BAŞKENT UNIVERSITY Center For Education and Counseling Services (BEDAM)
Universities which have founded “Continuing Education Centers” based on the understanding of lifelong education organize vocational courses and personal development trainings which people from all walks of life would benefit from doing. At our university, this center started its activities under the title of Center For Education and Counseling Services in 2001. Prof. Dr. M. Akif Ergin was appointed as the first director of this center until 2003. Then, until May 2013, a period of about 10 years, Prof. Dr. Korkut Ersoy carried out the tasks of the directorate of the center. With the change of the director and the board of directors in the beginning of May 2013, a new page was opened at the Center For Education and Counseling Services. With the discretion of our then rector Prof. Dr. Kenan Araz, under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Ali Halıcı, the new Board of Directors was composed of Prof. Dr. Gökhun Tanyer, Prof. Dr. Simten Maltan, Prof. Dr. Füsun Eyidogan and Prof. Dr. Ertuğrul Bayraktarkatal. In the formation of the Board of Directors, different fields of science and higher efficiency were taken into account. In this context, faculty members employed in the fields of Engineering, Education, Health and Social Sciences and Fine Arts took office in the board of directors. Since the beginning of 2022, our third board of directors was appointed with the discretion our Rector Prof.Dr. Ali Haberal. Our new members are Prof.Dr. Uğur Güngör, Prof.Dr. Ezgi Aygun Eşitli, Prof. Dr. Haluk Karlıdağ and Associate Professor Ceyda Karadağ. We have become even stronger with the members of our Board of Directors.
In the last nine years, the business volume of the center has been increased approximately 100 times. It can be argued that there have been many factors in this regard. However, the most important factor has been the highly qualified members of the faculty and the administrative staff of Başkent University. BEDAM is a sapling which was planted by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Haberal, the Founder and Chairman of the Higher Executive Board of our university, believed in by our previous Rector Prof.Dr. Kenan Araz and grown by our present Rector Prof.Dr. Ali Haberal. We would like to express our gratitude to these three distinguished scientists who are the pride of our country.
BEDAM is respect for the environment; BEDAM is awareness of the environment; BEDAM is sustainable growth; BEDAM is transparency in its activities; BEDAM is the biggest example of institutionalization among the continuous education centers.
Our Center, where training and consultancy services are being carried out with a total of 350 training programs and 759 trainers with up-to-date content, has continued to hold its Leadership in Turkey with 27,785 certificates according to the 2020 Monitoring and Evaluation Reports of YÖK (The Council of Higher Education). We would also like to state that there is a difference of 12,401 participants between us and the University ranked second. In 2021, we increased the number of participants entitled to receive certificates to 59,590. BEDAM’s rival was again BEDAM itself.
Of course, we were aware that there was a highly qualified staff that would maintain our leadership. In addition, we have tried to find ways to mobilize this staff outside of their education and training at associate /undergraduate/ graduate degrees.
It is possible to classify the trainings which are provided by the training centers as training for vocational and personal development. On the other hand, vocational trainings are planned as trainings for professions/titles which require certification, and trainings for professions/titles which do not require certification. We have training programs which are available for both fields. We have achieved significant success across Turkey in the fields of Basic Expertise and their sub-fields from UAV Commercial Pilot Trainings to Music and Performing Arts Trainings, from Public Oversight Agency Independent Auditor Trainings to Mediation and Conciliation Trainings that we are conducting in cooperation with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations. In addition to this, it is aimed to provide training to people from all walks of life by increasing diversity in personal development trainings and sports / art training programs. Our Summer School for Children, which has been continuing for years with great success, continues in the pleasant environment of our campus with the joyful laughter of children. Literally, people from all age groups from 7 to 77 participate in our trainings. While there are primary school students in the Fine Arts, there have also been Certified Public Accountants aged 77 in the trainings for Public Oversight Institution.
There is no doubt that the trainings provided by BEDAM have contributed significantly to the promotion of Başkent University to the public. Regardless of the winter conditions or the hot weather of the summer vacation, Başkent University was always present all over Turkey. It is our most important responsibility to continue this acceleration.
In this context, we continue to publish the BEDAM Newsletter in order to ensure that all faculty and administrative staff of Başkent University are aware of the activities of the Center for Education and Counseling Services and that they convey them to their environment. We recommend that you follow our annual activities with our newsletters.
With our love and best regards