Boğaziçi University

Boğaziçi University (Turkish: Boğaziçi Üniversitesi) is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus strait. It has four faculties and two schools offering undergraduate degrees, and six institutes offering graduate degrees. The language of instruction is English.

Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi Üniversitesi
Former names
Robert College (1863–1970)
TypePublic
Established1863
RectorMelih Bulu
Administrative staff
1,007[1]
Students16,517[2]
Undergraduates11,754[2]
Postgraduates4,763[2]
847[2]
Location
Istanbul
,
Turkey
Campus6 campuses: total 1.699 square kilometres (420 acres)[2]
LanguageEnglish[3]
ColorsLight blue and dark blue   
Affiliations
Websiteboun.edu.tr

Founded in 1863, as Robert College, it is the first American higher education institution founded outside the United States. Though under entirely Turkish administration today, the university still maintains strong ties to the American educational system.

Boğaziçi University consistently ranks highest in Turkey, having the greatest number of applicants via the TYT-AYT Turkish university entrance examinations.[5] The well-known programs are electrical and electronics engineering,[6] computer engineering,[7] and industrial engineering.[8] Only the top 800 of the approximately 1.8 million participants in the annual Turkish university entrance examination (TYT-AYT) are admitted to register for these subjects at the University.[5] To be admitted into other degree programs, one usually has to be in the top 1% of the university entrance exam as well. This allows Boğaziçi University to attract many of the highest scoring students;[9] as well as having the most preferred applied science, education, engineering, and social science programs in Turkey.[10][11]

History
Boğaziçi University Main Campus
Albert Long Hall at Boğaziçi University Main
Boğaziçi University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty building

In 1863, Robert College was founded in Bebek by Christopher Robert, a wealthy American philanthropist, and Cyrus Hamlin, a missionary devoted to education. Six years after its foundation, with the permission (Ottoman Turkish: irade‎) of the Ottoman Sultan, the first campus (the current-day South Campus) was built in Bebek at the ridge of the Rumelian Castle, very close to a Bektashi tekke, whose leaders maintained an excellent relationship with the Congregational and Presbyterian founders of Robert College, according to Dr. Friedrich Schrader, a German lecturer at Robert College during the 1890s.[12] The first building of the school was named "Hamlin Hall" in memory of Cyrus Hamlin. In 1878, Christopher Robert died. According to the article A Millionaire's Will, published in The New York Times (27 November 1878), Robert left a great portion of his wealth to the college.[13]

A College Catalog was compiled in 1878–1879, giving general information and an outline of the courses of study. Defining the aims of the college the catalog stated: "The object of the College is to give to its students, without distinction of race or religion, a thorough educational equal in all respects to that obtained at a first-class American college and based upon the same general principles."

After Hamlin, Robert College was administrated by George Washburn (1877–1903)[14] and Caleb Gates (1903–1932). Though founded at the time of the Ottoman Empire as an institution of higher learning serving the Christian minorities of the Empire as well as foreigners living in Constantinople, the school adopted a strictly secular educational model in accordance with the republican principles of Turkey in 1923. Robert College, in the past had junior high school, high school, and university sections under the names Robert Academy, Robert Yüksek and American College for Girls. Since 1971, the current-day Robert College has functioned only as a "high school"[15] (more comparable to the French lycée in academic rigor) on its Arnavutköy campus (formerly the campus of American College for Girls), yet it retains the title of 'College'. The Bebek campus and academic staff were turned over to the Republic of Turkey for use as a public university named Boğaziçi University, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section.

"Through the education of succeeding generations of students, Robert College has assisted the economic and social progress in the Near East. It has also brought direct benefits to several generations of Americans—faculty members, trustees, students, contributors, and other friends of the College. Their close association with the heroic and hospitable people of Turkey has led to a greater appreciation of Turkish life and culture and the strong foundations on which the Republic of Turkey, our close friend and partner in peace, has been built. I send my cordial congratulations to the officers and friends of Robert College on the century of service you are so deservedly celebrating."

— John F. Kennedy, President of the United States, Message for the Centennial Celebrations of Robert College, 1963[16]
Robert College 1880

In 2020/2021, the university received a lot of media attention, after the Turkish government appointed a new rector, disrespecting the tradition of the university of a democratic election of rectors. Students protested against the curtailment of academic freedom. More than 150 students were arrested.[17]

Campus
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Aptullah Kuran Library which locates in the North Campus

Boğaziçi University operates on six campuses in Istanbul. Four of these campuses (South Campus, North Campus, Hisar Campus, and Uçaksavar Campus) are close to each other and located on a hill in the affluent district of Bebek on the European side of Istanbul, overlooking the Bosphorus (hence the name). The Kennedy Lodge, named after John F. Kennedy, is located at the South Campus and operates as a welcoming facility for visiting professors and staff. The Kandilli Campus is right across from the shore, located on the Asian side of Istanbul (in Çengelköy) and hosts the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KOERI). The newest campus is in Kilyos on the Black Sea coast and is home to a private beach. The South Campus is the most popular campus among students and visitors alike. [18]

