Dear students,

It is a great pleasure to welcome everyone to what promises to be a memorable academic year!

Every October, as we welcome a new class of students to the Girne American University (GAU) I find myself transported back to the very first days of this distinguished institution. I am humbled by the transformation and progress this institution has seen over the past 30 years. We have come a long way from being the pioneers of the private higher education institutions in North Cyprus. Over time we have grown into 3 continents, and earned numerous recognitions from our peer institutions leading to our worldwide accreditation of our degree programs. I am grateful for all the hard work our faculty and our community has put in over the years to help GAU “rise through change and through storm.”

New Students; today marks the first day of our journey together. This year we are welcoming the “largest” and most diverse incoming class in GAU’s history. There are 2700 of you, coming from 89 countries and 4 continents. You are joining a truly international campus, where you get to learn with and learn from your peers. Among you are students joining our newly launched departments Aviation and Health. We are thrilled to have these new departments contribute more programs to our growing list of majors.

It is my sincere wish that you consider GAU as your home away from home. We have a vast array of services to help you adjust to your new life, and we hope you make full use of them. One of such services is our university’s gym, where I have been planning to sign up but keep procrastinating.

As the members of faculty and administration we are here to facilitate your learning. At GAU learning happens outside of class as much as it does within a classroom setting. Throughout the year, you will notice me joining you on your campus activities, and you will have professors who’ll take their students out for lunch. So please do not hesitate to approach your professors and myself when you see us. We are always interested in hearing from you.

We start this new academic year with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility. As an academic institution we are well aware of the significant role institutions such as ours can play in transforming the societies they belong. As the GAU Senate, it gives me great honor to announce that we have decided to declare this commencing year as the “Year of Peace and Health.”

As GAU, we see the need for meaningful change and we aspire to deliver a platform for thought-leadership on matters that are not only of strategic importance for the region, but also on matters of global human rights, social justice and world peace. As we commemorate the 30^th anniversary of our institution, we are also nearing the 25^th anniversary of the Falling of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. In this important moment, I am proud to announce the establishment of the GAU School of Diplomacy in the heart of Nicosia.

Situated at the last divided capital of the world, It is my sincere hope that our School of Diplomacy will be a catalyst for international understanding and will help Cyprus to become known as a hub for its efforts for global peace instead of being a symbol that of conflict-stricken.

Our School of Diplomacy will train the next generation of men and women in tackling some of the most pressing issues of our times and in promoting the ideals of democracy. At these premises, we will be hosting various seminars, talk series, as well as workshops hosting scholars and practitioners from around the world. Our initial schedule of events will include series of talks on themes of Cyprus-EU Relations, Turkish Foreign Policy and the Middle East, Cyprus-US and Cyprus-Russia relations, as well as talk series on the impact of Natural Resources (i.e. Water, Natural Gas, and Oil) on the on-going Cyprus peace talks. GAU School of Diplomacy will strive to strengthen the Turkish Foreign Policy in supporting a sustainable peace on the island.

As Turkish Cypriots, we are aware of the extended net of problems caused by diplomatic stalemates, which can affect the basic human rights of individuals such as access to health and education. We will therefore educate the next generation of leaders that provide innovative solutions rather than problems in challenging the status quo and contributing to constructive steps in direction in attaining world peace. It is our belief that GAU School of Diplomacy will wage a new constructive perspective, and act as a platform for world leaders to assert their commitment to the ideals of democracy and world peace.

In light of our mission, we strongly believe in the importance of education in bringing about change and its significant role in peace, multiculturalism and understanding. We are therefore launching another initiative we are calling the “Nations Project.” We will boost the number of our international students and the countries represented on our campus. We will extend fellowship opportunities to students from each UN member-state, as well as students from unrecognized nations.

We also decided to dedicate this year to events focused around health. As GAU we share the concerns of our society in terms of the need for improvement in our healthcare services on the island. In this respect, we will look for more ways to collaborate with the health professionals and the ministry nationwide in training and educating health personnel. We will also launch series of workshops to advance public knowledge on various health issues. We believe that our work in the health sector will help re-ignite Turkish Cypriot community’s belief in the on-going peace process on the island. I hope that our bold steps in launching 2015 as Peace and Health Year, will pioneer many more initiatives that will advance the rights of Turkish Cypriots.

A university education is more than about training to land your first job. It is about empowering you to learn to shape meaningful and valuable lives. At GAU, we are committed to raising next generation’s leaders who are responsible global citizens, driven by the ideals that benefit the common good. We are looking to raise people who are lead by imagination and live by the ethical standard that we teach, and contribute to the well being of people in the world beyond our walls. These resolutions will foster our aspirations for our commitment to internationalism, and our work as global citizens.

Is peace possible in the world? I do not know. However, as GAU we have taken steps to face an imperative for the noble cause of world peace to embrace thoughtful change and to affirm our core values in ways that fulfill this extraordinary University’s enduring promise to its students and to the world.

May this academic year bring much-needed motivation, encouragement and willpower needed to wage what Mustafa Kemal Ataturk says: peace at home, peace in the region and peace in the world.

It is my great privilege to be joined with you in this work.

Serhat AKPINAR

Chancellor