University near us

Source: https://www.konyapostasi.com.tr/kose-yazisi/101934/yakinimizdaki-universite

Konya Food and Agriculture University is a foundation university that started education in 2016-2017 and whose founder is Konya Sugar Factory.
The university has three faculties: Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities.
These faculties have departments such as Computer Engineering, Interior Architecture, Software Engineering, Crop Production and Technologies, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Psychology, International Trade and Business Administration, Management Information Systems.
The Seed and Plant Health Clinic within the university and the Young Farmer Assembly provide free on-site services to farmers on seeding, fertilization and irrigation. Applied training projects are also organized on different subjects in the field.
Founded with the idea of becoming a university that transforms ideas into knowledge in agriculture and specializes in life sciences, food and agriculture, YÖK evaluated the university as a “Digitalizing University in Agriculture” last year.

A CHAT WITH RECTOR PROF.DR. EROL TURAN
Konya Food and Agriculture University was a university that we did not enter. Past university administrations did not make public, informative statements when necessary. The university became a secret. And the secret became a lot of words.
After saying “The university is eating sugar” in a few lines of last week's article, we met with the rector of this university, Prof. Dr. Erol Turan, and had a two-hour conversation with him alone in his office room.
The rector of KGTÜ is from Kars. After completing his undergraduate education at Selçuk University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, he completed his master's and doctorate at the same faculty. He also worked at Karapınar Vocational School for a while and knows Konya very well. The rector, who has done academic studies in some universities in the USA and England, is known as an experienced administrator and academician.
During our conversation, I asked spontaneous and non-spontaneous questions to the rector.

CURIOUS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE AXIS OF FARMERS AND UNIVERSITIES
QUESTION: Does KGTU eat from Konya Seker?
ANSWER: For a while, in your terms, it was really eating a lot. For example, while eating 9 thousand 447 tons of sugar in 2021 and 5 thousand 705 tons in 2022, this amount decreased to 2 thousand 574 tons in 2023 and 741 tons in 2024. The sugar and university side of the new administration is very sensitive about this issue. We are working to make the university self-sufficient.
While saying this, the Rector gave us the graph of “sugar equivalent of KGTU donations” that he had prepared in advance and said that the amount of donations will decrease even more in 2025.
It is seen that the university, which received 10 thousand tons of sugar donations annually in the first years of its education, has started to stop being dependent on sugar donations in recent years. This is the success of Konya Şeker and the new management of the university.
QUESTION: Do you have other donations and income?
ANSWER: There are no other donations. There is income from local and foreign students in return for education and training. We also make savings. We have saved up to 50 percent in some areas.
QUESTION: What is the number of your students?
ANSWER: The number of students has started to increase. For example, the number of undergraduate students, which was 320 in 2019 and 533 in 2020, increased to 1,278 in 2024 and 1,400 in 2025. While the number of graduate students was 85 in 2019, 74 in 2020, 98 in 2021, this number increased to 321 in 2025. As the number of our students increases, our revenues also increase.
QUESTION: Why was the Food Engineering Department closed?
ANSWER: There were 7 students and 9 professors in that department. In addition, there were the facilities for transfer from department to department, which were determined in the establishment of the University. Students who entered Food Engineering with low scores compared to other departments could transfer to departments with high scores at the end of 1.5 years. It was unfair. It was concluded that Food Engineering should be closed for this reason.
As a result;
We have seen Konya Food and Agriculture University as a specialized university that has been on its feet and on the rise in the last few years.
They are trying to do good work.