Özyeğin University celebrates International Day of Peace with a significant event!

Özyeğin University, in line with its commitment to prepare not only academically distinguished but also socially responsible graduates, kept its tradition and planted trees for peace this year as well within the scope of ENO, the global environmental online program designed to promote respect, trust, and honor across the globe.

Özyeğin University, which aim to support not only academic but also social and cultural development of its students, is well-renowned for its social responsibility projects.

Our on-campus event for world peace recognized with the Order of White Rose of Finland!

Özyeğin University strives to prepare well-educated world-citizens, not only through with its innovative education model which adds value to students, but also the social responsibility projects it partakes.

As such, Özyeğin University has become the first university in Turkey that participated in ENO, a global environmental initiative to promote world peace and sustainable development. Since 2014, Özyeğin University has grown the “ENO Sustainability and Peace Grove” on it campus, and turned tree planting into a tradition through the tree planting ceremonies it holds annually at the beginning of each academic year.

In observance of this tradition, Özyeğin University once again organized its traditional tree planting ceremony with the attendance of its students and staff, and emphasized the need for more respect, trust, and honor in our world for a peaceful future.

Meanwhile, Ms. Ülkü Gürsoy, Social Events Coordinator at Özyeğin University and ENO Turkey Coordinator, was recognized with "Suomen Vatkoisen Ruusun ansioristi" (Cross of Merit of the Order of the White Rose of Finland) by the President of Finland for her outstanding achievement and services in the Finland-based Environmental Online (“ENO”) Project.

Ms. Ülkü Gürsoy received her award from Ms. Paivi Kairamo, Ambassador of Finland, during a ceremony held in Istanbul on International Day of Peace on September 21, 2017 in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Finland’s Declaration of Independence.

More than 1,000 trees for peace

Özyeğin University Rector Prof Dr. Esra Gençtürk also accompanied students and staff during the tree planting ceremony. “We want our students to be aware of and responsive to global and environmental issues” remarked Prof Dr. Esra Gencturk and continued: “As Özyeğin University, we aim to support our students’ development with an education philosophy that attaches equal importance to each and every field, from sports to art, and science to philosophy. We pursue our green university vision and environmental awareness in solidarity with global NGOs. To this end, we are also pleased to support the Environment Online -ENO Program. We have been participating in the global ENO event for the past three years, and it has become a tradition of Özyeğin University now. Each year, we celebrate the ENO tree planting event together with thousands of educational institutions from over 150 countries across the world. Since 2014, we have planted more than 1,200 trees for peace on campus during the first week of each new academic year. We take pride in taking the lead in this field and paving the way for other universities.”

About Özyeğin University

Özyeğin University was established with the mission of serving society as an entrepreneurial and research-focused learning center, which is integrated with modern life. In line with this mission, Özyeğin University offers an innovative education model that adds value to students to prepare them as entrepreneurial and resourceful graduates vested with an in-depth knowledge about the rising professions, a good command of at least one foreign language, and highly developed skills in information and communication technologies. Özyeğin University endeavors to prepare graduates who are capable of making a difference both for their employers and their community by capitalizing on the skills, competencies, and experiences they acquire both in academia and in the real world. Özyeğin University, which has consistently been placed in the top 10 in the “Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index” prepared by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, believes that all students, no matter what their circumstances might be, must have access to high quality education. In the 2016-2017 academic year, 82% of OzU’s registered undergraduate students were scholarship recipients. Today, the University has 23 undergraduate programs offered by its 6 faculties and 2 schools, and 30 graduate programs offered by its 3 graduate schools. Özyeğin University prepares its students for life on its Çekmeköy Campus spanning 280 thousand sqm area of land.

About ENO

ENO is an online environmental program launched in Finland in 2004 to promote sustainable development. ENO started off with 50 educational institutions from 30 countries 10 years ago. Today, ENO is a global environmental program which facilitated the planting of 24 million trees in collaboration with 10,000 educational institutions from 157 countries. ENO endeavors to contribute to world peace by planting trees and protecting environment. To this end, each year, a tree planting ceremony is held simultaneously all over the world in September and May. Turkey has been taking part in ENO since 2008 and became one of the most active countries for planting trees. So far, Turkey planted 840,000 trees, which placed it in 1st place in 2015 and 2nd place in 2016 in ENO Treelympics.