Rising Value KGTU with Applied Education and Sectoral Integration

Source: https://www.ureticihaber.com/yazi/uygulamali-egitim-ve-sektorel-butunlesme-ile-yukselen-deger-kgtu-641.html

Dear Friends, Dear Friends, Dear Ones,

The main task of foundation universities is not to enroll students, charge fees and run the university budget. Foundation universities should be a gateway to the world through their role in technology and education.

Konya Food and Agriculture University is a university belonging to the BARTEK Foundation established under the auspices of Konya Şeker and has a special purpose for farmers. In this respect, the university should support farmers and work product-oriented.

When President Ramazan Erkoyuncu took office, there were some rumors. He was going to close the university, but of course that was not the case. At the university at that time, for three or four years, and especially at the end of the pandemic, there were faculty members who received salaries without ever coming to the university, and some departments that had no students and were not in demand. It is obvious that these were a significant burden on farmers. In order to eliminate these burdens, Ramazan President first identified the points where the university could save money. Then, he parted ways with faculty members who did not have scientific publications, scientific projects or product-oriented work. By bringing Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kılıç as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, a staff working day and night in the laboratory and in the field was formed. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Erol Turan, who was appointed as the Rector, laboratory facilities and technological equipment were strengthened in order for the new academic staff to conduct qualified research. With these investments, especially in the fields of food safety, biotechnology and smart agricultural technologies (digitalization), the number of students has gradually increased along with quality education by paving the way for studies at international standards. While Konya Seker used to cover a large part of the university's budget before, now this ratio has reversed. The university administration is on its way to becoming a self-sufficient university in the coming academic years by minimizing its financial dependence on Konya Şeker.  

Dear friends, dear ones,

Since the last quarter of 2021, when President Ramazan Erkoyuncu took office, Konya Food and Agriculture University (KGTÜ) has been taking more focused and systematic steps towards its core mission of specialization in agriculture and food. This period witnessed a transformation that integrated not only the number of academic publications of the university, but also the student training model with the dynamics of the sector.

Under the leadership of President Erkoyuncu, KGTU has created a model that carries academic production to the field. The academic value of the university is also measured by the projects that have an equivalent in the sector. Thanks to the organic ties established with PANKOBİRLİK and relevant stakeholders, the university has designed its academic projects to respond directly to the needs of the agriculture and food industry. This has enabled academics to take an active role in the fields and production facilities. Recently, domestic seed development studies and breeding projects, especially in strategic crops such as sugar beet, have shown that the scientific capacity of the university has turned into a national value. Such projects contributed to the recognition of KGTU as an institution that produces academic solutions to “national issues”.

Under President Erkoyuncu, the “applied education” model, which facilitates students' participation in the workforce after graduation, was reinforced. The student has turned into a profile that raises students as solution partners of the sector, rather than just receiving information. Students had more opportunities to do internships at TORKU facilities and prepare their thesis projects in a real production environment. This maximized the ability of graduates to combine theoretical knowledge with practice and shortened the adaptation period to the sector. The university's strong ties with the industry have increased the belief that students will have high employment opportunities after graduation. This has helped the university to maintain, and in some departments even raise, its base scores and overall success rankings. Intra-university entrepreneurship centers were encouraged. It was largely aimed for students not only to work in existing positions, but also to realize their own innovative business ideas in the field of agriculture and food.

Dear Friends, Dear Friends, Dear Ones,

Under the leadership of Ramazan Erkoyuncu after his election to the Konya Beet Planters Cooperative, Konya Food and Agriculture University has transformed into an education and research institution that directly transforms academic knowledge into economic and social value and is intertwined with the sector. In addition to its scientific outputs, the University has gained a significant momentum towards becoming the guarantee of national agriculture and food security with its well-equipped graduates who can produce solutions in the field.

WITH RESPECT, VAMANAM...