KGTU's Secret: Education Model Touching Farmers

Source: https://www.ureticihaber.com/yazi/kgtunun-sirri-ciftciye-dokunan-egitim-modeli-680.html

Konya Food and Agriculture University (KGTÜ), Konya's youngest and most ambitious higher education institution in the field of agriculture and food, has gone beyond the traditional university model and adopted a farmer-oriented, product-based vision. We met with Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of KGTÜ, and talked about the founding mission of the university, the radical transformation it has realized in its academic staff and financial structure, and most importantly, the impact it has created with the concrete benefits it provides to farmers in the field by getting rid of financial dependence.

QUESTION: The role of universities in society and their financial sustainability are among the most discussed topics in recent years. Especially the relationship between thematic universities like yours and the institutions they are affiliated with is of great interest. Konya Food and Agriculture University (KGTÜ) is a university belonging to the BARTEK Foundation established under the auspices of Konya Şeker. Mr. Kılıç, what is KGTÜ's main purpose of existence and its special mission for farmers and the food sector?

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç:

One of the most fundamental problems facing universities around the world today is the “crisis of social function”. Many higher education institutions are experiencing identity erosion due to the pressure of massification; the balance between research, education and social contribution is being disrupted. Universities can turn into structures that seek financial sustainability on the one hand, and struggle to transform knowledge production into social impact on society on the other. At this point, the raison d'être of thematic universities becomes more critical, because specializing in a particular field is not only an academic choice, but also a matter of strong social responsibility.

For this very reason, KGTÜ is positioned far beyond the traditional university model. For us, the role of the university is not just to enroll and graduate students, distribute diplomas or turn the budget. The primary responsibility of the university is to transform knowledge production from an abstract academic activity into a structure that “brings it together with the real problems of the field”. As an institution operating in strategic areas such as food, agriculture and sustainability, we adopt a mission that redefines the university.

KGTU's connection with BARTEK Foundation and thus Konya Şeker does not mean that we are in a dormant affiliation; on the contrary, this relationship offers a “strong practice-based ecosystem” that enables the university to be positioned at the center of agricultural production. We are building a university that is in contact with the soil, the production process, the farmer and the industry at the same time. In this respect, the raison d'être of our university is very clear: “to produce knowledge and technology that facilitates the lives of farmers, increases the competitiveness of the sector and creates new value for the country in the field of food and agriculture.”

Today, the world is talking about the concepts of “Third Generation University” and “Entrepreneurial University”. In this paradigm, not only education and research, but also social contribution and economic value generation functions of universities come to the fore. KGTU's farmer-oriented and product-based vision is in line with this transformation. We are based on the transformation of knowledge into concrete solutions that can be applied in the field and directly affect the daily lives of farmers, rather than a theory waiting on the shelves.

Therefore, KGTU's mission is not only to produce scientific publications or accumulate academic titles; it also includes much more concrete goals such as “increasing the productivity of farmers, improving production processes in the field, developing agricultural technologies and contributing to the country's food security”. This requires the university to move away from financial dependence and develop an institutional model that stands on its own value.

In short, the main purpose of existence of Konya Food and Agriculture University is to be a “value-producing institution” that brings academic knowledge to the field, shapes the future of agriculture and food, and directly touches farmers. For us, the most important measure of success is the real, measurable and sustainable impact on the lives of farmers.

QUESTION:Which scientific infrastructures have you established at your university to realize this product-oriented work and mission? What concrete studies are being carried out on agriculture and food?

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç:

One of the biggest challenges facing universities today is the transformation of the knowledge produced into economic, social and technological value. As the gap between academic knowledge and social need widens, the legitimacy of universities is being questioned, and many actors from students to industry, from the state to society are voicing the question “what is the university for?” more loudly. For this reason, it has become imperative for modern higher education institutions, especially thematic universities, to go beyond the classical research and publication approach and build a “product-oriented, result-oriented scientific ecosystem”.

As KGTÜ, we operate in a strategic and increasingly complex field such as agriculture and food. Therefore, we believe that the university should be a “science gate” opening to the field. In this direction, we have established not only a theoretical knowledge production center, but also a solution-oriented research infrastructure that can immediately respond to the needs of producers, industry and public policies.

Unlike conventional university laboratories, this clinic, which can provide direct service to farmers on plant health, disease diagnosis, soil-leaf analysis and product efficiency, aims not only to produce academic publications but also to provide scientific solutions to the daily problems of producers in the field. In this way, we remove the walls between the university and the field and ensure that knowledge is not disconnected from the field.

In addition, the Nanotechnology Laboratory focuses on high-tech applications that will determine the future of agriculture and food. Producing nanoscale solutions in areas such as fertilizer efficiency, plant nutrition technologies, seed coating materials, sensor technologies and food safety is a critical move that will increase Turkey's global competitiveness in agricultural technologies. This laboratory is an indication of our university's ambition to shape not only today's agriculture but also the agriculture of the future.

