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Academic Freedom and Integrity

 

The University is, by tradition and definition, an autonomous center of learning and research devoted to examining, producing, disseminating and transmitting knowledge for the public good. The University's obligation to society and to the world community is to ensure scientific integrity and scholarly quality of education. To fulfill this obligation, its research and teaching must be "morally and intellectually independent of all political authority and economic power," as was expressly set forth in the "Magna Charta Universitatum" signed by the Rectors of 388 universities from Europe and beyond in Bologna in 1988.

Sabancı University started working on a position statement on Academic Freedom in May 2002. During the initial stage of preparation of the position statement, over 30 web sites of various universities and university associations were visited, and the varying approaches of these institutions were compiled. These texts were subjected to a meticulous screening process; as a result of which, a 32-page file was composed and presented to the Deans. Each Dean prepared his/her own Academic Freedom text. A committee of one academician from each faculty then worked on these texts, and the attached policy statement took shape. This text was presented to and approved by the Board of Trustees on December 23rd, 2002.

Statement

With these universal principles in mind, the Board of Trustees, faculty and administration of Sabancı University jointly take responsibility for assuring fullest protection of freedom of inquiry, thought, and expression. Sabancı University's commitment to academic freedom finds expression as follows:

  • All members of the University community involved in the practice of dissemination of knowledge are entitled to freedom in the conduct of their teaching in the classroom, of their research on or off campus, and in the publication, discussion and interpretation of research results.
  • The faculty and administration of Sabancı University are responsible for protecting the right of each member of Sabancı University to artistic expression or to freely expressing his or her personal scholarly opinion.
  • The University does not attempt to influence or control the personal opinion or public expression of that opinion of any member of the University community.
  • The University respects the expression of opinion and choice of association of members of the University community in their private, civic capacity.

The right to academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in:

  • Commitment to ethical obligations and responsibilities to the University community and to one's profession.
  • Commitment to excellence, innovation, and to advancing the frontiers of knowledge in teaching and research at an individual level and in a collaborative spirit.
  • Making a clear distinction between one's responsibility to the University and one's rights as an individual, and making sure that the expression of views does not implicate or commit the University in any way.

Sabancı University started working on a position statement on Academic Freedom in May 2002. During the initial stage of preparation of the position statement, over 30 web sites of various universities and university associations were visited, and the varying approaches of these institutions were compiled. These texts were subjected to a meticulous screening process; as a result of which, a 32-page file was composed and presented to the Deans. Each Dean prepared his/her own Academic Freedom text. A committee of one academician from each faculty then worked on these texts, and the attached policy statement took shape. This text was presented to and approved by the Board of Trustees on December 23rd, 2002.

As an institution, the University is one of the foremost contributors to societal development, both at a local as well as a global level. This contribution accomplished through the fields of education, arts sciences and technology, manifests itself at two interconnected levels. The first, more visible role of the University is seen through the works of art and products of science and technology created by its stakeholders - both faculty and students. The University’s second role involves equipping students with the abilities they will need when generating original research and scholarly work; in other words equipping them with the means of exploring new intellectual paths that will shape our world. This second contribution, creative thought, which emerges from the accumulation of centuries of human progress, paves the way for the first.

We, as Sabancı University stakeholders, believe that the principle of academic integrity constitutes the most important component of any research, creative work and/or of the learning process. Academic integrity is the foremost of our responsibilities toward the world of knowledge, to the society in which we live, to each other, and to ourselves. Within this framework, therefore, we as Sabancı University faculty members, students, and administrators, declare that we will neither violate the principle of academic integrity nor allow others to do so.

After developing analytical-critical thinking and creativity in research as well as internalizing established knowledge, a university student adds his own unique perspective and learns to create new theories, scholarly output and works. Within this process, the young productive individual gains experience, skills and self confidence, in addition to the responsibility of bridging the past and the future as he uses previous knowledge as a foundation.

Faculty members -primarily responsible for the effective operation of this process- aim to help students acquire the same ethical approach they themselves have strictly adhered to during their own academic research and productivity, and one way of doing so is by means of a fair assessment system implemented at all phases of the learning process. At the evaluation and assessment stage -one of the most sensitive areas in terms of the integrity of the education process- the student is expected to base his/her exams, homework, reports, presentations, thesis and so forth on his/her own labor and ideas. Thus, the student recognizes the fact that during the process of academic labor, it is a sine qua non rule of academic ethics to accurately and clearly refer to each source of inspiration and information, wherever and whenever applicable. When students and educational staff are preparing materials, all types of information and information sources are used in accordance with intellectual property and commercial rights and the copyright holder is respected. Sources are not reproduced, copied, altered to another format or rented, nor are others allowed to carry out such acts.