Social Impact and Responsibility Commission

Today's understanding of social responsibility is about institutions creating value for all their stakeholders, for society at large and for the planet, and having a meaningful impact on them. Higher education institutions are likewise expected to create a positive social impact by integrating a sense of responsibility into teaching, research, consultancy, academic activities and administrative practices. Moreover, all social impact-oriented social responsibility practices of higher education institutions are among the evaluation criteria of national and international auditing and ranking bodies.

In this context, meeting the need for the systematic planning, implementation and evaluation of Bahçeşehir University's potential contribution to societal benefit, social impact and responsibility and of all related processes, and ensuring that the University creates a positive impact for all its stakeholders, for society at large and for our planet, is only possible through the commitment and active participation of the University's administration, faculty members, students, alumni and administrative staff. 

In line with the goal of "achieving excellence in contributing to society" stated in the vision of Bahçeşehir University, both as an educational institution and as a good corporate citizen, and in order to work on defining policies, objectives and strategies for contribution to society, social impact and responsibility, and on coordinating, evaluating and improving implementation processes, 
the Social Impact and Responsibility Commission was established by a Senate resolution dated 08.09.2022. 

The duties of the Commission are as follows: 
• To increase internal stakeholders' awareness and knowledge of social, economic and environmental benefit and responsibility,
 • To develop strategies for integrating the University's understanding of responsibility into teaching, research, consultancy, academic activities and administrative practices, 
• To develop programs and projects that will create a positive social impact and to encourage all internal stakeholders of the University to support them voluntarily, 
• By incorporating the concepts of volunteering, social entrepreneurship, social innovation, social responsibility and sustainability into the University's scientific culture:
       o To raise awareness among faculty members about publishing in these areas,
       o To provide guidance on adding courses focusing on these concepts to curricula, thereby supporting students in becoming active agents of change who develop innovative solutions to the world's most urgent and important problems, 
• To systematize the flow of data on social impact and responsibility activities carried out across the University, 
• To support the development of social impact-oriented collaborations at local, national and international levels, including with non-governmental organizations, local and national governments, educational institutions, the business world and the media,
 • To inform internal stakeholders about the criteria under the social impact category of university ranking systems such as Times Higher Education that affect our institution's ranking, and to develop policies for addressing the process systematically,
 • To develop projects that will increase our University's visibility and contribute to its reputation in the areas of social impact and responsibility, 
• To contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by working in coordination with the University's various units and centers.

For the Senate resolution on the Social Impact and Responsibility Commission, click here.

For the directive of the Social Impact and Responsibility Commission, click here.