First Turkish professor to become rector of US university

FLORIDA

Ayşegül Timur, a Turkish professor, has created history by becoming the first Turkish rector of the U.S.-based university Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

FGCU voted to appoint Timur as their rector. Therefore, Timur became both the first Turk to become the rector of a university in the U.S. and the first female rector of the university.

Timur was elected as the new rector of FCGU by the board with seven votes against six.

Currently, Timur serves as the vice president for Strategy and Program Innovation at FGCU. In this role, she launched the micro-authentication and digital badges initiative and led the university to secure a $22.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce - Economic Development Administration.

“There are no words to say how honored I am to lead this great institution,” Timur said in her speech after the vote.

“There is no question about her work ethic,” said Peter Sulick, one of the chairmans of the university board, adding that Timur is “intelligent, hardworking, determined and has attractive leadership qualities.”

The Turkish academic will take office on July 1 after receiving approval from the university’s board of directors in June.

Timur, who moved to the U.S. from Türkiye 25 years ago, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Istanbul University.