In the "METU Night" organized for the first time by "AdımODTÜ", a joint project of Middle East Technical University and METU Development Foundation, funds were raised for METU students. The presenters Oylum Talu and İlker Ayrık, who asked for donations for the renewal project of METU cafeteria and METU dormitories, a scholarship project for METU students and "This meal is on you" for the dining needs of METU students delighted guests with their pleasant presentations during the night. At the end of the night, Erol Evgin, one of the doyens of the Turkish pop music, presented pleasant moments to guests with his unforgettable songs and amusing sense of humour on the stage.

Plaque of Appreciation for Donors from METU and Special Senate Award for VKV

Making the opening speech of the night, the President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök started his speech stating that since the day it was established, the Middle East Technical University has been an international university that cares about individual, social, universal values and development, pays attention to raising social responsibility awareness, has the ability to create and sustain scientific, technological, cultural and environmental changes and represents an understanding of educational that leads and pioneers raising individuals who have adopted life long learning as a principle. Stating that the University has almost 130 thousand alumni for the last 62 years, who have been successful and a source of pride all around the world, the President Mustafa Verşan Kök added that the real source of pride is not the increasing number of graduates but also the leading role that our graduates play in the development of our country and their accomplishments throughout the world. He said “Our alumni contribute to social developments and steer the industry and technology in the countries they live. On the other hand, while academics and researchers, who graduated from METU, have been successfully working in the most distinguished universities of the country and other countries and the most successful technology companies, we are happy to see the METU alumni who are in the leading positions of the biggest institutions of our country. The fact that 30 university presidents, and 38 ambassadors and consuls have been METU alumni until recently and the positions in many of the top 500 industrial corporations and the largest banks had METU alumni shows the value of our University in steering the industry and technology and the contribution it makes to the social development of our country” and mentioned the accomplishments of the alumni in Turkey and in the world. Expressing that the Middle East Technical University has always been the university of firsts, the President Prof. Kök added that: “The first campus university, the first university offering education in a foreign language, the university that bring the first Internet connection to our country, Turkey’s first university campus abroad are just a few of them. So, METU has always been a pioneering and exemplary educational and research institution in our country. As a research university, METU is also our source of pride with its increasing scientific impact at national and international scale.”

Stating that METU is one of the universities that represents our country in the most successful way in education, research and application fields for the last 62 years in the international platforms and listed among the global universities in many different rankings, and our faculties and departments are among the most successful academic institutions in their own fields, the President Kök added that: “Our University has taken an active place in the innovation processes by reflecting scientific know-how and institutional abilities to practice and using them for the benefit of the society. We are also developing a number of projects with our knowledge in social services and in meeting our academic staff with the society. “ After Prof. Mustafa Verşan Kök thanked the institutions and people who contributed to the improvement of the infrastructural possibilities of our University and concluded his speech by extending his appreciation on behalf of all the students to all the people and units who took part in the preparation of METU Night and also to all the METU faculties and administrative staff who contributed to the creation of the METU spirit.

Then, Yüksel Proje Uluslararası A.Ş., Rönesans Holding A.Ş., Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. ile Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş., who made a donation to improve the superstructure possibilities of the university to allow METU students to be educated in better conditions, were presented plaques.

Receiving their appreciation plaques from Prof. Dr. Mustafa Verşan Kök, the Chairman of the Board of Yüksel Proje Uluslararası A.Ş. , who graduated from METU Department of Civil Engineering in 1979, Celal Akın stated that 800 out of 1500 employees are METU alumni, including all the board members and managers, and they do not work just in Turkey but all over the world. He also said that: “I have been given many awards so far but none of them is as valuable as this one to me. I have to say: METU is a very different institution. As I live, see and sell engineering to the world, I feel better each day that METU is such an important institution. METU taught us something: To look all around, not just in one direction. I am very happy about that. All I wish is that we could help METU within our own possibities.”

Chairman of Rönesans Holding A.Ş. İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp, who graduated from METU Department of Economics in 2000, stated stated that she was very proud of being a METU graduate and attending the event in her speech. In her speech, she mentioned that METU graduates account for 90% of their senor management, including her brother Erman Ilıcak, who is also the company founder, and the knowledge, life vision, discipline, team work they learnt at METU and the friendships they formed have great contributions in the company’s success today.

Chairman of Board of Türkiye İş Bankası A.Ş. Ersin Özince, who graduated from METU Department of Business Administration in 1975,  said, “We must support as alumni and create significant funds so that METU, which is an academic incubator, can continue its effective, productive and contemporary work.”

Chief Human Resources Manager of Turkcell İletişim Hizmetleri A.Ş. Seyfettin Sağlam, who graduated from METU Department of Sociology in 1998, expressed that he was very proud of receiving this award on behalf of Turkcell as a METU graduate and the “abstraction-conceptualization” concepts he learnt at METU had great contributions in his success today and they would continue supporting METU.  

At the event, Vehbi Koç Foundation, the first private foundation of the Republic of Turkey established in 1969 was given the METU Senate Special Award for the Dormitory No.3 donated to the University in 1968 by Vehbi Koç as well as for their activities carried out to support education in our country and to create equal opportunities in education, the projects conducted through the Vehbi Koç Ankara Studies Research Center (VEKAM), scientific meetings and activities, and keeping the Ankara Vinyard House alive, establishment of Ankara library, and outstanding services for the protection of Ankara’s cultural heritage and the urban memory.

Semahat Arsel, Chairman of the VKV Board of Directors and Executive Committee, who received the Senate Special Award, emphasized the contribution that METU made to universal values ​​by referring to Ankara’s important and leading role in the Republican history as a family from Ankara. She added that our universities always need donations and they do their best within the possibilities of Koç Foundation: VKV that provides support in education, culture and health will continue to contribute to Turkey’s development.”

Deputy Chairman of Koç Holding A.Ş.  Ali Y. Koç made a brief speech saying that “If I were to receive such an award, I would like to take it from METU. This is because it is different from many universities with its history, culture, campus and most importantly with the contribution to the human capital of our country” and added that: “As Koç University, we are taking the the contribution of METU to human capital as an example."

Famous METU alumni from the business and art world participating in the METU Night  provided funds for the renovation of the dormitory building no.3, the cafeteria, white goods in the students’ dormitories, project by AdımODTÜ “This meal is on you” and student scholarship fund.

About AdımODTÜ

A joint project of the Corporate Communications Office and METU Development Foundation, AdımODTÜ is an internet-based communication-sharing-action platform where all the people coming from different backgrounds can provide financial support to the scientific research and community service projects of our students and faculty members through any donations they can afford, contribute to the announcement of the projects and even take part in projects on a voluntary basis.