Universities
Under the direction of one of Turkey’s leading family-run foundations, the Hacı Ömer Foundation (VAKSA), the Sabancı Group established Sabancı University in July 1994. More than fifty academicians from 22 different countries, students, and individuals from the private sector participated in the conference in August 1995. At the end of the conference, based on the knowledge and experience of the participants, the key philosophy of a “world university” emerged: “creating and developing together.” This conference was followed by design committees which worked under the guidance of a “Student Tendency Survey” 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. With these universal principles in mind, the Board of Trustees, faculty and administration of Sabancı University jointly take responsibility for assuring fullest protection of freedom of inquiry, thought, and expression. Sabancı University’s commitment to academic freedom finds expression as follows: All members of the University community involved in the practice of dissemination of knowledge are entitled to freedom in the conduct of their teaching in the classroom, of their research on or off campus, and in the publication, discussion…
Sabanci University VPALAB – Computer Vision and Pattern Analysis Lab of Sabanci University has been established in 2001 with the aim of working out industrially applicable solutions using computer vision and pattern analysis techniques that are also theoretically fulfilling. The members associated with VPALAB have expertise and interest in theoretical and practical problems in the areas of computer vision and image processing, pattern recognition, integrated manufacturing systems and automated quality inspection. The members of the Laboratory work closely with appropriate university, governmental and private organizations to foster high-technology growth in the region. This growth is facilitated through substantive research, from theory to practical application and the training of skilled graduate and undergraduate engineers and scientists. The main sources of research funding for VPALAB include EU FP6 program, EUREKA, NSF, government agencies and industry. It is clearly recognized that many of the exciting new developments occurring in the convergent digital era require a much more integrated, collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach. In recognition of this, collaborative efforts at VPALAB not only cross discipline among various faculty members within the group, but also include other groups (e.g. Bioinformatics, Material Science, Mechatronics, Microelectronics programmes of Sabanci University) and other Universities (national and internationa
With science, technology, and social structures advancing day by day, the world needs more qualified individuals who possess the knowledge and skills required to pursue a career anywhere in the world. Aware of this pressing issue, in 1994 the Sabancı Group decided to establish a “world university” led by the Sabancı Foundation.
The seeds of Sabancı University, the Sabancı Group’s most comprehensive social responsibility project in the field of education, were sown in the summer of 1995, at a search conference in which 50 academics from 22 countries as well as students and representatives from the private sector participated. The conference, however, was just the beginning, as it marked the start of an extensive process during which the leading educational institutions in Turkey and across the world were examined to find out how they work and identify the fundamentals that made them successful.
In the end, instead of choosing one university as a template or replicating existing examples and institutions, a new and unique university was designed.
Since 1999, when students began enrolling, Sabancı University itself has set an example for many universities.
