The Bilkent University Board of Trustees met on November 13, 2013. Present at the meeting were Board Chairman Ali Doğramacı, Vice Chairman Ergün Toğrol, Vice Chairman Ergül Tunçbilek, Gülsev Kale, Yahya Laleli, Ahmet Nalbur, Şencan Özme, Muhsin Saraçlar, Lütfü Sel, Z. Boğaç Üner and Rector Abdullah Atalar.
Also present at the meeting, to offer advice, suggestions and recommendations regarding various subjects, were members of the Board of Advisors to the Board of Trustees: Rockefeller University Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael W. Young, Nanyang Technological University President Bertil Andersson and Prof. Jared Cohon, former president of Carnegie Mellon University. They were on the final day of a three-day visit to Bilkent University, during which they met with Rector Atalar, who gave them a general presentation about Bilkent, and with the deans and department chairs, who offered additional information about the university and its departments and programs. At the Board of Trustees meeting, the Advisory Board members shared the impressions they had gathered during their visit.
Other items on the agenda for discussion by the Board of Trustees were a number of proposals that had been put forth by the University Senate.
Among them was the establishment of new graduate programs in psychology in the Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences. The Board of Trustees reviewed the final procedures for the establishment of the programs, accepting the proposal of the University Senate. The programs will offer students master of arts (MA) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees in psychology. Both programs will involve writing an original research thesis. An integrated PhD program will also be opened for those students who only have a bachelor’s degree. The programs will emphasize both basic and applied areas of psychology, including cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, social psychology, and industrial and organizational psychology.
The board also approved a proposal for new graduate programs in neuroscience in the Graduate School of Engineering and Science. The neuroscience program draws together scientists from across Bilkent and will provide students with the transdisciplinary research experience and mentoring they need to become leaders in a wide range of fields within the neurosciences. The number and diversity of the laboratories affiliated with the program will offer a rich array of options for choosing research experiences.
In addition, the Board reviewed and approved the Senate’s proposals regarding some changes to the university’s Academic Rules and Regulations.
After approving these proposals, the Board of Trustees reviewed the revised budget for 2012-2013 and approved the budget for the 2013-2014 academic year.