GAU Vice Chancellor of Board of Administrators Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asım Vehbi stated that they have reached the goals which were planned 10 years ago:

 “GAU became a public university”

In the program presented by Emin Akkor in AS TV, Girne American University (GAU) Vice Chancellor of Board of Administrators Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asım Vehbi, who stated that goals which were planned 10 years ago have been reached and important projects will continue, referred that “GAU became a public and the government university with its 15 thousands students. We had a goal to reach 15 thousands students in 2015. Now we have achieved this goal which was planned 10 years ago and we are proud of this.”

10-year strategies

 “We are making 10-yeared strategic plans, the plans for the following 10 years are ready, our targets have been set, GAU is producing a project that will pass over 20 thousands students and of course, new departments, faculties and buildings will be added. The biggest project that we dwell on is health. We are aiming to make great progress in the following 10 years. We are taking firm steps forward being the most assertive institution in the island. Construction of our hospital continues with all possible dispatch and we will work hard to develop not only in health but also in the fields of navigation and aviation.”

Vehbi answered the question of “Will Girne American University take a step in medical with its hospital?” by expressing “Medical Faculty that we plan is not indexed with our hospital, we have prepared it as a joint program with Istanbul Bilim University. At the first step, our local approval to admit students with the system of 2+4 has been received and we will open it with the approval Council of Higher Education.”

Asım Vehbi who stated that the systems in the world improves continuously and new generation’s manner of work have developed, continued “With the technology, new fields have been opened and the individuals to work in these fields are needed.”

GAU became the university of public

 “As a university, we always say that an university is not belong to someone and with its 15 thousands students, GAU became the university of public and the government” says Vehbi and by indicating that we, as an island, need to provide a development in aviation and navigation fields and have a lack of knowledge at this point, stated as follows:

 “As GAU and AUC, we have plans about agriculture in our Karpaz campus. The water have transported to our country and a very serious service industry has been formed. Whoever you ask the question of “how does a country remain standing?” in TRNC, one of the two sectors would answer by mentioning Higher Education Institutions and the other would talk about tourism which takes great supports and started to develop. In this service industry, there is a huge human traffic, in addition to this, we have a great number of tourists and many agricultural and animal products that we need to provide. Producing these products by ourselves is very important. There would be a third expansion in economy and these should be planned, so, we have decided to build an agricultural faculty. Although it is required sizeable investments, we are building this faculty as we think we owe this to our island.”

AUC is the sister university of GAU                                 

Vehbi who also mentioned about American University of Cyprus (AUC) stated that “Last year, American University of Cyprus received the approval of Council of Higher Education for three of its faculties and admitted students for all departments of these faculties. AUC is the sister university of GAU, therefore, it will take the support of GAU for a long time, then, go its own way. It has admitted foreign, Cypriot and Turkish students. It has created a successful student portfolio. We planned AUC as a city and boutique university for “Nicosia Walled City”, departments will work with 60 quota for each and we will not increase this number. By expressing the balance of students will be paid attention and they will continue with the fields and departments that will contribute to the Walled City, Vehbi continued;

 “This issue is also a dream of Serhat Akpınar, we will contribute to the Walled City in all possible ways,  it is one of the most important piece of our culture. At least, for people who were born in Nicosia, it is a place that connects them with their ancestors. Both historical and cultural texture of it needs to be opened and give service to tourism in a way that it will provide money for the country. We will do our share.”

Asım Vehbi emphasized that as Girne American University; they do not receive any contributions from the government and finished his speech as follows;

“From an external perspective, everyone can say that ‘universities should specialize in several fields’, at first this can sound reasonable. There are departments in a university which provides money or loses money, universities cannot be sustainable and at this point, they ask the help of the government. At the moment, we do not receive any contributions from the government.”