Dormitories
Washburn Hall at Boğaziçi University Main

The University has ten dormitories on its different campuses. 1. Men's and 1. Women's Dorms are located on the South Campus and they are among the oldest buildings of the school. One other name of the 1. Men's Dorm building is Hamlin Hall and 1. Women's Dorm is also known by the name of Zeynep-Ayşe Birkan Women's Domitory. By accommodating at these two historical buildings, students get the chance of participating in the active social and historical life of Boğaziçi University. There are 4 dormitories on the North Campus. 1st and 2nd North Dormitories were opened to service after the year of 1985. While the former serves as a female dorm, the latter is for males. They have similar architectural designs. 3rd North Dorm was opened in the year of 2010 and currently it has been serving for female students. The last dorm of the North Campus is 4th North Dorm, which has been in service since 2011. Some of the electricity energy consumed in the dorm is being met thanks to its solar panels located on the roof of the building. On its Kilyos Campus, which is approximately one-hour away from the center, 1st and 3rd Kilyos Dormitories are located. 1st Kilyos Dorm serves to female students while the male students accommodate at the 3rd Kilyos Dorm. Opened to service in 2014, 3rd Kilyos Dorm building has a work and fitness room, laundry facilities, a computer lab, and a prayer room. Apart from those mentioned above, Superdorm and Kandilli Dorm also provide accommodation to Boğaziçi University students. Put into service in the 1998–99 academic year, Superdorm enables the students to socialize and experience the dorm life with higher service quality. As to the Kandilli Dorm, it was opened to service in the year of 2017 on the Kandilli Campus right across the Bosphorus. Only female students accommodate at the Kandilli Campus. The waste water collected from the bathroom is reused in the toilet reservoirs after the treatment process.

International rankings
University rankings
Global – Overall
CWUR World[19]645 (2020-21)
CWTS World[20]1074 (2020)
QS World[21]651-700 (2021)
THE World[22]601–800 (2021)
USNWR Global[23]=197 (2021)

Boğaziçi University shares the 5th rank among the Turkish universities according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2021 (internationally: 601 - 800).[24]

Music Festival
Tasoda Festivali

Tasoda Festival is the most important amateur Music Festival that is held in Turkey. Tasoda is the name of the Music Club's studio. The Tasoda Festival is organized by the Bogazici University Music Club in every spring.[25]

Sport festivals

Every spring, at the end of May, international sports festivals are held at the South Campus and other venues of Boğaziçi University. Usually, around 300 to 800 students come from all over the world to participate in various tournaments.

Departments offering bachelor's degrees

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Boğaziçi University

Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Faculty of Education

Faculty of Engineering

School of Applied Disciplines

The School of Foreign Languages

  • Advanced English
  • English Preparatory Division
  • Modern Languages Unit

Institutes offering graduate programs

Graduate Studies in Sciences and Engineering

Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Institute of Environmental Sciences

Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute

Graduate Studies in Social Sciences

Vocational School of Hotel Management

  • Tourism Administration Program (Secondary education)

Other Units

Independent centers

Istanbul Center for Mathematical Sciences (IMBM) (South Campus)

Student clubs

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Rectors

See also

References
  1. Statistics Boğaziçi University
  2. Sayılarla Boğaziçi Universitesi 2010 Boğaziçi University
  3. "The University". boun.edu.tr. Boğaziçi University. Retrieved 17 April 2017. The language of instruction at BU is English
  4. "Our founding universities". The European University of Brain and Technology.
  5. 2019 YKS SONUÇLARINA GÖRE BOĞAZİÇİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ BÖLÜMLERİNİN TAVAN-TABAN PUANLARI VE SIRALAMALARI
  6. BOUN EE
  7. BOUN CmpE
  8. BOUN IE
  9. İlk 1000 Universielere göre dağılım Archived 31 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine Boğaziçi University
  10. Belgeler OSYM
  11. Huisman, Jeroen; Pausits, Attila (23 April 2019). Higher Education Management and Development. Compendium for Managers. Waxmann Verlag. ISBN 9783830972860 – via Google Books.
  12. Friedrich Schrader in: Robert College, Nord und Süd, November 1919, S. 165–169 (Article in German language)
  13. "Christopher Robert's Will" (PDF). The New York Times. 27 November 1878. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  14. "George Washburn" (fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1936. GALE|BT2310001134. Retrieved 26 February 2012. Gale Biography In Context. (subscription required)
  15. "About Robert College". Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  16. "Story of Robert College" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2007.
  17. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/protests-at-top-turkish-university-trigger-more-than-150-arrests-1.4474220
  18. Main campus Archived 21 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boğaziçi University
  19. "World University Rankings 2020-2021". Center for World University Rankingsg. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  20. "CWTS Leiden Ranking 2020". Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  21. "QS World University Rankings 2021". Top Universities. 7 January 2021.
  22. "World University Rankings". Times Higher Education (THE). 7 January 2021.
  23. "U.S. News Education: Best Global Universities 2021".
  24. World Rankings 2021 Times Higher Education
  25. "BÜMK Caz Orkestrası" (in Turkish). boun.edu.tr. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  26. "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Bilişim Kulübü - Compec". compec.org.
  27. "BUMATEK". bumatek.boun.edu.tr.
  28. "Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Spor Kurulu". Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Spor Kurulu.
  29. "Guinness World Records – First solo circumnavigation of the globe using human power". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  30. "Guinness World Records – First Person to Row Three Oceans". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  31. "The end of democracy in Turkey?". The Hertie School. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  32. "Murat Ulker". Forbes. Retrieved 24 January 2015.

Media related to Boğaziçi University at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.