Slides are from my welcome speech to the 2014-2015 Freshmen at Computer Science Department of Istanbul Sehir University. I emphasize the command of English, building trust, and being self-organized as three key takeaways.

1. Welcome

2. Who am I?
• My name is Ahmet Bulut, I am the department chair.
• My professional profile is at:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmetbulut
• I tweet at:
http://www.twitter.com/kral
• My personal blog is at:
http://www.eventorient.com

3. A code of Speech
• Use Sir to address your professors.
• Always be formal.
• No Abla, Abi, or Amca instead use:
• Hanım
• Bey
• Miss.
• Mr.
• …

4. Where are we at?
• Istanbul Sehir University
• Sehir University
• SEHIR
• ISU

5. You are here because …
• You consciously made a choice and decided to be a
Computer Scientist.
• You consciously made a choice and decided to be a
Computer Engineer.
• Your father told you that you should study an
Engineering discipline.
• You just don’t know.

6. This is a
snapshot
of
myDesk
in
myOffice
West
2047

7. My
Kütahya
Porselen
Mug :-)

8. An
uneaten
şeftali

9. My keys.
I leave
my keys
on the
door in
the
keyhole.

10. That’s
right!

11. Keep it simple!
• (exact) same
• (new) invention
• (natural) instinct
• (originally) created
• (new) recruit
• (over) exaggerate

12. Command of English
• Adverbs weaken your writing, because these excess
words are not adequately descriptive.
• The girl runs quickly vs. the girl sprints.
• The cat walks slowly vs. the cat tiptoes.
• The door didn't shut noisily vs. the door banged shut.

13. Do you manage your time?
• Keep a calendar.
• Be systematic: I even put a calendar event “Make a bad
face to the gatekeeper of my apartment complex for
not giving me the garage key”.
• Don’t count on your memory: Your memory will fail you.

14. Fast forward to 2018
• Where do you see Istanbul Sehir University?
• in the National Top 3 Universities list.
• in the National Top 10 Universities list.
• Academic awards and achievements of the highest
standard.
• a NOBEL PRIZE!
• a Peace Medal?
• a multinational community:1/2 students as foreigners.

15. Personally
• I think, in 2018, Istanbul Sehir University should be a
place where no-one cheats …

16. Have you cheated before?
• I have seen and heard blunt acts of plagiarism. (FACT)
• In an exam, I would like to leave the class to themselves
with a peace of mind. (TRUST)
• If you don’t trust me and if I don’t trust you, how can
we cooperate for your personal growth?(EDUCATION)
• Do you see cheating as an act of play?

17. How can we cope with
cheating?
• Dr. Ali Çakmak: lets change our assessment criteria and
methods to force students into no-plagiarism.
• Dr. Mehmet Genç: We need a national propaganda for
demeaning publicly any acts of plagiarism.
• Dr. Tarık Arıcı: Let’s study Behavioural Science for getting
enough experience on how to cultivate positive
behaviour.
• Dr. Ahmet Bulut: I will trust you.

18. The goal of education

19. Have empathy!
• During the course registrations, I get at least 10 emails
per day from each one of the students that I advise.
• The number of students that are under my academic
advisory is 88.
• 88 x 10 emails = 880 emails.
• (880 emails x 30 seconds) / 3600 = 7 hours.

20. Could you be a Talebe instead
of a Student?
• We are planning to teach you Structural Thinking.
• We are planning to teach you Problem Formulation.
• We are planning to engage you in Problem Solving.
• We are going to force you to speak in English using a
technical jargon.
• You need to follow my footsteps so that:
• you don’t need to do the same mistakes.
• you can gain time (and energy).

21. Today’s
Last
Advice

22. goodlucK