Another degree, perhaps?

We were seated in the boardroom with the rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Güden of the Izmir Institute of Technology or rather the İzmir Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü (IYTE); served Chai and chocolates and shown an 8 minute video about the institute. The campus spreads out over 15,000 acres and overlooks the seaside village of Gülbahçe (Sea view dormitories.. hmmm). Well, the university itself is by far up to all international standards with the latest in technology and equipment and has faculties of Science, Engineering and Architecture. Lectures are in English and students have access to high quality sports facilities. If I sound like I’m selling the university, it’s because at the end of the session, I was ready to say “where do I sign up!”

Let me rewind to why we ended up on this sprawling university campus. Our CSC assignment is to work on a strategic growth plan for the IZTEK Techno Park, and the park was established in the Campus Area of İzmir Institute of Technology.

So part out of orientation for the assignment was a tour of the university campus and its facilities.

One of the most noticable things seen as you drive around the campus is the number of students walking around; they are definately sparse in number. Which makes sence once you realize that are only about 2500 students in this huge campus.

This appears to be a university for students who like the countryside with its calm, and as the team here told us, they aim to provide an enviromnent, far from city stress so students can work and study in a natural place

Hopefully, these creative minds who want to get into R&D will benefit from the young enterpreners programs that we aim to create as part of our project plan to grow the Techno Park.