Anadolu University

Established 1982 
Type: Public 
Rector: Fevzi Sürmeli 
Staff: 1,729 full time, 952 part time[1] 
Students: 884,081[1] 
Postgraduates: 2,200[2] 
Location: Eskiþehir, Eskiþehir Province, Turkey 
Website: anadolu.edu.tr/en 

History

Anadolu University was created in 1982 from the union of four existing higher education institutes in Eskiþehir: the Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences of Eskiþehir, the State Academy of Architecture and Engineering, the Institute of Education, and a medical school. As the Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences was founded earliest (in 1958), Anadolu University has adopted that year as their date of establishment.

Campus

Most of Anadolu University's faculties and schools, including the Open Education Faculty, are located at the Yunesemre Campus in the centre of Eskiþehir. The Yunesemre Campus also contains student housing, Anadolu's university hospital, and most of the university's administration buildings.

Ikieylul Campus, just outside Eskiþehir's city centre, houses the School of Physical Education and Sports, the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, and the School of Civil Aviation, along with the associated Anadolu University Airport.

In addition to these two campuses, the Porsuk Vocational School is located separately in Eskiþehir, and the Bilecik and Bozüyük Vocational Schools are both located in the town of Bilecik.

To serve its distance education students, Anadolu University operates 88 administrative centres, or bureaus, in urban areas throughout Turkey, many of which offer academic counselling and optional evening classes.

Open Education

The Higher Education Act of 1981 nominated Anadolu University as the national provider of distance education (which it calls open education), upon which it has placed strong emphasis since its creation in 1982. The university's goal is to educate Turks who live in rural areas and others "who do not have the time or resources to enroll in conventional schools."[6] This effort has been largely successful, as enrollment in open education programs has increased from under 30,000 in 1982-83 to over 870,000 in 2005-06 and is now also available to Turkish communities in Northern Cyprus and the European Union.[6][7]

Programs offered via distance education include 4-year Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees in Economics and in Business Administration and nineteen 2-year associate degrees in a variety of fields. Anadolu University has received a mandate from the Turkish Ministry of Education to educate Turkey's preschool and English language teachers and does so by distance education, though students in the latter program are also required to take two years of in-person classes.

Courses are delivered by a variety of methods, including pre-recorded television and radio broadcasts, videoconferences, and via internet. Students can also access academic counseling or attend optional evening classes at some of the Anadolu University bureaus located throughout Turkey.

Faculties and Schools

Faculties

• Open Education Faculty
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Fine Arts
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
• Faculty of Economics
• Faculty of Communication Sciences
• Faculty of Business Administration
• Faculty of Engineering and Architecture

Schools

• School of Physical Education and Sports
• School of Music and Drama
• School of Industrial Arts
• School for the Handicapped
• School of Civil Aviation
• School of Tourism and Hotel Management
• School of Foreign Languages

Vocational Schools

• Eskisehir Vocational School
• Bozüyük Vocational School
• Bilecik Vocational School
• Porsuk Vocational School

Notable alumni

• Beyazýt Öztürk-Showman.
• Levent Üzümcü-Actor.
• Fethi Heper-Football player.
• Yýlmaz Büyükerþen- Eskiþehir mayor.
• Ali Atýf Bir- Showman - Columnist..
• Nurgül Yeþilçay-Actress.
• Ersin Düzen-Sport presenter.

Honorary doctorates

• Sakýp Sabancý, 1984
• Betül Mardin, 1998
• Turgut Özakman, 1998
• Alp Erkin Çakmak