The 7th General Assembly Meeting of the Union of Turkish Universities (TÜRKÜNİB), which is part of the Organization of Turkish States was held in Baku on May 20, 2024, hosted by Azerbaijan University of Economics. At the meeting, Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) was elected to be a member of the Turkish Universities Association.

University rectors and academics from the member countries of the Organization of Turkish States attended the 7th General Assembly Meeting of the Turkish Universities Association, which was created for the more efficient and effective execution of higher education in the Turkish world.

In the general assembly, where presentations on the next chapter of the Union were made, a vote was held for the admission of candidate universities to the union. After the unanimous acceptance of a total of 60 universities, 41 of which are from Türkiye, including Istanbul Kültür University, the number of members of TÜRKÜNİB reached 109.

A cooperation protocol was signed by Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Vocational School on Thursday, May 16, 2024, to reinforce university and industry cooperation.  The signing ceremony held at IKU Design Factory was attended by IKU Rector Prof.  Dr.  Fadime Üney Yüksektepe, TÜYAP Deputy General Manager of Operations Arzu Saraç, as well as management team and academicians.

Thanks to the collaboration, the IKU students will have the opportunity to put their academic knowledge to practice.  At the same time, this cooperation will play an important role in bringing qualified individuals to the business world.

The "5th SineKültür Interuniversity Short Film Festival" was organized by IKU Department of Radio, Television and Cinema between May 21-23, 2024 at Bakırköy campus Ataköy building. The festival, which started with the screenings of the finalist films on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, continued with workshops and interview events on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. “5. SineKültür Interuniversity Short Film Festival" ended with the "Award Ceremony" held on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

At the ceremonies held in the opening speech of our Head of the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema Assoc. Prof. Perihan Taş Öz, the "Best Fiction Film" and "Best Documentary Film" awards were given to their owners. In the "Best Fiction Film" sections, announced by one of the jury members, Engin Özkaya, the movie "İntihar Bekçisi", directed by Selin Aktaş, won. The "Best Documentary Film" category announced by jury members Salih Erturan and Zekiye Kaçak Bakırhan was won by "Safranbolu's Golden Flower Saffron" directed by Başak Çardak. Following the ceremony, which ended with the presentation of the jury members' memorial plates and certificates of appreciation, the entire group attended the event held in the backyard.

An event called "IKU Career Day" was organized by Kültür Point on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in the backyard of the Bakırköy campus Ataköy building.  “Career Day” event was held with the  35 companies from various sectors participating which offered the students the opportunity to meet the business world and take a look at potential job and internship opportunities.

At the event, in which companies put up booths and got to share information directly to students, students presented their CVs and applied for jobs.  At the same time, companies had the opportunity to discover talents that fit their needs by having one-on-one meetings with newly graduated candidates.

The IKU Rector Prof.  Dr.  Fadime Üney Yüksektepe met with companies one-on-one and emphasized the importance of it to the career development of the students and graduates.

Companies participating in the event stated that they were pleased with the interest of the students and that they had the chance to meet qualified candidates.

IKU will continue to organize similar events to support the career development of the students.

Liz Lochhead's play "Blood and Ice", prepared by the English Literature Society, the student club of the Department of English Language and Literature, was staged on Friday, May 17, at 15.00, at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus. Our students who want to take part in "English Literature Society" events in the future can contact the club advisor Res. Assist. Murat Kabak and follow the @ikuelits Instagram page.

In cooperation with Design Factory and Orchestra IKU, the "Factory Acoustic" concert was held on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at the Design Factory in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus. The second of the event, which integrated with the industrial atmosphere of the factory, was held with the theme of "Foreign Pop". The orchestra, under the direction of conductor Timuçin Sezerel, gave an emotional and impressive performance to the audience. Music lovers had the opportunity to listen to the fascinating performance of Orchestra IKU under the unique acoustics of the factory. "Factory Acoustic" concerts will continue to meet Kültür students in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Istanbul Kültür University Faculty of Law and Vocational School of Justice organized a professional study trip to Bakırköy Palace of Justice on Thursday, May 16.

Within the scope of the trip, our students, who received the necessary information about the layout and task units of the courthouse by Ömer Faruk Ergün, Branch Manager of Administrative Affairs, watched the hearings in the thirty-sixth High Criminal Court and the fourth High Criminal Court and were present at the decision stages of the cases. Our students had the opportunity to watch the formation of the High Criminal Courts and the trial process in practice.

Our students, who were informed by Public Prosecutors, which included Sibel Kökten, our 2014 graduate from the Faculty of Law, were provided with detailed information about crime scene investigation, autopsy, preliminary investigation, guidance of law enforcement officers, investigation of the crime, and had their questions answered.

The essential information about the Criminal Courts and Public Prosecution front offices was given to our students by the relevant chief clerks. At the end of the trip, a plaque to be presented to Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on behalf of our university was given to Ömer Faruk Ergün, the Administrative Affairs Branch Manager.

The winners of the student photography competition themed "Digitalized Everyday Life", organized by Istanbul Kültür University Department of Architecture between 30 April and 12 May 2024, have been announced.

The judging, in which 27 works competed in the high school category and 39 works in the undergraduate category, was done by the jury members on May 14, 2024.

The works that participated in the competition using the hashtags #DijitalleşenGündelikYaşam_lisans and #DijitalleşenGündelikYaşam_lise was evaluated by the jury in line with the criteria of "Suitability to the Theme", "Integrity of Meaning in Composition" and "Aesthetic Effect", the works were deemed worthy of "First Place", "Second Place" and "Third Place" awards for each category, as well as 5 "Honourable Mention" were chosen. Each jury member rated each work between 1 to 5 points, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest, and the weighted averages of each contestant were taken.  According to the judging, the list of contestants deemed worthy of the awards was determined as follows.

