'Rectors with low academic qualifications harm universities' development'

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As Turkey debates the new rector appointment to Boğaziçi University, a top higher education institution in the country, we have spoken about the issue with Prof. Engin Karadağ from Akdeniz University, who conducted a study about the academic success of the country's universities in late 2019.

The qualification of the rectors directly affects universities' success, says Karadağ. "Boğaziçi, İstanbul University, the Middle East Technical University and the İstanbul Technical University were our leading universities in the success ranking but they have declined now because of rectors."

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Prof. Melih Bulu, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), was appointed as the rector of Boğaziçi University by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on January 1.

The appointment has caused outrage among the students and academics of Boğaziçi as they have protested Bulu, whom they dubbed as "the trustee rector," over the past week.

"Someone who has declared their political identity shouldn't be a rector or a dean," says Karadağ. "But the most important indicator is scientific merit. Rectors with low academic qualifications cause universities to regress."

"Melih Bulu, who is appointed to Boğaziçi University, has a political identity. But much more important than his political identity is his low academic qualifications, we should discuss this," he says.

While the country's top universities have been declining, some other universities have been on the rise, notes Karadağ. "For example, Ege University Rector Necdet Budak is a former MP but he has increased the success of the university a lot because his academic quality is high and he prioritizes this.

"Gebze University and İzmir Technology University are also among examples that can be considered as positive. If we want our universities to be successful and included in world rankings, we have to attach importance to scientific merit."

(RT/VK)