Trakya University


Trakya University is a public university in Edirne, Turkey. It was established on July 20, 1982. The university is located in Edirne, in Eastern Thrace. Trakya University is a regional university with branches and campuses spread over the Thrace region. Trakya University runs scientific activities related to regional development and has international relationships especially within the Balkan Universities Network including more than 40 Universities from Balkan countries and the University Loerrach in Germany. Erhan Tabakoglu was elected and confirmed as new Rector of the university in July 2016.

History

The roots of Higher Education in Thrace date back to the foundation day of the Medical School in the complex of Sultan Bayezid II. Basic medical sciences of the period were taught in this school where 18 students received theoretical and practical education of medicine each year. Its hospital was the practice place of the educational institution. The foundations of function of the educational and application hospitals of nowadays were laid in these institutions.
In the Republic Period, Trakya University was established on July 20, 1982. There were originally three institutes, four faculties, two colleges, four vocational high schools.
Later, four faculties ; two colleges ; sixteen vocational colleges were established.
Afterwards, one institute, six faculties, three colleges, six vocational schools, Research and Application Centers were added to Trakya University.
Among the academic units of Trakya University, during the rectorate of Enver Duran, those in Çanakkale transferred to Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University in 1992, those in Tekirdağ transferred to Namık Kemal University in 2006, and those in Kırklareli transferred to Kırklareli University in 2007.
Now that, there exists ten faculties, four institutes, five colleges, nine vocational colleges, Twenty Research and Application centers and one kindergarten.

Campuses

  • Karaağaç Campus: Previously used as Rectorate building and related administrative units, now Faculty of Fine arts, Lozan Museum and Monument, Garden of Lozan, İlhan Koman Painting and Sculpture museum are in this campus. The total closed area of the units is 11.700 square meter.
  • Balkan Campus: This campus is rapidly improving for being an ideal living space that provides the local community, personnel, and students with education, administrative, social, and cultural opportunities. Rectorate building and related administrative units, the biggest congress center of the Balkans; Balkan Congress Center, State Conservatory Arts and Education Center; Türkan Sabancı Culture Center and 75th year Indoor Sports Hall are found in this campus. Besides these, as well as Institutes of Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Balkan; State Conservatory; Faculties of Medicine, Science, Letters, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Kırkpınar Physical Education and Sports College; Vocational College Health Services and Tunca Vocational College. Trakya University Hospital is the fifth biggest reference hospital in Turkey.
  • Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tarık Karadeniz Campus: Called by the name of our founder Rector. The departments of mechanical engineering, computer engineering, food engineering and electrical and electronic engineering of Engineering and Architecture faculty are in this campus.
  • Ayşekadın Campus: In this campus, the Faculties of Health Sciences, College of Foreign Languages, College of Applied Sciences; Arda Vocational College, Edirne Vocational College of Social Sciences, and Trakya University Kindergarten provide service.
  • Kosovo Campus: Education has started in the 2011–2012 academic year in this new building of Education Faculty.
  • İsmail Hakkı Tonguç Campus: There are Fine Arts Department of Education Faculty, Dean's Office and Administrative Departments in this campus.
  • Sarayiçi Campus: Edirne Vocational College of Technical Sciences provides educational services in this campus.
  • Saraçhane Campus: Edirne College of Health continued educational activities for a period in this campus.
  • Macedonia Campus: Architecture department of Faculty of Engineering and Architecture serves in this campus.
  • Uzunköprü Vocational College Campus: Situated in Uzunköprü district of Edirne. Vocational College of Uzunköprü is included in this campus.
  • Keşan Vocational College Campus: This campus is in the district of Keşan and provides education with Keşan Vocational College in this campus.
  • Havsa Vocational College Campus: Situated in the district of Havsa, this campus continues education with Havsa Vocational College.
  • İpsala Vocational College Campus: Found in the district of İpsala; İpsala Vocational College provides education in this campus.

