Last week, by invitation of Club Aktif, Sakıp Sabancı, the prominent Turkish businessman, gave an entertaining yet thought-provoking speech at Bilkent. The event aroused so much interest that it was standing room only in the auditorium where he spoke.
Mr. Sabancı began his speech by praising Prof. İhsan Doğramacı as a great leader in Turkish higher education and added that Dr. Doğramacı had motivated him to establish Sabancı University and given him constant encouragement. He believes that competition brings higher standards and quality both to business and education, and that leadership, teamwork, and continuity bring success. Mr. Sabancı stressed that people should approach new things with an open mind free of preconceptions. He said he is quite optimistic about the future industrial and economic development of Turkey, and he believes that women should take a more active role in it.
Sakıp Sabancı praised Bilkent University as a model to emulate, and said that he will be very happy if Sabancı University develops to provide as good an education to the young as Bilkent does. After his speech, Sabancı encouraged the audience to ask questions, and a lively dialogue followed.
