INTEGRATED EDUCATION APPROACH OF IUE
An informative meeting, regarding the new initiatives for 2013-2014 Academic Year, was held with the participations of IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Tunçdan Baltacıoğlu, vice rectors, deans, and department heads, along with Ekrem Demirtaş. Demirtaş stated in his speech that Izmir University of Economics, which was established by Izmir Chamber of Commerce Health and Education Foundation, was a non-profit organization, and the only investment made was for students. President Demirtaş said, “We are raising the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal. The conception of our academicians and students is also based on this understanding. We are sending off the soldiers of Mustafa Kemal to the war in economics.”
Demirtaş, who also mentioned that they would provide a 15 % discount for the members of Izmir Chamber of Commerce (ITO), said, "This University is a university established by ITO Health and Education Foundation, and it does not seek any profits. It is based on the principle of giving back to students. It offers a pretentious but economic education. When we look at the price listings of foundation universities, we see that there are prices starting from 50 thousand. Our price is 18 thousand 750 TL. There are only 5-6 universities with prices lower than ours.”
New investments are on the way
Demirtaş also indicated that more campus space was needed as part of their development plan, and they were waiting for the legal approval process of 191 thousand m2 lot in Güzelbahçe to become a campus space. He said that 600 decare of campus space would be possible in the near future. President Demirtaş also stated that 3rd grade students in some of the departments would spend one semester at work places as part of a newly started system.
“Flexible Learning Model” in higher education for the first time
Prof. Dr. Tunçdan Baltacıoğlu, Rector of Izmir University of Economics, on the other hand stated that the students would take 60% of their courses from their departments and 40% from different fields as part of the flexible learning model being implemented in Turkey for the first time. Prof. Dr. Baltacıoğlu, indicated that they would have a total of one thousand 968 students (one thousand 668 undergraduate degree students and 300 vocational school students) in the new academic year, and with 34 undergraduate degree programs in 9 faculties, Izmir University of economics was among the top of the foundation universities in the Aegean Region.
Prof. Dr. Baltacıoğlu also pointed out that IUE ranked in 5th place in terms of “innovation and entrepreneurship culture” across Turkey according to the 2012 report announced by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. Baltacıoğlu said:
“Our University is using the flexible learning model in Turkey for the first time within the limitations of YOK, which was already in use by USA universities. Students would take 60% of their courses from their departments and 40% from different fields starting from the new academic year. A student studying architecture would be able to take business administration courses, just as an engineering student would be able to take anthropology courses. The main purpose here is to train highly intellectual students. This will be a model being implemented for the first time in Turkey.”
