Education at Atatürk University started 62 years ago today (17 November 1958). Atatürk University, which started its education life with 14 faculty members and 123 students in the building of Şair Nef'i Secondary School, continues to contribute to the development of the country with its 2,700 lecturers, over 500 thousand students and 470 thousand graduates.

"Universities Change the Destiny of the City and the Region"

Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı declared a message on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Atatürk University's starting academic year. Rector Çomaklı stated the following in his message:

“The university is not just an educational institution. It changes the fate of a city, a region. In addition to education and training, it is a holistic institution where many needs of the economy, sports, arts, science, technology, human beings and society are shaped and directed. It is an institution that can offer the most accurate and pioneering opportunities to future generations by combining experience from the past with contemporary educational opportunities.

Atatürk University, which combines its 64-year-old rooted structure shaped around these principles and predecessors with dynamic, contemporary and new generation educational principles, is the founder of many universities in its region, far beyond an academic institution. Only disciplined as an educational institution, beyond being solid and static structures, bonds with life, young and dynamic structure, into the progressive vision of the date of capture time, experienced staff, science and Turkey's infrastructure integrated technology largest, most established and one of the most important universities.

While Atatürk University is proud of being able to offer all kinds of opportunities to its students, it has brought educational opportunities to a completely different dimension with the Covid-19 epidemic that occurred worldwide. Thanks to its smooth functioning distance education infrastructure, it was able to reach all students who were away from its physical campus during this extraordinary period. He also feels the joy and pride of continuing his education and training duty, which he has been continuing for decades without any problems.

Dear colleagues and dear students; Today, as the Atatürk University family, we proudly celebrate the anniversary of our education life, which we started in 1958. I congratulate our family who continues their educational activities with the excitement of the first day despite the years passed. We hope that we will have face-to-face training at our beautiful campus as soon as possible ... Good luck to all of us. "

Foundation Story

After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the work begins to create three cultural center in Anatolia. For this purpose, Istanbul University was first established in the west in 1933 as a modern-style higher education institution. Secondly, activities for the establishment of Ankara University are started in order to become the cultural center of the Central Anatolia Region. In the same period, preliminary examinations are made for the Eastern University, which is planned to be established in Eastern Anatolia. However, this thought is postponed due to the outbreak of World War II.

With the coming to power of the Democratic Party, the idea of the Eastern University was brought back to the agenda and the efforts to establish a university in the east to contribute to economic, social and cultural development, especially education, gained speed and the Democratic Party Government decided that the name of the university should be Atatürk University and established in Erzurum.

Atatürk University, whose foundations were laid by President Celal Bayar and Prime Minister Adnan Menderes on 23 July 1957, started its education life with the Faculties of Science, Literature and Agriculture during the academic year of 1958-1959. During the construction of the faculty buildings, which are expected to be completed by 1962, education is continued in the Poet Nef Secondary School.

The opening ceremony of the academic year is held on 17 November 1958 with the intense participation of President Celal Bayar, Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, Minister of National Education Celal Yardimci, Minister of Press and Publication and Tourism Server Somuncuoglu and the people of Erzurum.

Ataturk University, which is the first higher education institution of the Eastern Anatolia Region, starts its education life with 14 faculty members, 5 of whom are from the USA, and 123 students. The first lecture on "Atatürk and Atatürk University in Turkish Agriculture" in the Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Isfendiyar Kadester, while at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Assoc. Dr. İbrahim Kafesoğlu's "A General View of Turkish Civilization" lecture, the first education period at Atatürk University begins.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTORATE - 17.11 2020