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 countriesBalkan Universities Network Meeting Mai 2010 Edirne and the University Loerrach in Germany. Erhan Tabakoglu was elected and confirmed as new Rector of the university in July 2016.Candidate in the election to rector Erhan Tabakoglu
History
The roots of Higher Education in Thrace date back to the foundation day (1488) 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 (Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences), four faculties (Faculty of Medicine, Engineering-Architecture, Science and Letters, Tekirdağ Agriculture), two colleges (Edirne Education, Çanakkale Education), four vocational high schools (Edirne, Çanakkale, Kırklareli, Tekirdağ).
Later, four faculties (Faculties of Engineering, Çorlu; Economics and Administrative Sciences; Education, Edirne; Technical Education, Kırklareli;); two colleges (State Conservatory, Kırkpınar Physical Education and Sports College); sixteen vocational colleges (Edirne, Kırklareli ve Tekirdağ Vocational Colleges of Health Services; Vocational Colleges of Hayrabolu, Keşan, İpsala, Malkara, Lüleburgaz, Şarköy, Uzunköprü, Babaeski, Çerkezköy, Marmara Ereğlisi, Havsa, Muratlı, Saray) were established.
Afterwards, one institute (Balkan Research), six faculties (Faculties of Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Science, Letters, Pharmacy and Dentistry), three colleges (Foreign Languages, Edirne and Keşan Applied Sciences Colleges), six vocational schools (Edirne Social Sciences, Edirne, Technical Sciences, Kırklareli Social Sciences, Kırklareli Technical Sciences, Arda, Tunca), 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 (Medicine, Engineering and Architecture, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Education, Fine Arts, Health Sciences, Science, Letters, Pharmacy, Dentistry), four institutes (Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Balkan Research), five colleges (State Conservatory, Kırkpınar Physical Education and Sports, Foreign Languages, Edirne Applied Sciences and Keşan Yusuf Çapraz Applied Sciences), nine vocational colleges (Edirne Social Sciences, Edirne, Technical Sciences, Edirne Health Services, Keşan, Uzunköprü, Havsa, İpsala, Arda, Tunca), Twenty Research and Application centers (Atatürk's Principles and Revolution History, Balkan, Computer, Plant Breeding, Environmental Issues, Language Education, Cancer Registry, Health, Water Products, Continuing Education, Trakya, Kırkpınar, Women's Issues, Organ Transplantation, International Physics and Applied Mathematics, Education for Mentally and Physically Handicapped Children, Edirne, technology researches, entrepreneurship, distance education) and one kindergarten.
Number of Staff at Trakya University (2011) Title Women Men Total Professor 32 101 133 Assoc. Prof. 37 61 98 Assist Prof. 141 167 308 Lecturer 110 101 211 Specialist 15 22 37 Instructor 52 47 99 Research Ass. 229 300 529 Academic Staff 616 799 1415 Administration 700 816 1516 Total 1316 1615 2931
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 (2005–2008) 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.Rektor Enver Duran´s Message concerning the Trakya University (2010) International Office of the Trakya University , Head Hilmi Ibar
Number of Students at Trakya University AcademicYear Number ofInternational Students Number ofTotal Students 2002–2003 294 24.910 2003–2004 306 26.538 2004–2005 307 28.821 2005–2006 308 31.073 2006–2007 281 21.124 2007–2008 263 16.561 2008–2009 271 19.188 2009–2010 320 22.268 2010–2011 630 30.979 2011–2012 892 30.317 2012–2013 920 32.000 2016–2017 2.300 47.000
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 (SCI-Expanded+SSCI+AHCI) 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 (WOS) (SCI-Expanded+SSCI+AHCI), while the number of publication addressed by Trakya University, in the scope of these indexes between 1982 and 2009 was 13 (full article); this number reached 843 (692 full article) between 2001 and 2005; and 1206 (973 full article) 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 (the number of citation referred for each publication is 5.29) When the data on the internet site (www.yok.gov.tr) 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 terms of WOS full article), 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