Rampant Nepotism in Anatolian Academia

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 11 August 2020)

all in the family click here for a recent TNT

report about the rector of Pamukkale U.

hiring his wife. He has been fired.

                       Institutions of Higher Earning

On 26 June, Trabzon University issued a job announcement for 10

people to be hired as 4B contract personnel for various faculties of

the school, with the condition that candidates have "a degree in the

field".   

There was, however, an interesting detail regarding candidate 

specifications for the Engineering Faculty, in particular: "degree 

from the Engineering Faculty's Mapping Engineering Geodesy 

and Photogrammetry Engineering Department and a commercial 

pilot certificate for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)." (!)

S.A. was the only person who applied for the position and was

selected with a KPSS score of 63.8 (quite low): "there was no 

other candidate who met the announcement specifications."

S.A. graduated from the Engineering Faculty in 2019 and her

relative is a professor at Trabzon University. (!).

türkçe links to original Turkish article,

(Sözcü Newspaper, 13 August 2020)

These types of nepotism-based appointments are not restricted

to Pamukkale and Trabzon universities.  Many such schools have

essentially become family businesses.  Herewith some examples:

                                        Coming clean.

--Karadeniz Technical University (KTÜ) rector Süleyman Baykal has

arranged academic positions for his three daughters, a son-in-law

and a nephew (or niece - same word 'yeğen' in Turkish).  Two of

Baykal's daughters and the son-in-law teach in the university's 

medical school:  Dr. Hanife Baykal Şahin is in the rehabilitation

department, her husband Dr. Mürsel Şahin is in cardiology, while

Dr. Leyla Baykal Şahin works in the KTÜ dermatology department.

Baykal's third daughter, Elif Baykal Kablan, is in the computer

department of the KTÜ Engineering Faculty;

--at Gaziantep University, Serdar Özyurt, the husband of the 

assistant dean of the Education Faculty, Melike Özyurt, works as

a teacher and Dürdane Çandar, the wife of  the assistant dean of 

the Machine Engineering Department, is also a teacher at the

school;  

--at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Aysun Acer, the wife of

rector Prof. Yücel Acer, has been appointed as an official in the 

university's Health Department;

--Mersin University's rector Ahmet Çamsarı's niece Sena Karakuş

works in the Education Faculty;

--at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Ömer Faruk Alacahan, the son of

academician Osman Alacahan, works as an 'expert' in the rector's 

office;

Don't bother getting the 'sınavı kılavuz' (test guide) if...

--at Çorum Hitit University, most of the professors and teachers, as

well as a former dean, have the same surname (!).  Some 30 

academicians are married to each other.  Rector Prof. Dr. Reha Metin 

Alkan defended himself on this matter, saying "is it forbidden for man 

and wife to work together?  Should I tell them not to marry?  If a 

and wife apply should I not hire them?  Should I tell them to get

divorced and then apply?   I have 1,400 employees and they're

generalizing about the 20-30 who are married to each other!"

-- in Kütahya Dumlupınar University's Recreation Department,  Ceren

Gümüşgül, the wife of the department chief Osman Gümüşgül was

selected for an interview for a position as a researcher but the position

was canceled after an outcry.

//END//