Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) celebrated the 102nd anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic with a ceremony held on Wednesday, October 29, in the front garden of the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus. The ceremony was attended by Vice President of the Kültür College Foundation and Member of the Board of Trustees Lale Akıngüç, Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Ildız and Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil, as well as our deans, academic and administrative staff. The program began with a moment of silence and the singing of the Turkish National Anthem, and concluded with the laying of a wreath at the Atatürk Bust.

In cooperation with ATAMER, Atatürkist Thought Club and IKUMED, in order to continue the tradition of the "Republic Ball", which is a product of the great modernization project designed by the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in public and social life, on Monday, October 27, at the 6th Ataköy Summit in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus. "Traditional October 29 Republic Ball" was held on the 6th floor VIP Restaurant. On this important night that keeps the enthusiasm of the Republic and the spirit of unity and solidarity alive; guests had pleasant and unforgettable moments with tango, waltz and zeybek performances.

One of our students from the Department of Radio, Television and Cinema, Orçun Poyraz, has achieved the success of becoming a finalist at the Los Angeles Fantasia Film Festival with his short film "Everett Yorumu", in which he wrote the screenplay and directed. The film will be competing in the science fiction and drama categories at the international festival to be held in Los Angeles on November 20-21, 2025.

The film, which tells the story of a physicist who has avoided taking risks throughout his life and is swept into a chaotic vortex as a result of an inter-universal explosion, features Emre Yetim, Miray Beşli Çapa, Bircan Batır and Hakan İşleyen.

The film's production team includes students from our Department of Radio, Television and Cinema: Mert Hançer (Producer), Nihat Mamedov (Director of Photography), Selin Karakurt and Shawqe Ahmed (Assistant Directors), Eren Asılbay and Tunahan Yalçınkaya (Sound), Mustafa Paşa (Camera Assistant), Arda Çatak (Lighting Assistant), Shawqe Ahmed (Editing), Duru Güre and Sudenur Bozkurt (Art Direction), Emirhan Özgöz (Runner/DIT) and Halil Berat Aydın (Supervisor).

We sincerely congratulate our students and wish them a continued success.

The project titled "Thematic Printed / Digital Illustrated Dictionary for Foreign Children Learning Turkish (Basic – Intermediate – Advanced)", led by Istanbul University, which Istanbul Kültür University Deputy Head of Department of Common Courses Assist. Prof. Yakup Türkdil is a researcher in, was qualified to be supported by the Turkish Language Association (TDK).

The project, in order to support the language acquisition processes of foreign children learning Turkish; aims to develop dictionaries that are thematically structured, enriched with visual materials and open to digital access.

As Istanbul Kültür University, we congratulate Assist. Prof. Yakup Türkdil and the entire team who contributed to the project for their precious success and wish them continued success in their work.

Sponsored by the EU under the Program of Erasmus+ and bringing together Europe's leading academic and sectoral organisations, the EPD-Net (Filling The Gap: Development of Ecological Planning and Design Learning Network and an Adaptive Smart Training Module for Disaster Resilient and Sustainable Cities) project is an innovative attempt to integrate ecological planning and design into disaster response strategies.

The project, carried out in collaboration with 17 partners and 9 supporters from 8 countries, aims to develop the EPD-Assist smart training module, create new curricula and pilot training programmes, and strengthen ecological planning and disaster response training in Europe. The project is being carried out under the leadership of Eskişehir Technical University, with the partnership of Istanbul Kültür University's Department of Architecture, with the aim of strengthening ecological planning and disaster resilience education in Europe, developing the EPD-Assist smart training module, creating new curricula and pilot training programmes, and increasing cooperation between the academy, the public sphere and the industry.

Within this scope, Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoglu and Prof. Dr. Evren Burak Enginöz, members of the 4-person team formed in the Department of Architecture, represented our university in the international arena by participating in the meetings and workshops held in the Czech Republic between September 29 and October 3, 2025. At the meeting, Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoğlu, a member of the EPD-NET Project Management Board, delivered a presentation on the work being carried out.

The second event of the "İİBF Talks: Academic Seminar Series" organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences in cooperation with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, was held on Wednesday, October 22, between 12.30-13.15 in the seminar hall B502 of the Küçükçekmece campus.

The guest of the second event of the series, Prof. Dr. Ntsikelelo Breakfast from Nelson Mandela University, discussed the dynamic interactions between theory and policy with his presentation titled "Critical Development Studies: The Synergy between Theory and Policy".

