Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) celebrated its 42nd age with a magnificent ceremony hosted by Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç.

The celebration in Atatürk Congress and Culture Center was realized with the participation of Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Minister of Youth and Sports, Governor İbrahim Şahin, Deputy Erhan Usta, Deputy Hasan Basri Kurt, Deputy Kemal Zeybek, Mayor Yusuf Ziya Yılmaz, Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç, Bar President Kerami Gürbüz, Chief of Police Vedat Yavuz, district governors, district mayors, vice rectors, deans, provincial presidents of political parties, authorities of public institutions, presidents of chambers, representatives of NGOs, academicians and students.

Before the program, Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç planted a sapling together with Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç on behalf of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The ceremony began with the announcement of the celebration messages coming from İsmail Kahraman, President of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, members of the council of ministers, rectors of other universities, and governors.

"I see the illustration of unity and solidarity here"

Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç made the inaugural speech of the ceremony, and he emphasized the role of Samsun in the war of independence of Turkey, and he stated: “We are aware that this initiative gives us a separate mission and responsibility. For this reason, when I look at the multiplicity and diversity of participation, I see a very good example of unity and solidarity. The July 15th issue reminds us once again of the importance of unity and cohesion. We got over that event together. God let us live together in the same homeland in the future”.

"We are aiming to be more prominent in some areas"

Rector Bilgiç stated: “We will work to be beneficial to our country and our region by considering the physical size, possibilities, human potential and cities of our country as advantages. Therefore, we plan to be more prominent in some areas while aiming to increase the quality of each area”.

"The number of international students is above the average of Turkey"

Rector Bilgiç said that the number of international students is above the average of Turkey, and he expressed: "We are a university with a student from 102 countries resembling the United Nations. We try to do the best for them without making any difference”.

"We give sapling certificate instead of plaques"

Prof. Bilgiç mentioned their initiatives for the forestation, and he remarked: “In order to plant trees in the areas which are not suitable for settlement, we have applied sapling certificate instead of plaque”. He concluded his remarks with his good wishes for the university.

"Rail system emerged as a result of university-city convergence"

Yusuf Ziya Yılmaz, Mayor of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, expressed his satisfaction to attend the 42nd anniversary celebration, and he said: “the university has become a driving force that transforms the city and the social structure by means of the dynamics of the young. My hopes have increased after Rector Bilgiç’s initiatives for university-city convergence. Rail system reaching the university is the result of his insistences”.

"What we are supposed to do is to move hand-in-hand and to take a long way"

İbrahim Şahin, Governor of Samsun, made a brief speech in the ceremony, and he remarked: “we have to think about what we can do together, which projects we can develop together. What we are supposed to do is to move hand-in-hand and to take a long way”.

"The university has developed together with Turkey"

Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Minister of Youth and Sports, remarked that the university developed together with Turkey, and he stated: “OMU does not reflect its historical mission with its current mission. We have to align the physical opportunities and structures of the city with the requirements of the university”. Kılıç also gave advices to the students for the development of their own identities and the university.

After the protocol speeches, Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç gave a sapling certificate and a painting made by Asst. Prof. Tamer Aslan to Akif Çağatay Kılıç, Minister of Youth and Sports. Minister Kılıç rewarded the academicians taking 100 points from academic promotion program with sapling certificates.

A musical concert was given for 42nd anniversary of OMU. Classical music concert was performed by pianist Olga Hasanoğlu, guitarist Fatih Akbulut, percussionist Özgü Bulut, flutist Seyhan Bulut, ney player Emre Pınarbaşı, violinist Ols Cinxo, and kemencha and rebab player Atakan Karadeniz. Turkish Folk Music Choir under the baton of Assoc. Prof. Yakup Alper Varış sang numerous songs such as “Çanakkale türküsü”, “Çarşamba’yı sel aldı”, “Evlerinde bir ipekten halı”, “Değme felek”.

At the end of the concert, TOFAŞ Türk Otomobil Fabrikası AŞ. granted an automobile to be used for educational activities within the scope of “Program of Support for Professional Education”. Minister Akif Çağatay Kılıç and Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç received the automobile from Güray Karacan, Foreign Affairs Director of TOFAŞ and Department Manager of Birmot Samsun.

At the end of the activities organized in OMU campus, the exhibition entitled “42nd Year Group Exhibition” and held in the Fine Arts Campus was opened with the participation of Rector Prof. Sait Bilgiç, academicians and students.