Recently, I have been downloading and watching talks from internet home of TED -Technology, Entertainment, Design. Patrick Awuah, who founded Ashesi University in Ghana, gave one of the speeches. His aim is to train students in critical thinking and ethical leadership. What caught my attention was this topic of leadership. Inevitably, I drew what he had to say back to my own experience, and Bilkent University. Bilkent is not just an educational institution - a black box where inputs (students) are put in one end, processed/transformed, and emerge out the other end with enhanced knowledge, skills and a degree. In my opinion, leadership and the responsibility of service is another attribute that must be imparted with the Bilkent alumni.
To attend Bilkent University means a few distinct things. It DOES mean attending an institution of privilege - an institution with the resources, academia and staff that other Universities in Turkey do not necessarily possess. It means being part of an environment of higher learning and higher ideals, to not only ensure the livelihood and direction for an individual and the people around them, but also in a small way, to make the world a better place. This is where the concept of leadership comes in. Awuah identifies in his own education and in what Ashesi imparts - to think critically, analytically and be interested in social issues. These are the same values Bilkent seeks to instill in its community.
Awuah believes that rather than viewing opportunities as entitlements,they should be viewed as responsibilities. By doing so, leaders will emerge. This is the same thinking we should also be aware of through our Bilkent journey and into the future. The trap that we, as Bilkenters, can fall into is seeing our education at this institution as a right; as something we deserve; as a duty or service provided or given to us, whether through scholarship or by payment. That we are privileged enough to be able to attend a premier institution and have numerous doors and paths open to us, both now and beyond, should be an ever present reminder of the responsibility that comes along with it.
Awuah's talk can be accessed at
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/156
By Esra Doğramacı / Graduate Student, Department of International Relations
 |