In addition, the Molecular Biology Laboratory enables diagnosis, analysis and breeding studies at the genetic level. Molecular breeding technologies, which have become the driving force of modern agriculture, make it possible to develop efficient, disease-resistant and highly adaptable varieties. To this end, we took a strategically important step this year: We applied to the relevant Ministry for the registration of wheat variety candidates. Seed is a strategic asset; minimizing foreign dependency, developing local and national varieties, and expanding biotechnological capacity are vital for Turkey's agricultural sovereignty. KGTU's entry into this field also means a scientific contribution to the country's long-term agricultural policies.

In the field of food, taking into account the increasing needs of the sector, we applied to YÖK to open the Food Technologies Program by activating our inactive Vocational School and YÖK approved the opening of this program. We will start admitting students to this program in the next academic year. This step shows that the university assumes the responsibility not only for research but also for training qualified human resources. Today, technology, quality and safety standards are rising at every stage of the food chain; therefore, the need for competent professionals in these fields is growing for both industry and public authorities.

Finally, our internationally accredited Food Analysis and Soil Analysis Laboratories contribute directly to raising food safety and quality standards. These laboratories serve not only the university but also the regional industry and producers, creating a structure that supports the financial sustainability of the university. At the same time, it strengthens the university's interaction with the society and allows knowledge to find a response in the field.

In short, KGTÜ builds its scientific infrastructure not according to a classical academic fiction, but on “a university model that produces products, touches the field, works in cooperation with the sector and contributes to the agricultural transformation of the country”. This approach ensures that the university is not only an educational institution but also a strategic actor that shapes the future of agriculture and food.

QUESTION:One of the main topics of the text is the radical changes in the financial structure and academic staff of your university. What kind of a picture did you encounter when you took office and how did you manage this change? In particular, how did the process of reducing the dependence on Konya Seker, the main supporter of the university, progress?

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç:

The picture we faced when we took office was not only unique to our university, but also a typical reflection of the “crisis of university institutional efficiency” that is becoming increasingly visible in Turkey and around the world. As in many higher education institutions, some of our academic positions had been filled with a non-productive and non-accountable approach. This led to both a decline in scientific output and an uncontrolled increase in the university's financial burden. Moreover, the inefficient use of resources generated by the labor of stakeholders outside the university, especially farmers, was both ethically and institutionally unacceptable for us.

As a matter of fact, in that period, we found that there were faculty members who received their salaries without visiting the university for years and had no academic production. This picture, which on the surface looks like “resources are abundant, everyone is satisfied”, was actually creating a serious financial burden on the farmers and creating an unsustainability that threatened the future of the university. Because this burden on Konya Seker, and therefore on the farmers, was eroding the university's capacity to make independent decisions, make investments and create its own income model. More importantly, the most fundamental principle of the university-society relationship, “public interest”, was being damaged.

For this reason, the first step we took when we took office with the blessings of Mr. Ramazan Erkoyuncu, President of Pankobirlik and Konya Beet Planters Cooperative, was to scrutinize all financial and academic processes of the university. First, we made a disciplined financial arrangement in areas with savings potential. However, the more critical step was the radical transformation of the academic culture. We parted ways with faculty members who produced no scientific publications, did not develop projects, did not visit the laboratory, did not engage in product and technology development, and yet received high salaries. This was a strategic decision that was difficult in the short term but in the long term in the interest of both the university and the farmers.

In place of those who were already acting in line with our vision and those who left, we established an academic staff and team that “produces in the laboratory day and night”, increases research capacity, touches the field, develops projects and is committed to the mission of the university. This transformation was not only a personnel overhaul, but also meant “re-establishing a culture of high performance, accountability and academic responsibility”. Today, the laboratories of our university have a team of qualified and productive scientists working in many fields from plant health to seed breeding, from food analysis to nanotechnology.

With this new approach, we have adopted three main goals:

1.A higher quality and practice-based education:

We have created a curriculum and academic environment that enables students to gain not only theoretical knowledge, but also skills and experience in the field. We are aware that the quality of education in an applied field such as food and agriculture is directly related to scientific productivity.

2.Strengthening the financial sustainability of the university:

Relying heavily on Konya Seker for the university budget was a risky model in the long run. In order to reduce this, we have tried to create new income channels through research projects, analysis laboratories, sector collaborations and product-oriented studies. Thus, we have taken important steps to ensure that the university has an independent and autonomous structure that feeds itself.

3. Easing the burden on farmers:

The effective use of the university's resources is a requirement of respect for the labor of the farmer. For us, every saving is a contribution that goes back to the farmer, and every scientific product is a tangible benefit that creates value in the field.

In summary, the transformation we have made at our university is not just an administrative arrangement; it is a university model rebuilt on the basis of “financial discipline, academic quality, social responsibility and corporate vision”. At the point we have reached today, KGTU is moving towards a stronger, more productive and more independent structure both academically and financially.

QUESTION:Can you express the decrease in your financial dependence on Konya Seker with a concrete ratio? How close have you come to your goal of financial independence?

