Gediz University, Izmir

Summary

Gediz University was established in 2008 and started education in the 2009-2010 academic year. Since its establishment, it was the most popular foundation university in Izmir. The University attracted attention with its excellent campus built in the Menemen district of İzmir and due to its high number of international students. Gediz University served with a total of five faculties, two institutes, a Vocational High School and High School of Justice. When the government was closed by the Decree, there were a total of 7975 students and 287 faculty members.

Since 2014, Gediz University has been subjected to intense pressure from the Government because of the inspiration from Gülen Movement. In order to get rid of these pressures, the university administration changed its board of trustees and made public statements. However, despite these efforts, it was shut down with the Emergency Decree issued on July, 23 2016. The leading businessmen of Izmir, who are members of the founding foundation and board of trustees of the University, were arrested, their assets were confiscated and they were sentenced to long term imprisonment. Those who did not cooperate with the government were given long term prison sentences and their assets were confiscated.(onceki cumlenin tekrari) Most of the academics working at the university were arrested and sentenced to long term prison terms as well. Very few of the university staff who were not arrested were able to leave the country. All assets of the university, tuition fees paid by the students for the next year and the claims of the employees were seized by the government. University buildings were completely dormant and plundered for two years. Inundated buildings were allocated to a public university established instead of Gediz University.

Short Information About University

Gediz University was established in Izmir by Sipahi Education, Health and Sports Foundation in 2008 as a foundation university on July 30, 2008 and started operating in 2009-2010 academic year. The members of the founding foundation of the University were the most respected businessmen of Izmir. Recently, the former President of the State, Işılay Saygın has assumed the presidency of the University’s Board of Trustees to reduce the pressure of the Government. Gediz University was exempted during the period when other dissident universities were appointed as trustees, but after July 15 2016 it could not be closed.^[1] It was shut down in July 2016, and there were 7,975 students from 80 different countries receiving undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and 287 dedicated lecturers.

Gediz University has provided international and high quality education since its establishment. A significant number of the faculty members had obtained a doctorate abroad and the majority of the departments taught in English. The university had adequate, useful educational buildings and modern laboratories. It also had very good infrastructure, generating its own electricity from wind and solar energy and saving the nature.^[2] During the period of its service, the university-industry cooperation achieved quite successful results, and the hybrid engine developed by the Faculty of Engineering in cooperation with the industry was a typical example of this.^[3] Gediz University was also very successful in social and sporting activities. Its professional basketball team was playing in Turkey in 2016 and was the first champion in the collegiate league.

General view of Gediz University

• Faculty of Law
• o Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
• o Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
• o Faculty of Arts and Sciences
• o Faculty of Health Sciences
• • High Schools
• o Vocational School
• Business Administration
• Child Development
• Mechatronics
• Electronic Communication Technology
• Public Relations and Publicity
• Foreign trade
• Banking and Insurance
• Graphic design
• Logistics
• o Vocational School of Justice
• • Institutes
• o Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences
• o Institute of Social Sciences

General view of the University Campus

Pressures Before Closing

The founders and management of Gediz University, like other foundation universities, have been subjected to intense pressure from the Erdoğan Administration since the end of 2013. Since these pressures were quite overwhelming to the university administration, they tried decrease Erdogan regime’s pressure by explaining to the public that they were not related to the circles accused of being a terrorist organization. However, this statement, where they stated they were far from being a terrorist organization, could not protect the university from the rage of the Erdogan regime.^[4] While other targeted foundation universities were appointed as trustees, Gediz University was not appointed any trustees but it was shut down with the Decree No: 667 issued on 23 July 2016 and all of its assets were confiscated.^[5]

Grievances After July 15

With the government’s decision to close the University, 287 academics and more than a thousand other employees became unemployed and had no opportunity to work in another public institution. At the same time, 7975 students of the university were exposed. After the university was closed, there were many difficulties in finding new universities for the students. Students outside the Faculty of Law were required to be placed in İzmir Katip Çelebi University and students of the Faculty of Law were placed in Dokuz Eylül University. However, these universities were reluctant to accept students and caused problems. Then, as a result of a series of amended decisions, students (just like the students who closed the other university) were re-placed with the score they received in the year they entered the university. Some students had to go abroad, some lost term and some ended their education. Two years after the decision to shut down, new students were not admitted to the new state university, which was established instead of Gediz University.

