Our Faculty

HISTORY

With the founding law no. 1487, dated September 12, 1971, Boğaziçi University took its place among Turkish universities, inheriting the deep-rooted academic tradition and superior institutional structure of Robert College, the first American college established outside the United States. Boğaziçi University continued and expanded on this success. Although it had three faculties and one graduate unit in 1971, since 1982 it has grown by institutionalizing four faculties, six institutes, two colleges, and many research centers.
On the initiative of Robert College and the president of the American College for Girls, Duncan S. Ballantine, the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences was established by the decision of the Council of Ministers in 1958 as a four-year teaching unit under the name of Business Administration and Economics. With the establishment of Boğaziçi University and then in 1982 with Higher Education Law No. 2547, the Faculty of Administrative Sciences continued its tradition of excellence in its field as the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. The Faculty initially consisted of Economics, Business Administration, and Social Sciences. After establishing a strong infrastructure with introductory courses from different fields reflecting the tradition of "Liberal Arts" in the first year, a "Core Program" was developed for the second year. After 1982 and in accordance with Law No. 2547, the Faculty was restructured so that its departments no longer included Psychology and Sociology; now its departments would give degrees in Economics, Business Administration and Public Administration. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Department of Public Administration was renamed Political Science and International Relations in accordance with its main program.

When these three departments began in 1959, they had 31 students. After many improvements and transformations over the years, they have made their academic and social reputation in the national and international arena with more than 2000 students, over 60 lecturers, and thousands of graduates.

WASHBURN HALL: STORY OF THE FACULTY BUILDING

The faculty is housed in Washburn Hall, a magnificent stone building designed for classroom teaching by the architect-engineer Alfred Hamlin, son of Cyrus Hamlin, founder and first president of Robert College. Made of blue limestone like most buildings on campus before World War I, it is dedicated to George Washburn, one of the founding presidents of the College. The “July 1904” date engraved on the cornerstone placed on its foundation indicates its age, though the building did not enter service until April 1906. In his memoirs, then-president Calep Gates recorded its grand opening as the beginning of a long journey on which he would “witness generations of students learning to question and implement,” and it is appropriate that its eye-catching entrance door on the north facade was considered the main gate of Robert College's teaching space until 1932. At that time, the "Natural History Museum", which was the only one in Turkey and one of the few examples in the world, and the "Music Room" with an exquisite view were located on the top floor of the building.

In addition to being the center of the administrative and institutional structure of Robert College during its transition into Boğaziçi University in 1971, Washburn Hall has been the heart of the campus in the past and present, carrying the traces and efforts of everyone who has crossed its path. It draws attention with its beauty and admiration with its functionality, which became more evident at the end of 2013 as a result of a restoration done in accordance with its historical texture and architectural style. Most of all, it adds charm to campus life with its mysterious shadow falling on the stairs.

OUR OBJECTIVES

• To offer up-to-date, innovative, functional and versatile curriculum focused on improving problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Producing quality publications that make an impact.
• To raise ethical, forward-thinking, people-oriented leaders who add value to the society and the world in the fields of Economics and Administrative Sciences.
• To maintain high standards in Economics and Administrative Sciences Education and to be a leading faculty with an approach in line with the requirements of the changing world.