    Expansion to the Balkans

Projects about expansion to the Balkans are the leading studies of Trakya University in the recent years. Trakya University has developed very important projects and these studies have been promoted by the upper stages of the state.
Scientific and cultural agreement protocols have been signed with the universities of the Balkan countries and much of these projects have been put into practice. In this respect, the biggest of the Balkan Conferences has been organized in Edirne with the participation of 61 universities.
With the help of these activities all over the Balkans, the students tend to have education in foreign countries and they attribute a lot to the scientific and cultural dialogue between the countries.
Remark: Spin off = Namık Kemal University 2006; Kırklareli University 2007

Research

The number of publications of Trakya University in the scope of Web of Science is gradually increasing. The undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs are in accord with the 1999 Bologna declaration.
According to data gathered by Thomson Reuters Web of Science , while the number of publication addressed by Trakya University, in the scope of these indexes between 1982 and 2009 was 13 ; this number reached 843 between 2001 and 2005; and 1206 between 2005 and 2009. According to Thomson Reuters WOS data, the numbers of citations of the publications addressed by Trakya University in the scope of these indexes between 2005 and 2009 are as follows: In 2005: 716 citations, in 2009: 1750 citations
When the data on the internet site of Council of Higher Education is analyzed, the place of Trakya University among other universities in Turkey in terms of the publications published in the journals in the scope of WOS is as follows: in 2005, 27th among 77 universities, in 2008, 30th among 114 universities, in 2009, 37th among 125 universities and in 2010, 45th among 131 universities.
  • Research Centers at Trakya University
  • * Health Research and application center
  • * Atatürk's principles and history of Turkish revolution research and application center
  • * Research and application center for mentally and movement handicapped children
  • * Environmental Problems application and research
  • * Computer research and application center
  • * Balkan research and application center
  • * International physics and applied mathematics research
  • * Cancer record application and research
  • * Language teaching and learning research and application center
  • * Edirne research and application center
  • * Plant breeding application and research
  • * Water Products research and application center
  • * Trakya research and application center
  • * Continuing education research and application center
  • * Distance Education research and application center
  • * Kırkpınar and Its Values research and application center
  • * Women's Issues research and application center
  • * Organ Transplantation research and application center
  • * Technology researches and development applications and research center
  • * Entrepreneurship applications and research center

    Library

Central Library: University's Directorate of Library and Documentation Central Library was established in 1989 by the moving of the library in the scope of the Faculty of Science and Letters to Türkan Sabancı Culture Center. It moved to its new building in which modern library services are provided on 19 May 2004.
Trakya University, Directorate of Library and Documentation, the founder of Europe Libraries Association became a member of Balkan Libraries Association in 2009 fulfills the information needs of the lecturers and the students uninterruptedly through developing information technologies for 24 hours a day, on the interactive medium and it conducts these services via a website created.
Special Service for sight-disabled people:
  • Access to a “talking library,” a selection of vocalized books in the national library
  • The chance of accessing voiced course books of Anadolu University, Open education faculty from the talking library
  • Jaws for Windows screen reading program helps users research on the internet in the library
Ayşekadın Campus library: The university started to work on establishing branch office libraries, and as a result of this Ayşekadın Campus Library was established affiliated to Central Library and Documentation Centre in 2008. In this context, Ayşekadın Campus Library refers to the materials that the departments would need in Ayşekadın Campus.
Resources : Number of Books 84.472; Thesis 4.486; Visual Materials 4.62; Electronic Journals 18.068; E-Books 71.257; printed periodical publications 127; Subscribed Databasis 23.

Balkan Symphony Orchestra

Trakya University Balkan Symphony Orchestra was founded in March, 2006. The Balkan Symphony Orchestra is founded with the participation of students of Trakya University State Conservatory high school, undergraduate, graduate and proficiency in art and also the faculty members. Since its foundation, Trakya University Balkan Symphony Orchestra has given more than 40 concerts especially in Thrace region, Edirne, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ and also in Istanbul. The Orchestra has received invitations from Balkan Countries and performed concerts in Greece and Bulgaria. Trakya University Balkan Symphony Orchestra, being in the process of institutional structuring, has the feature of being the first and only symphonic orchestra in Thrace Region. Continually renewing its repertoire, the orchestra gives place to Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary works as well as the works of Turkish composers in their concert programs.