Creating and Developing Together
Sabancı University's founding raison d'être and operational philosophy
Vision
We will be an innovative institution responsive to the needs of all of our constituents through a participatory, team based culture. We will have an interdisciplinary educational infrastructure in order to create and disseminate knowledge. With these characteristics, Sabancı University aspires to become a global reference point for educational innovation.
Mission
Our mission is to develop competent and confident individuals, enriched with the ability to reflect critically and independently, as well as a strong sense of social responsibility; these young people an thus contribute to the development of the humanities, social and natural sciences as well as technology in disseminating the knowledge created for the benefit of the community.
History
Under the leading direction of one of Turkey's leading family run foundations, the Sabancı Foundation, the Sabancı Group (www.sabanci.com) established Sabancı University in July 1994. More than fifty academicians from 22 different countries, students and individuals from the private sector participated in the Search Conference of August 1995. This conference was followed by design committees, which worked under the guidance of a "Student Tendency Suvey" and other academic program design activities. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Sabancı University campus took place on July 31, 1997. The University began its first academic year on October 20, 1999.
About Sabancı University
Sabancı University is a private, independent young university with a state of the art campus spread over 1,260,000 m2 and located 40 km from Istanbul's city center.
The University aspires to develop competent and confident individuals, capable of independent and critical reflection, who possess a strong sense of social responsibility. This mission is reflected throughout the entire University, from its interdisciplinary academic programs, its state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure and its research and development projects in industry. Students at Sabancı University have the privilege and freedom to design their own undergraduate programs by choosing courses among a wide range of course pools and with the support of the University Counseling system.
At Sabancı University, academic activities operate within the framework of three programs: the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS), the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) and the Faculty of Management (FMAN). The undergraduate degree programs are built around a blend of disciplines, which leverage new, scientific developments and equip students with a wide diversity of mental tools and skills needed to deal with the increasingly complex, interactive and fast-flowing environment that characterizes today's world. Graduate programs, on the other hand, are designed to prepare students for career-specific fields and/or research.
The University functions in a bilingual mode, relying on English as its primary language of instruction, but using Turkish whenever necessary, for example, for courses and readings on Turkish Literature or Ottoman History. Students admitted to the undergraduate degree programs take an in-house English Language Assessment Examination (ELAE) to determine their proficiency in English. For those who need it, the requisite level of English is attained through participation in the School of Languages (SL) Program. In strengthening the skills needed to flourish in an exacting academic environment, this exemplary Program goes beyond the scope of the traditional preparatory year. Mastery of English is indispensable in advancing the job opportunities for Sabancı University graduates in both Turkish and world markets.
Through the implementation of its inventive faculty programs and the establishment of close links with the State, business community, NGOs and other institutions of higher learning, Sabancı University has fostered an environment conducive to research. It has the distinction of being the first university in Turkey accepted for membership in the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
Academic Freedom
The University is an autonomous center of learning and research devoted to examining, producing and disseminating knowledge for the public good. The University's obligation to society and to the world community is to ensure scientific integrity and the highest scholarly quality of education. To fulfill this obligation, the Board of Trustees, faculty and administration of Sabancı University take joint responsibility for assuring the fullest protection of freedom of inquiry, thought, and expression.
Academic profile
The majority of full-time faculty members have received their Ph.D. degrees overseas and a large number of them have joined Sabancı University from careers outside Turkey in higher education, research institutions, international NGOs and industry.
The University's distinguished international faculty comes from a broad spectrum of the nations of the world, including Australia, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, England, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States of America.
Campus: Sabancı University, Orhanli - Tuzla, 34956 Istanbul
Phone: (90 216) 483 9000
Fax: (90 216) 483 9005
Official Web Site : http://www.sabanciuniv.edu.tr