In the witch hunt, which started immediately after July 15 , nearly a hundred people from faculty members and administrative staff were arrested unlawfully. Within a week of the closure decision, the founders of the University were detained and arrested.^[6],^[7] The assets of benevolent businessmen who were the founders of the university were confiscated and they were imprisoned. Approximately one month later, a police operation targeting university academics and founders was issued with a custody order of 101 people, including academics.^[8]

In another operation on 20 December 2016 targeting university academics, 33 academicians were detained. 8 detainees were arrested. Among the detainees, was a well-known jurist, and academic, Dr Istar Gözaydın. Gözaydın was the head of the Department of Sociology at Gediz University, and was dismissed from his post at the university following the July 15 coup attempt. Istar Gözaydın, is among the founders of the Helsinki Citizens Association operating in the field of human rights in Turkey.^[9],^[10] The case of Ishtar Gozaydin attracted the attention of the whole world and caused intense discussions. The prosecutor requested 15 years in prison against him. He was released after over three months in prison, and was acquitted a year later under intense public pressure.^[11]

The founders and staff of the university were sentenced to imprisonment for over two years, based on the irrational claims of secret witnesses and emphasis that being a successful academic and having an academic career is a very dangerous and punitive situation.^[12] In a trial concluded in May 2017, four faculty members were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 9 years to 11 years on charges of “being a member of an armed terrorist organization’.^[13] In the process, as the country lost its ties with reality in general, the victims tried to avoid accusations with heroes.^[14] Non-academic staff of the university were also given long-term prison sentences with similar allegations.^[15]

Some of the faculty members were able to legally leave the country to go abroad in the early period, but later on others could not leave because their passports were canceled. Only a few faculty members who were not arrested were able to escape abroad and seek refuge in democratic countries.

Graduates of Gediz University are encountering difficulties finding jobs because they have been blacklisted. To a police director on trial for alleged involvement in the Service Movement, the President of the Court stated that it was an obvious offense to send his child to Gediz University, saying, “Didn’t you know that this school was FETÖ?”. This shows what has become of the rule of law in Turkey where sending your child to a legal school that had complied with all the laws suffices to brand you as a terrorist.^[16]

Unfortunately, it is not possible to announce these injustices in the media due to censorship. Since the media is completely under government control, it publishes in ways to justify the unlawful acts committed against university founders, academics and students.

1. https://www.haberler.com/gediz-universitesi-mutevelli-heyeti-degisti-8091327-haberi/ ↑
2. https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2016/egitim/ormani-kurtardi-adi-olumsuzlesti-1068773/ ↑
3. https://www.yeniasya.com.tr/bilim-teknoloji/turk-bilim-adamlarindan-otomotivde-cigir-acacak-proje_366065 ↑
4. http://www.egedesonsoz.com/haber/Gediz-Universitesi-Senatosu-ndan-FETO-PDY-aciklamasi/924814 ↑
5. http://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2016/07/20160723-8.htm ↑
6. https://www.aksam.com.tr/guncel/gediz-universitesinin-kurucusu-gozaltinda/haber-537614 ↑
7. https://www.haberler.com/izmir-de-serbest-kalan-isadamlarina-yakalama-8733673-haberi/ ↑
8. http://haber.sol.org.tr/toplum/gediz-universitesine-feto-operasyonu-86-isme-gozalti-karari-167174 ↑
9. https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-38376457 ↑
10. https://www.akademikpersonel.org/anasayfa/gediz-universitesinde-8-feto-tutuklamasi.html ↑
11. https://bianet.org/bianet/ifade-ozgurlugu/193886-profesor-istar-gozaydin-94-gun-tutuklu-kaldi-1-yil-sonra-beraat-etti ↑
12. https://www.trthaber.com/haber/turkiye/feto-sanigi-akademisyene-hapis-cezasi-351094.html ↑
13. https://www.haberler.com/5-feto-sanigina-53-yil-8-ay-hapis-cezasi-9661913-haberi/ ↑
14. https://www.yeniasir.com.tr/surmanset/2017/11/17/fetocu-akademisyen-itiraflari-ile-soke-etti ↑
15. http://www.milliyet.com.tr/kapatilan-gediz-universitesi-nin-gundem-2609373/ ↑
16. https://www.sondakika.com/haber/haber-eski-aydin-emniyet-mudur-vekili-feto-den-hakim-10702486/ ↑