Istanbul University's accreditation in jeopardy

Following the cancellation of the diploma of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu, the international accreditations of the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration have returned to the agenda. The diploma crisis surrounding İmamoğlu has sparked debates regarding the faculty's accreditations and academic standards.

APPLICATION TO EUROPE-BASED ACCREDITATION BODY AFTER THE US

Following an initial review by the US-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an application has now been filed with the Europe-based AQAS for the accreditation of the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration. AQAS is a Germany-based higher education quality assurance and accreditation agency that evaluates undergraduate and graduate programs of universities according to international academic standards.

The accreditation that the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration has received from this organization ensures the validity of its degrees across Europe. The new application emphasizes that the decision to cancel the diploma harms the principles of ethics and academic impartiality, and it requests the revocation of the faculty's accreditation.

The application submitted to AQAS is currently in the preliminary evaluation stage. However, the academics who filed the application expect the process to move quickly. According to journalist İsmail Saymaz, the same application has also been made to the EQAS institution in Germany, and the initiation of an investigation process is expected.

Academics stated that if both accreditation bodies revoke the accreditation of the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration, the faculty's international reliability and reputation would be significantly damaged. It is suggested that the prestige of Istanbul University would diminish significantly following such a revocation.

19 MARCH PLATFORM MONITORING THE ACCREDITATION PROCESS

The monitoring of the accreditation process for the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration is being carried out by academics within the 19 March Platform, which was established in the US. This platform was formed following the March 19 operation launched against Ekrem İmamoğlu and consists of volunteer academics. The platform continues to closely monitor developments both in Turkey and abroad, sharing them with the public.

News Source: 12punto