16.2.1 - Elected Representation within Bahçeşehir University’s Governing Bodies

Institutional Commitment to Participatory and Inclusive Governance

The University Senate is the highest governing body of Bahçeşehir University (BAU), comprising elected representatives of faculty and students, as well as members from staff, ensuring participatory and inclusive institutional governance.

BAU recognizes the importance of ensuring that institutional decision-making incorporates the perspectives of different members of the university community. Its governance structure combines institutional leadership with formal representation mechanisms for academic staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and non-faculty employees.

Through these mechanisms, the University promotes democratic participation, shared responsibility, institutional accountability, and the meaningful involvement of different constituencies in university-level decision-making.

Structure of the University Senate

The University Senate is composed of the Rector, Vice Rectors, and Deans, who serve as ex officio (by virtue of their position) members, alongside ten elected representatives from the academic staff of various faculties.

In addition to these members, the Senate includes undergraduate and graduate student representatives, as well as three non-faculty employee representatives, ensuring that academic staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and employees outside the academic faculty structure are represented within the University's central academic governance body.

These elected members represent the broader academic community and contribute to the formulation and implementation of university-wide policies.

The Senate's composition brings together members serving through their institutional leadership positions and representatives of different constituencies within the University, creating a governance structure that incorporates diverse institutional perspectives.

The participation of elected faculty members alongside ex officio members ensures that academic representation extends beyond individuals holding administrative leadership positions, with all Senate members participating in institutional decision-making on an equal basis.

This structure enables different members of the University community to contribute to deliberations concerning academic policies, educational programmes, research priorities, and institutional development.

Elected Faculty Representation

Bahçeşehir University's Senate includes ten elected faculty representatives from different academic units.

These representatives contribute to institutional decision-making by bringing the perspectives, experiences, and academic priorities of their respective faculties into Senate deliberations.

Their participation provides a formal mechanism through which academic staff can contribute to university-wide governance beyond their individual teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities.

Through this representative structure, BAU ensures that academic perspectives from different faculties are incorporated into discussions and decisions concerning the University's educational and academic development.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Representation

In addition to the elected academic representatives, undergraduate and graduate students are also represented in the University.

The University Senate includes elected undergraduate and graduate student representatives, ensuring that both undergraduate and graduate students have formal representation within the University's central academic governance structure.

These student members contribute to discussions and decisions on academic and administrative matters, ensuring that the student perspective is included at the highest level of governance.

The participation of undergraduate and graduate student representatives enables the perspectives of students with different educational experiences, academic needs, and expectations to be considered in institutional deliberations.

This representation is particularly relevant to matters concerning educational quality, academic programmes, learning environments, student experiences, and institutional development.

By including representatives of both undergraduate and graduate students, BAU recognizes students as active stakeholders in university governance and ensures that their perspectives are represented alongside those of academic leadership and faculty members.

Non-Faculty Employee Representation

Administrative staff are likewise represented in the Senate, ensuring that the perspectives of non-faculty employees are included in institutional discussions.

The University Senate includes three non-faculty employee representatives, providing formal representation for employees outside the academic faculty structure.

These representatives bring the perspectives and experiences of employees involved in the University's administrative, operational, and institutional support functions into Senate deliberations.

Their participation broadens the range of institutional perspectives represented within the Senate and recognizes the contribution of non-faculty employees to the effective functioning and development of the University.

The inclusion of non-faculty employee representatives alongside academic and student representatives reinforces BAU's commitment to involving different groups within its community in institutional governance and decision-making.

Representation and Participation in Institutional Decision-Making

BAU's Senate structure incorporates three distinct representative groups alongside ex officio institutional leadership:

Ten elected faculty representatives from different faculties.

Undergraduate and graduate student representatives.

Three non-faculty employee representatives.

This composition establishes identifiable mechanisms through which academic staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and non-faculty employees participate in university-level governance.

The presence of these representatives within the same governing body supports dialogue across different institutional groups and enables their perspectives to contribute to discussions and decisions affecting the University community.