Within the scope of the "Aviation Talks" organized by IKU Vocational School on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, Çelebi Ground Handling General Manager Osman Yılmaz, one of the important names of the industry, was the guest of our university. Yılmaz opens the horizons of our students with his long years of experience and extensive knowledge, he gave information about the current situation of the aviation industry, the importance of ground services and future trends. Our guest made statements about the innovations in the services offered by Çelebi Ground Handling and the best practices in the sector, and gave an inspiring speech for our students who want to work in the field of ground handling services. A plaque of appreciation was presented to Osman Yılmaz, who sincerely answered our students' questions, at the end of the event.

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Theater Club staged the play “I Close My Eyes and Do My Duty” at Kağıthane Sadabad Stage on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 as part of the “38th Young Days” event organized by Istanbul City Theaters.

Istanbul Energy General Manager Dr. Yüksel Yalçın and Composition Chemistry Corporate Sales Manager Dr. İbrahim Yıldırım visited Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Vocational School Director Prof. Dr Mehmet Özer on Monday, May 20, 2024. During the meeting, various issues were discussed in order to strengthen the university and industry cooperation. Also, Dr. Yüksel Yalçın was presented with a certificate of appreciation for the courses he gave at our university and other academic contributions.

In cooperation with the Foreign Trade Program and the Business Management Program, the “HR Talks” event was held on Friday, May 17, 2024. In the event, where Şehmus Oran, Management, Institutionalization and Agile HR Consultant, participated as a speaker, CV preparation and interview techniques were discussed, and awareness was raised among students.

Özlem Susur, one of our 2nd grade students of Vocational School Program of Medical Documentation and Secretariat presented her paper titled "Examination of the Contents of Doctoral Theses on Family Businesses in Türkiye" prepared under the supervision of Head of Department, Res. Assist. Emin Aksan, at the 10th Family Businesses Congress. 

Psychological Counseling and Guidance Club (PDR) organized an event titled "Post-Graduation Roadmap: Working with Children" on Friday, May 17 at the Kültür Special Education and Psychological Counseling Center in order to support the career planning processes of our students who will work in the field of mental health after graduation.

Members of Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Theater Club watched the following plays:

- Tartuffe (Muhsin Ertuğrul Theatre - March 9, 2024)
- Hamlet (Muhsin Ertuğrul Theatre - March 30, 2024)
- Bernarda (Baba Theatre - May 6, 2024)
- Zoo Story (Gazhane Square Theatre - 9 May 2024)

The "CV Preparation Techniques and Interview Simulation" event was organized by the Leadership and Management Program on Wednesday, May 22, at the 3rd floor multi-purpose hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus. Başak Gayrimenkul Human Resources Manager Başak Angışhan, who attended the event as a speaker, informed the students about CV preparation techniques.

Gizem Serdar Ömür, one of the 2022 graduates of our Master's Program in English Literature, held a book launch event for her book published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing on Tuesday, May 21 at 15:00 at Erdal İnönü Seminar Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

Our undergraduate and graduate students showed interest in the conversation about the writing process and education of Serdar Ömür whose book is titled "Reconstructing Female Sexuality and Deconstructing Male Anxiety: Black Hole or Living Hall?"

We wish our graduate success in her endeavors!

Our Head of Department of Art and Cultural Management Assoc. Prof. Reyhan Uludağ Eraslan's works are exhibited in two different galleries at the "ArtContact Istanbul 4th International Contemporary Art Fair". Located in Yenikapı, the fair can be visited until Sunday, May 26.

Within the scope of the fair, our professor also held a talk titled "Do Colors Manipulate Us?" with Tamer Levent.

A technical trip was organized by the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics to the Turkish Agricultural Credit Cooperatives Tareks Et ve Et Ürünleri A.Ş. on Thursday, May 23 as part of the "MBG6015 Industrial Microbiology" course. Our undergraduate students, who visited the facility under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Gürhan Raif Çiftçioğlu and Res. Assist. Tamer Gümüş, gained detailed information about the fermentation processes of deli products, their cutting and analysis in the process from raw materials to packaging of meats.

Dolmabahçe Aviation High School was visited by Istanbul Kültür University Vocational School on Thursday, May 23 in order to strengthen cooperation and develop joint projects. During the visit, ideas were exchanged on issues such as education processes, curriculum development, technological infrastructure and student exchange programs. In the meeting, which focused on the projects that will contribute to the development of both institutions, information was also obtained about the modern education opportunities of Dolmabahçe Aviation High School and practical training programs for the sector.

Children's Theater Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Fine Arts Application and Research Center (GSUAM) will present the play "Around the World in Eighty Days" to young audiences. The play will be staged on Saturday, May 25, at 14.00 at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

The "PDR Summit" with the main theme of "Strengthening Together" will be organized by the Faculty of Education in order to support the development of field competencies of school psychological counselors working under the Ministry of Education. The summit, which will be held with the participation of experts in the field, will be hosted by Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Bakırköy campus Ataköy building on Monday, May 27, between 09.00-17.30.

An event titled "Challenges in Medical Image Processing for Machine Learning - An Overview" will be organized in cooperation with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Sciences and the Mathematics-Computer Club. The event, where Prof. Dr. Manuella Kadar, a faculty member of “1 Decembrie 1918” Alba Iulia University (Romania), will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at 11:00 at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

"Turkish Classical Music Choir Spring Concert" will be held by IKU Music Club on Thursday, May 30 at 19.30 at Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in Bakırköy campus Ataköy building.