Academy and Studying in Germany

The founding of the first German-Turkish University in Istanbul (DTU) is a “flagship project” of the Ernst Reuter Initiative for Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding. Beate Schindler-Kovats, from the German Academic Exchange Service, talks about the significance of the new top university for the Turkish-German relationship.

On May 30, 2008, the agreement for founding the German-Turkish University (DTU) was signed by the relevant ministries of both countries. How did the Turkish public respond to the founding?

Very positively. But the public confuses several projects that are underway at present for developing German-Turkish universities. The state university project, coordinated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), was launched by the German Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier and the then Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül as part of the Ernst Reuter Initiative. Parallel to this, Faruk Şen is coordinating the founding of a private German-Turkish university in Izmir, which is sponsored by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is clear that the state project is prominently supported on the Turkish side – by all the political parties. It is also, by the way, a model for other countries such as France, Italy and Great Britain, which have launched or are planning similar projects.

What significance has the founding of the German-Turkish University in Istanbul for the relationship between Germany and Turkey?

The German-Turkish relationship has a very long history. During the Second World War, more than eighty German scientists, scholars and artists fled to Turkey. The scientists and scholars helped to develop the Turkish university system. Ernst Reuter, who was persecuted by the Nazis and later became the mayor of Berlin, also fled to Turkey. The German exiles are still held in high esteem today. In the 1970s, the Turkish university system very strongly oriented itself to Anglo-American models. But along with the membership negotiations between Turkey and the EU, there has clearly been an increased interest in the European and the German university system.

Is there a conflict between German and Turkish interests?

Up to now, the negotiations have been carried out at the political level through the DTU founding agreement and discussions between the DAAD and the Turkish University Council (YÖK) and German and Turkish experts. These discussions have continually addressed the question of German participation and co-determination at the university administrative level. We have to be aware that state university structures in Turkey are more restrictive than, for example, the German ones. In negotiations we have succeeded in getting the possibility of voting in at least informal university committees.

Who will go to the DTU?

In the middle term, we expect up to 5,000 young people to register at the DTU. We have our eye on top Turkish students; that is, those who have scored the most points in the university entrance examination. These students are identified by a central university entrance procedure in Turkey that sets up rankings which reflect which Turkish universities are most in demand. Of course we’re also interested in German students and those grammar school graduates in Turkey who have gone through an education programme taught in German.

A Forum for Intercultural Exchange

Many young people are interested in questions of inter-religious conflict. To what extent will students at the DTU have the opportunity to study in this field?

Four faculties have been planned at DTU: natural and engineering sciences, economic and social sciences (WiSo), law, and humanities and cultural sciences. Initially the humanities and cultural sciences were to be integrated into the WiSo faculty. But that then seemed to be becoming too bulky, so we separated them into two faculties. The special feature of the DTU is the joint German-Turkish fields of research. Here there will be an interdisciplinary and intercultural programme. For example, we plan to have a course of studies in Comparative Religion, which will be conducted by the University of Bayreuth. In general, we want to make the DTU into a forum for intercultural exchange.

Will there be a women’s quota for professorships at the DTU? Such a quota isn’t needed in Turkey. About 80 per cent of Turkish engineers are women. In this respect, it is Germany that lags behind. At Turkish universities it is striking how many top positions are held by women, including rectorships.

Where should the DTU be in ten years’ time?

We hope that in ten years it will place among the five best universities in the country, and that its particular profile will attract people who will build bridges between two worlds as cultural mediators – in both directions. We also hope that the DTU will be a gain for Europe and strengthen Turkey’s membership in Europe. Belonging to Europe is an important theme in Turkey. And finally we hope that we can develop a new model for public-private partnership with industry and business. The Turkish side is very interested in the business use of application-oriented research – for instance, through professorships financed by business. There are over 3,000 German-Turkish businesses in Turkey that also have a very great interest in a pool of well-trained employees.