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç:

The financial structure of a university is not only the subject of financial statements; it is a vital element that directly determines its corporate culture, strategic vision and academic independence. The most debated issue among universities in the world today is “financial sustainability”. As financial dependency increases, the university's capacity for autonomous decision-making weakens and its long-term research and investment plans become fragile. For this reason, universities that can generate their own income and reduce their dependence on external resources constitute the most robust models of modern higher education.

At that time, 93% of the university's budget was funded by Konya Seker and only 7% was generated by the university's own revenues. While this may seem sustainable in the short term, it was a risky structure that limited both the strategic flexibility and financial freedom of the university in the long term.

Today, with our transformation, the financial architecture of the university has radically changed. We ensured income diversification; we made accredited analysis laboratories more active, increased project production, expanded sectoral collaborations, and started to generate income from application and product-oriented research. Thus, the university's own economic capacity was strengthened and the dependency relationship was reversed.

At the point we have reached today:

The university's self-support rate has reached 90-95%.
Konya Şeker's share of support has dropped to 5-10%.

This is not only an economic success; it is a structural transformation that increases the institutional self-confidence of the university and enables it to determine its academic strategies more independently.

Our goal is very clear:

To become a university that stands completely on its own feet without any financial need for Konya Şeker in the next academic year.

As we get closer to this goal, the university will reach a much stronger position not only financially but also in areas such as scientific production, international collaborations, academic staff dynamism and contribution to society. Because financial independence brings academic independence and sustainable institutional development.

In short, KGTU is no longer a structure that survives on external support; it is taking firm steps towards a modern university model that produces its own value, manages risks, and makes strategic decisions freely.

QUESTION:Many universities measure their success by the number of students. You have doubled the number of students under this administration. However, you emphasize that your real strength does not come from the number of students, but from your sphere of influence. What exactly does this sphere of influence mean?

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç:

In the traditional understanding of universities, success is often measured by an increase in the number of students. However, in modern higher education debates, a much more fundamental question is now on the agenda: “What does the university transform in the life of society?”

Today, in many countries around the world, universities are facing a serious “legitimacy crisis” because they are unable to contribute to society, production, industry or the development of the country to the extent expected, despite increasing the number of students. For this very reason, it is predicted that universities that do not have an impact on the field and only provide diplomas will have difficulty surviving in the future.

As KGTÜ, we have shifted our measurement criteria from quantity to quality, that is, “impact rather than the number of students.” For us, impact is the tangible improvement in the lives of society in general and farmers in particular. Diagnosing a disease in a beet field and producing a solution in the laboratory, increasing the yield of a producer with the result of a chemistry analysis, or meeting with farmers in village squares and listening directly to their problems... Each of these are examples of the university's real sphere of impact.

This approach shows us the following:

“If a university does not touch the problems of those in its immediate or distant surroundings, no matter how many scientific publications it produces, it has no value in society”. In short, such an understanding of the university creates inefficiency, appears to be working, and plays universityism. As a result of all these, unfortunately, it graduates thousands of unemployed people every year who do not have competence, who do not complete the professional requirements, who have not seen the field or practice.

As KGTÜ, we have adopted a research approach that puts the field and application laboratories at the center. We regularly hold village meetings with farmers; we bring their problems to our academic agenda; we shape our research topics with the data we receive from the field. In this way, the information we produce does not gather dust on shelves, but directly turns into tangible results that contribute to farmers' yield, income and the country's agricultural economy.

This is where the greatest value of product-oriented work emerges:

"Every time a scientific effort leads to an increase in a farmer's yield, even if it is a millimeter, this effect returns exponentially to the national economy.

Therefore, we define the success of a university not by the increase in the number of students;

We see the success of the university not in the increase in the number of students, but in the farmer's capacity to fight disease,
in the increase in yield,
in the decrease in production costs,
in the increase in the level of knowledge in the villages,
and in the development of agricultural technologies in the region.

Another important dimension is this:

It seems easy in the short term to distribute generous scholarships to students “from the farmer's purse” or to give high salaries to non-productive academics. The real power and moral responsibility is to ensure that these resources turn into an ecosystem where farmers also earn. All our effort is to create a sustainable and fair relationship between Konya Seker and the university that creates mutual contribution.

At the point we have reached today, I think this has been successfully established. We have realized an “ecosystem university” model that produces real added value for farmers, the sector and the region, not just a university that receives support from Konya Seker.

In short, for us, “sphere of influence” is a much deeper concept than the number of students:

“It is a field of interaction where science reaches the farmer's field, improves the quality of production and contributes to regional development.”

We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç for sharing the vision and transformation process of the university in such a transparent and detailed way.

Konya Food and Agriculture University is no longer just an educational institution; it is taking firm steps towards becoming Anatolia's first product-oriented university model that solves the problems of farmers, makes scientific contributions to agriculture and manages to stand on its own feet with the support of Konya Şeker. This vision also provides an important road map for future university-industry and university-farmer collaborations.