Our Head of Department of Common Courses, Assoc. Prof. Selda Salman Sakızlı, participated as a speaker at the Kant Studies Symposium organised by Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University in collaboration with the Turkish Kant Society on October 23-24, 2025, presenting a critique of Immanuel Kant's examination of fine arts titled "The Problematic Place of Art in the Third Critique".

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Vocational School academician Lecturer Dr. Oya Işıkçı gave a presentation titled ““Training Models, Contemporary Approaches and Trends for Developing the Human Factor in Civil Aviation from Past to Present” within the scope of the "9th International Symposium of Education and Values” held in Famagusta / Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus hosted by Doğu Akdeniz University between October 7-9 2025. We congratulate Lecturer Dr. Oya Işıkçı, who successfully represented our university by sharing her experiences at the symposium, and wish her continued success.

Assoc. Professor Gizem Akyol and Lecturer Yakup Türkdil, academics of the Department of Common Courses, gathered with students at the first face-to-face lecture meeting of the term. During the meeting, students' questions were answered before the midterm exam, and the impact of the books they read was discussed.

As part of the "Architectural Design 1" course conducted by Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoğlu and Res. Assist. Merve Aksoy Oral at the Department of Architecture, a seminar was given by Dr. Ömür Kınay Alkan, Member of the Disabled Student Unit Management Board, to first-year students in order to explain the importance of making the environment accessible to everyone and to raise awareness on this issue. As part of the event, which was also attended by students from the Vocational School of Graphic Design Programme, on-site inspections were conducted at the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy Campus.

The IKU Cultural Values Protection Club, Istanbul University Law Simulations Club and Beykent University Start Up Law Club are collaborating to organise the "Law Days Congress" with the aim of providing students from the Faculty of Law with information about the field. The congress, which will feature experts in their fields, will be delivered at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Arts Centre in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus on Tuesday, November 4, between 10:30  and 16:45.

Assertion of Justice and Ombudsman Club will organise the "Law Days Conferences" to share the latest developments in general branches of law. The event, featuring speakers Atty. Deniz Ali İlkem Demir, Atty. Turgut Hökenek, and Atty. Mehmet Fatih Atalay, will be held between November 5-6 (09:00-20:00) at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus.

The Program of Tourism and Hotel Management will organise the "Galataport Istanbul Practical Training and Visit" on Wednesday,  November 5 at 10:00.

The Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences will organise the "TÜBİTAK 2209 A-B Practical Project Development Training" to support students in their career planning processes. The training, to be delivered by Marmara Teknokent TTO Specialist Rasim Keskin, will be held on Thursday,  November 6 at 13:00 at the Küçükçekmece Campus.

The Program of Medical Documentation and Secretarial will organise a discussion titled "The Current Status and Future of the Healthcare System" to assess the current state of the healthcare system and identify areas for future development and potential directions. The event, featuring Ömer Kurnaz, General Manager and Executive Board Chairman of BHT CLINIC Istanbul Tema Hospital, as the speaker, will be held on Thursday,  November 6 at 13:30 at the İncirli building of the Bakırköy Campus.

As part of the Department of Architecture’s activities, an online conference titled "Where Does Architecture Stand in the City?" will be held. The event, featuring Prof. Dr. Abdi Güzer from the METU Department of Architecture as the speaker, will be held via Microsoft Teams on Thursday, November 6, from 19:00 to 20:00.

IKU Fine Arts Application and Research Center (GSUAM) will bring the theater play "Will I Marry You?" to art lovers. The play "Will I Marry You?", supervised by Haldun Dormen and acted by Melda Gür and Barbaros Uzunöner, will be staged on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 19.30 at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

You can buy event tickets with a 25% discount with the code "IKUAILEM".

"1st Foreign Trade Summit" will be held in cooperation with the Department of International Trade and Finance and the Association of Foreign Trade Directors (DIŞYÖNDER), on Friday, November 7, 2025, between 09.00-17.00, at Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center.

A prototyping and game test study titled "Fall Jam" will be organized in order for the 2nd year students of the Department of Digital Game Design to work on the digital game projects they have developed within the scope of the "Game Design Practices", "Game Development II" and "3D Animation for Games" courses. The event will be held between November 7-9 in classrooms 1C-07/09, 1C-11/13 and 1B-12/14 in the Ataköy building of Bakırköy campus and in the Game Room of the Department of Digital Game Design.