Announcement about the 7th Graduation Ceremony - (2019-2020)
Dear students and their dear families,
As it is known, we planned to hold our 2019-2020 Academic Year Graduation Ceremony in the digital environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that affected the whole world, but in line with the feedback from our graduate students, we continued our work for face-to-face graduation by abandoning this application.
On the one hand, while complying with the physical distance and hygiene rules, on the other hand, in order to organize a magnificent graduation ceremony befitting the "Üsküdar Residentials", meetings have been started with the Üsküdar Municipality for the preparations of the organization to be held in the Beylerbeyi 75th Year Stadium. In this context, the action was taken to complete the 2020 Graduation Ceremony with an organization that will be attended by a maximum of 1,500 graduates and their families every day by spreading the 2020 Graduation Ceremony to 4 different days outdoors. For official permits, an application was made to the Üsküdar District Governorship with an official letter dated 30th July 2020.
However, in the reply letter numbered 91256873-000-E.339, which was sent by the district governorship, which examined our request, on 4 August 2020, it was stated that the ceremony would be risky due to the pandemic and that the graduation ceremony to be held in the physical environment for the 2019-2020 Academic Year was not suitable for public health.
On the other hand, it is unfortunately not possible to hold a face-to-face graduation ceremony this year, since it is announced, that all universities can be opened as of October 1, 2020, with the decision of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
Despite all our efforts to ensure, that our students can make their graduation enthusiasm in a peaceful and safe environment, we will unfortunately not be able to hold the 2020 Graduation Ceremony face to face this year, in order not to endanger the health of even a single student and their family member. In this context, we have decided to act according to the voting rate of our graduate candidates, whether the ceremony will be held digitally this year or postponed to 2021 face to face.
In this context, all of our graduate candidates were asked to fill in the questionnaire by e-mail and SMS on 19th August 2020, and the announcement was repeated on Friday, 21st August 2020. While 79% of the graduate candidates who participated in the survey that continued until the end of the working day on the same day expressed their opinion that the ceremony should be postponed to 2021, 21% stated that they wanted it to be done digitally. According to the results of the survey, the 7th Graduation Ceremony of Üsküdar University was postponed to 2021, considering the demands of the majority.
We hope that the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still effective on a global scale and threatens the health of societies, will be completely off our agenda in the new academic year and we wish you healthy days.
Üsküdar University Rectorate
Üsküdar Haber Ajansı (ÜHA)