After the first Internationalisation Strategy Meeting that took place at the Abdullah Gül University in 2015, and which resulted in the creation of the Institution’s Internationalisation Strategy 2015-2020, it was time to organize a second meeting this year.
The objectives of the meeting were to:
- Assess the University’s current status – and its progress in the Internationalisation areas defined during the first meeting (Education, Research, Social Entrepreneurship and Administrative Structure)
- Explain international processes and their coordination at AGU level, namely the international ranking systems and partnerships creation/international mobility processes
- Involve AGU members in the improvement of these systems and in the identification of new progress areas for the University’s continued internationalization
The session, which gathered many AGU Faculty members, was opened by the University’s Rector, Prof. Dr. İhsan Sabuncuoğlu, who re-stated the importance not only of Internationalisation in itself, but also of seeing it as a joint effort and a result of the involvement of all layers of a higher education institution.
The Rector’s introduction was followed by presentations of International Office members Assis. Prof. Dr. E. Burak Arıkan, Advisor to the Rector on Internationalisation, and Emeric Abrignani, Director of the International Office. Their speeches not only re-introduced the reasons for internationalization, but also highlighted AGU’s progress status and achievements so far since 2015; based on the Internationalisation Plan and Quality Plan that had been developed for the implementation of each qualitative and quantitative objective defined in the 2015-2020 Internationalisation Strategy.
Within two years the Abdullah Gül University has, for example:
- Developed international curricula and introduced a unique “Global Challenges”-focused core curriculum for undergraduate students
- Signed over 50 partnership agreements for education and research
- Increased the international exposure of its students and staff at home and abroad (80% of AGU students participated in mobility programs)
- Reached a 9% international student and 15% international teaching staff ratio, with 50 nationalities represented on campus
- Been represented in the most important international summits and conferences, online platforms and by local agents in key recruitment markets
- Became an international SAT Test Center and is currently in the process of opening their TOEFL Test Center
- Initiated the process for integration into International University Rankings
- Organised and hosted International Symposia, Conferences and Workshops on campus
AGU members were also introduced to the steps and functioning of International University Rankings, Partnership Creation and Mobility Processes, which were the focal points of this year’s Strategy Meeting. They were then divided into groups to discuss ways to increase efficiency of these different processes.
This second AGU Internationalisation Strategy Meeting has brought to light crucial improvement points for the University’s current internationalization agenda items and has given new momentum to AGU’s Internationalisation process as a whole, which remains a University-wide effort.
