Our University’s 2024-2025 Academic Year Opening Ceremony Was Held with the Participation of Prof. Fahrettin Altun

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The Turkish-German University (TGU) 2024-2025 Academic Year Opening Ceremony was performed on October 25, 2024 with the participation of the Director of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Prof. Fahrettin Altun, our Rector Prof. Dr. Cemal Yıldız, our General Coordinator Prof. Ferit Küçükay, Istanbul Deputy Governor Mustafa Kaya, Turkish-Japanese University of Science and Technology Rector Prof. Bekir Sami Yılbaş, Beykoz District Governor Faik Oktay Sözer, Beykoz Chief Public Prosecutor Assoc. Prof. Barış Duman, our Vice Rectors Prof. Aysel Uzuntaş, Prof. Hamide Özden Özkaya Ferendeci, our academic and administrative staff and our students. As part of the ceremony, Prof. Fahrettin Altun addressed the members of our University with his opening lecture titled “Diplomacy and Communication in the Age of Uncertainty”.

Our Rector “We would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun, Presidential Communications Director”
The program started with the National Anthem and a moment of silence and continued with opening speeches. Our Rector Prof. Dr. Cemal Yıldız, who started his opening speech by condemning the terrorist attack against the Turkish Aerospace Industries Corporation campus, said: “In the coming period, we will further enrich our academic activities with a total of around 4500 students in five faculties, two institutes and a school of foreign languages with a total of 38 German partner universities that are members of the Turkish-German University Consortium, and we will raise our students as individuals with a global perspective through international collaborations and projects. I am pleased to say that we will be able to offer accommodation to a total of 650 students in our new student dormitory, which will be put into operation in a few months in the new year, and thus a large part of our students will be saved from the difficult traffic conditions of Istanbul. We continue our education and instructional activities with a total of 42 programs including undergraduate, graduate and doctorate programs at our university. Additionally, communication between the two countries and intercultural communication gain great importance in our university, which was founded based on an international agreement, and our Department of Culture and Communication Sciences, established as part of the Faculty of Culture and Social Sciences, draws attention with its uniqueness in our country. This department aims to continue its education with its highest quality students and make significant contributions to our country in the international arena within the scope of culture and communication. We are very pleased that the Presidential Communications Director Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun, who is also a communicator, accepted our invitation, being with us in our opening ceremony today and Prof. Dr. Altun will give the opening lecture on “Diplomacy and Communication in the Age of Uncertainty”. We would like to thank him. Together, we will continue to work with determination to carry Turkish-German University even further. I wish the new academic year to bring success to all of us.”

Our General Coordinator: “We Have Many Reasons to Be Proud to Be a Part of TGU”
Our General Coordinator Prof. Dr. Ferit Küçükay stated in his opening speech, “TGU is a multicultural and international institution. People from different countries, cultures and languages gather on the same campus and this characterizes the unique multicultural atmosphere of the University. We also attach great importance to practice-oriented studies. In this context, our programmes also include practical learning stages in companies. The feature I have mentioned is one of the special features of TGU, which stems from the agreement signed between the two countries 16 years ago. In accordance with this agreement, adopting the best achievements of Turkish and German education systems and integrating them into TGU's educational approach represents its distinctive feature compared to other universities. Close cooperation with our partner universities in Germany and industry, scholarship opportunities for our students as well as for our academic staff, aiming to stay in Germany and much more make this University particularly vigorous. Our students are young, highly motivated and strive to achieve good things for themselves, their families and society in the long term. We, as the Rectorate, Faculties, School of Foreign Languages ​​and administration staff, witness such magnificent development of young people. Therefore, we have many reasons to be proud of being a part of TGU. I wish all of us a successful academic year full of peace, harmony and developments.”

Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun: “In the Age of Uncertainty and Global Chaos, the Role of Our Universities is Very, Very Important”
In his lecture titled “Diplomacy and Communication in the Age of Uncertainties”, Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun, Head of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, emphasized the relationship between concepts such as uncertainties, inequalities, truth, media, new communication technologies and diplomacy. Altun started his remarks by condemning the terrorist attack on the TUSAŞ campus and underlined that the media should publish responsibly when it comes to terrorism. Starting his lecture titled “Diplomacy and Communication in the Age of Uncertainties”, Altun said, “A lot has changed in the last 30 years. Contrary to what Francis Fukuyama stated, we have witnessed together that liberal democracy has not triumphed, and the end of history has not been reached. History has continued and continues to flow. In this process, wars, occupations and regional conflicts continued. The problems, inequalities and injustices created by these have occurred in front of all of us. The data in the United Nations Global Trends 2023 Report reveals how inequalities, injustices and imbalances exist in the global arena. Inequalities, wars and injustices continue in the world. Issues such as racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia also contribute to the global chaos. This is exactly where the uncertainty begins. We live in an age of uncertainty. Uncertainty creates fear. We are experiencing a chaotic uncertainty together. We see that uncertainty has become an international norm. The norm today is global uncertainty. We have another crisis that deepens the crisis of global injustice. This is the crisis of truth. Injustice and the crisis of truth serve to increase injustice in the world by feeding and magnifying each other. Because of the crisis of truth, we are first and foremost experiencing a crisis of democracy all over the world. The crisis of truth is a crisis that causes states to confront each other in their relations with each other. Along with the crisis of truth, the other crisis we have to face is the moral crisis. It leads to the loss of faith in the truth. What is essential in this age of uncertainty is to be a subject/actor and to contribute to global peace. We need institutions and joint initiatives that can produce solutions to the problems humanity faces. The most important of these is, of course, social communication. It is essential for states to regulate the media in the public interest. It is equally essential for media actors to produce responsible content and for consumers to be cautious. New communication technologies also need to be regulated to protect citizens. One of the most critical tools in the processes of inter-societal relationships and interactions in this age of uncertainty is diplomacy. The three forms of diplomacy—traditional diplomacy, public diplomacy, and citizen diplomacy—are transforming with new communication technologies. We are making serious investments in this field. One form of diplomacy where we are particularly strong is leader diplomacy. The leader diplomacy activities led by our President are one of the major assets in Turkey’s foreign policy. It is extremely vital to be able to maintain stability in an age of uncertainty, but even more important is to be a stabilizing actor. Turkey’s recent foreign policy efforts are highly focused in this area. Lastly, in this era of uncertainty and global chaos, the role of our universities is also very significant. Above all, it is crucial for universities, as elements of soft power, to strengthen the country’s international presence.

After the opening lecture, the ceremony concluded with our Rector, Prof. Dr. Cemal Yıldız, expressing his gratitude to Prof. Dr. Fahrettin Altun and presenting him with a gift.