By incorporating representatives from different constituencies into its formal governance structure, BAU demonstrates that institutional participation extends beyond consultation and is reflected in the composition of its governing bodies.

Commitment to Inclusive Governance

This inclusive structure allows for broad participation across the university community and ensures that decisions made at the highest level of governance reflect diverse viewpoints.

Through this structure, Bahçeşehir University upholds the principles of democratic participation, accountability, and shared governance, ensuring that institutional decisions reflect the collective input of the university community.

The combination of elected faculty representation, undergraduate and graduate student participation, and non-faculty employee representation strengthens the inclusiveness of the University's governance arrangements.

By providing formal representation for different constituencies, BAU supports a governance environment in which academic, undergraduate and graduate student, and employee perspectives contribute to institutional deliberations and decision-making on an equal basis.

The official membership list of the Bahçeşehir University Senate is presented below as documentary evidence of the University's representative governance structure.

The table below identifies the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, and other ex officio members, together with the ten elected faculty representatives, elected undergraduate and graduate student representatives, and three non-faculty employee representatives. The official Senate membership list is also publicly available on the University's website.

TITLE	NAME SURNAME	UNIT
PRESIDENT	PROF. ESRA HATİPOĞLU	FACULTY OF ECONOMIC, ADM., AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
VICE PRESIDENT	PROF. FAİK TUNÇ BOZBURA	FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES
VICE PRESİDENT	PROF. AHMET BEŞKESE	FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES
DEAN	PROF. YAVUZ SAMUR	FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE
DEAN	PROF. KADİR EMRE GÖKYAYLA	FACULTY OF LAW
DEAN	PROF. HASAN KEMAL SUHER	FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION
DEAN	PROF. HÜMEYRA ADIGÜZEL	FACULTY OF ECONOMIC, ADM., AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEAN	PROF. MURAT DÜNDAR	FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
DEAN	PROF. AHMET ARİF ERGİN	FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES
DEAN	PROF. GÖKAY GÖRMELİ	FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
DEAN	PROF. MERTER YALÇINKAYA	FACULTY OF MEDICINE
DEAN	PROF. SELÇUK BASA	FACULTY OF DENTISTRY
DEAN	PROF. SERDAR DURDAĞI	FACULTY OF PHARMACY
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. ŞEFİKA FEZA ORHAN	FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. GÜLSEN GÜNEŞ	FACULTY OF LAW
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. İDİL KARADEMİRLİDAĞ SUHER	FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. İBRAHİM ÜNALMIŞ	FACULTY OF ECONOMIC, ADM., AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. GÜLDEN ÇELİK	FACULTY OF MEDICINE
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. ALTAN VAROL	FACULTY OF DENTISTRY
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	PROF. HASAN KEREM ALPTEKİN	FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	ASSOC. PROF. YALÇIN ÇEKİÇ	FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND NATURAL SCIENCES
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	ASSOC. PROF. NERİMAN İPEK SÖNMEZ	FACULTY OF PHARMACY
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES	ASSİST PROF. ZEYNEP GÜL SÖHMEN TUNAY	FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
DIRECTOR	ASSOC. PROF. YÜCEL BATU SALMAN	GRADUATE EDUCATION INSTITUTE
DIRECTOR	PROF. KAZIM OZAN ÖZER	SCHOOL OF APPLIED DISCIPLINES
DIRECTOR	ASSOC. PROF. MEHMET SITKI SAYGILI	VOCATIONAL SCHOOL
DIRECTOR	ASSİST PROF. MEHMET ATASAGUN	SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
DIRECTOR	ASSİST PROF. İSMET AYDIN	CONSERVATORY
DIRECTOR	INSTRUCTOR ERDAL ÇALIŞ	VOCATIONAL SCHOOL OF HEALTH SERVICES
Non-faculty Employee (REPORTER)	HİKMET YILDIRIM
Non-faculty Employee	ALİ UÇAR
Non-faculty Employee	İLKAY TURAN
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE	ONUR MERT TÜRK
GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE	MEHMET ERDAL KÜÇÜKOĞLU