,” our student stated that on November 10, we commemorate not only a great commander and founder of the republic, but also the will of the nation manifested in that great person, our common ideal, and the bright path we walk together. He pointed out that Atatürk was a leader who made the nation the subject, and that the true owner of the republic is the nation, meaning “all of us.” He stated that the ideas generated in university classrooms, the technologies developed in laboratories, the economy growing through hard work in the field, and the production rising in concert halls, workshops, racetracks, and shipyards are brought to life as a continuation of this story by the partners and guardians of this great work. Kurt concluded his speech with the following words of Atatürk: “Those who will depart from this world and bid farewell to the Turkish nation should say this to their children, to those who will live after them: ‘My duties to the Turkish nation, to the Turkish Republic, to the future of the Turkish people are not yet complete; you will complete them.’ You, too, should repeat my words to those who come after you.”

ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal emphasized that this commemoration is also a time to remember our responsibilities for the future, highlighting Atatürk's words that laid the foundation for the vision our university has carried from the past to the present: “The method to be applied in education and teaching is to make knowledge a practical and usable tool for success in material life, rather than an excessive adornment, a means of oppression, or a civilized pleasure for humans.”  Our Rector pointed out that this statement reminds us that knowledge should touch life and produce results that add value to society, while the statement “The most genuine guide in life is science and knowledge” reminds us to progress under the guidance of science and wisdom.

Prof. Dr. Mandal emphasized that ITU, with its long-established history spanning over 250 years, continues to carry forward the values of our Republic by focusing on science, research, and production. He stated that their efforts to transform the knowledge they produce into solutions for society and humanity are the strongest indicator of their vision as a “responsibility- and impact-oriented research university.” Expressing that this understanding goes beyond the production of science and is based on contributing to the common future of humanity, our Rector noted that the path to the ideal of a “Fully Independent Türkiye” in the second century of our Republic is also powered by this approach, developing with qualified human resources under the guidance of science.

Faculty members of the Istanbul Technical University State Conservatory of Turkish Music, Lecturer Alper Göçeri (baritone), Lecturer Kemal Akdoğan (tenor), and Professor Kandemir Basmacıoğlu (piano) held a concert.

41st Atatürk Memorial Run and Walk

The ITU Atatürk Memorial Run and Walk, an annual tradition held during Atatürk Memorial Week from November 10 to 16, took place at our Ayazağa Campus. The event brought together ITU members for the 41st time this year.

After a moment of silence and the recitation of the Turkish National Anthem, the competition was launched by our Rector in front of our Central Sports Hall. Before starting the race, Prof. Dr. Mandal addressed the participants, giving a speech in which he mentioned that continuing Atatürk's legacy is possible only if each individual does their job to the best of their ability, and that young people have a role to play in looking to the future with hope. He thanked the ITU family for participating in the race, which has become a tradition. In the race, ITU students competed on the campus's short-distance walking and long-distance running routes.