Üsküdar University continues to strengthen the work of its Social Contribution Coordinatorship, established in line with the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and the Higher Education Quality Council (YÖKAK) to actively support social development through universities. The 2nd Consultation Meeting brought together representatives from academia, government, and civil society. At the meeting, it was emphasized that Üsküdar University is the leading university in Türkiye in terms of producing entrepreneurs. Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı, who attended the meeting, underlined the great importance of social contribution. President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, stressed that in the face of the assault of modernity, the family is society’s last refuge, and that the second major danger is addiction. Tarhan also emphasized that the aim of the Coordinatorship is to prevent social problems before they escalate by including students in the process.
The meeting, held at the Main Campus Senate Hall, was moderated by Üsküdar University Social Contribution Coordinator Dr. Nebiye Yaşar.
Participants included Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı; Rector’s Advisor and Group Coordinator Lecturer Serdar Karagöz; Mahmut Ekşi, President of the Knowledge and Virtue Foundation; İshak Koçoğlu, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Council Member and businessman; Erdal Çurgatay, President of the Üsküdar Businesspeople Platform; Selim Serkan Ercan, Deputy President of KOSGEB; and Yüksel Arslan, President of the Çanakkale and Thrace Education and Culture Confederation, alongside academics affiliated with the Social Contribution Coordinatorship.
Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “In the face of modernity’s assault, the family is our last refuge”
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, warned that the coming years hold a serious crisis for Türkiye: “Various seminars and meetings are being held on different digital platforms. This is why structured, project-based contribution is crucial. Currently, the fertility rate worldwide, which should be 2.1, has fallen below 1.5. This is extremely serious. The coming years will bring a very serious crisis for Türkiye. This is not just about the ‘Year of the Family’; our President has already announced a 10-year plan. Therefore, we must continue our work on family issues. It is not just Türkiye, and there is a global modern drift, a modern assault that targets the family. In the face of modernity’s assault, the family is our last refuge. Modernity brings with it an obsession with exhibitionism, the dominance of egoism and selfishness, and the global spread of capitalist morality. Capitalist morality is insatiable, irresponsible, and seeks unlimited growth. It is a morality that maximizes profit. Kahneman received the Nobel Prize for showing that human beings are not merely homo economicus, not just economic beings maximizing their self-interest. Human beings are homo psychologicus, and we have emotions. When shopping, investing, or purchasing, people are guided by their feelings as well. Yet, against the winds of capitalism, this truth is often overshadowed. At our university, we try to counter this in our own field. This vision is part of our mission.”
The Second Danger: Addiction!
Addressing the importance of trainer training, Prof. Tarhan pointed out the sharp rise reflected in statistics: “The second danger now is addiction. Addiction seriously affects families. In the U.S. and Canada, the streets reek of marijuana. To prevent the same in our country, we may have to declare a ‘Year of Addiction Prevention’ in 10 years. Since patients come to us, we see in the statistics that there is a very serious increase. We wrote a project with the Ministry of Justice. We developed a project called ‘GÜVENKOR’ with the probation office in Hasanpaşa. Our goal is to provide trainer training there. This is not about simply telling people addiction is bad. Anti-addiction policies worldwide aim to instill a sense of trust in individuals. When people strengthen their positive emotions, they no longer feel the need for substances. This is preventive healthcare. We have the modules and everything prepared. We have already published family science modules, which have been compiled into a book. Municipalities should be able to implement them, as Gaziantep Municipality did. After we conducted trainer training there, Minister Fatma Şahin opened the ‘Family Academy.’ People who attended were able to solve many problems before they escalated. Later, our Minister said, ‘Let’s open one in Istanbul as well.’ We are ready to provide trainer training. This is a social project. Our goal is not for people to always come to us, but to train trainers so the system continues on its own. We can develop projects like this.”
Our goal is to prevent social problems before they escalate
Emphasizing that a person who can transcend themselves not only finds happiness but also makes others happy, Prof. Tarhan said: “Students can take part in various activities in schools and different places. Our goal is to prevent social problems before they escalate, including our students in the process. Once an issue becomes a clinical case, treatment is possible but much more difficult. The key is preventive mental health before it reaches that stage. In the literature, this is called prosociality. What we are doing here is prosocial work, reaching out to people in advance to prevent illness, providing preventive support. Only people who can transcend themselves can do this. Those who think only of their own self-interest cannot. In Maslow’s hierarchy, self-actualization was once the peak. However, before his death, Maslow revised the hierarchy. The U.S. only published this in 2017, and they had kept it hidden until then. Why? Because transcendence, unlike self-actualization, encourages cooperation and altruism, which capitalist morality sees as increasing transaction costs and reducing efficiency. But when suicide and illness rates rose, they had to accept it and publish it. Now, at the top of the hierarchy is not self-actualization, but self-transcendence. When a person transcends themselves, they meet the highest of social needs and become truly happy. Neuroscience research also confirms this: when people achieve self-transcendence, they make both themselves and others happy. Our brain’s neurochemical sensitivity was created not to work for oneself alone but to also consider others. This is why such work is in harmony with our innate nature. Acting in line with our nature means acting in accordance with our biological essence and neurological structure.”
Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı: “The issue of social contribution is truly very important”
Emphasizing that Üsküdar University contributes to highly significant projects, Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı stated: “At the center of our service and work are our young people, and before that, education. In this regard, Üsküdar University is both pioneering and valuable. The issue of social contribution is truly very important. We often take a critical view, asking ourselves where society and youth are headed, but do we reflect enough on our own responsibilities in this regard? What duties fall upon us? More precisely, we don’t always fully internalize our individual responsibilities. We expect most of it from the state, we push it aside, and we look for reasons elsewhere. But where are we in this equation, what are we doing? We don’t often ask ourselves these questions. I believe universities hold a very important mission in this respect. Of course, academic achievement and activity are the top priority, but at the scale of social responsibility, which we also frame as societal responsibility, I am pleased to see that Üsküdar University, as it has in the past, continues today to contribute significantly to very important projects.”
“We have projects aimed at the fundamental layers of society”
Drawing attention to the importance of strengthening families on solid foundations, Yazıcı said: “The concept of society is truly very important. Under the directive of our President, we have declared 2025 as the ‘Year of the Family.’ I would like to emphasize once again that this should not only be for one year but extended to a 10-year period, focusing on a decade-long special effort on the concept of family. The stronger we establish families on solid foundations, the stronger our state and nation will be. Raising good, moral, principled, dignified, characterful, qualified, and high-quality individuals must be our primary duty and responsibility. All of our educational institutions should share this responsibility. We are not an industrial city. In terms of training qualified individuals and workforce, including at the primary, secondary, and university levels, we have a very serious responsibility. We are doing our best to fulfill this responsibility. Especially with the declaration of the Year of the Family, we have a variety of projects targeting the most fundamental layers of society. As the District Governor’s Office and given that the founding mission of Üsküdar University is to prioritize social happiness and welfare, particularly in line with the Rector’s area of expertise, and we are ready for all forms of cooperation.”
Our greatest treasure is our youth…
Highlighting the need to raise the population well and with quality, Yazıcı added: “Looking at statistical studies on our population growth rate, it is projected that by 2100, our population, currently at 85 million, will drop to 65 million. Under normal circumstances, we should be exceeding 100 million. But this population growth rate must actually be revised as a decline rate, and we are decreasing. Therefore, we are gradually losing blood, so to speak. Our greatest treasure is our people, our youth, our population. This is our most valuable asset. Therefore, we must not lose it, but also ensure that our population is raised with high quality. There are very serious obstacles leading to erosion, most notably, as our Rector emphasized, that is, addiction. And addiction should not be seen solely as substance abuse. The categories have already started multiplying. Under the District Governor’s Office, we have an Anti-Addiction Committee. We hold meetings every two months, with participation from the University as well. In this respect as well, we are ready to provide all forms of support and cooperation.”
Later, Mahmut Ekşi, President of the İlim and Fazilet Foundation, emphasized that the tradition of foundations is the most deep-rooted element of social contribution and that collaboration with universities carries this heritage into the future.
İshak Koçoğlu, ITO Assembly Member and Businessperson, expressed the business world’s interest in social contribution projects and underlined that the university and the entrepreneurship ecosystem should develop joint projects.
Erdal Çurgatay, President of the Üsküdar Businesspeople Platform, stated that projects initiated with the contributions of local actors could grow on a national scale and accelerate social development.
Yüksel Arslan, President of the Çanakkale and Thrace Education and Culture Confederation, pointed out that civil society coming together with universities is one of the strongest tools for solving social problems.
Selim Serkan Ercan, Deputy President of KOSGEB, noted that SMEs could directly benefit from University–NGO collaborations and that sustainable business models could be developed through such meetings. Ercan also highlighted that Üsküdar University is the university that produces the most entrepreneurs in Türkiye.
Locally implemented projects also serve as examples on a national scale
The meeting emphasized that University–Public–NGO collaboration makes significant contributions to the sustainability of the social contribution vision. It was also noted that, by drawing attention to Üsküdar’s social and cultural heritage, locally implemented projects serve as models at the national level.
Finally, it was underlined that social contribution, as the third mission of the university, constitutes the most important pillar of the vision “Science for society, impact for the future.”
The meeting concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation and a group photo.
