End of repressive era at YÖK imminent

Appointed to the post by former Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Teziç, who is also a constitutional lawyer, has said he will focus on the second volume of a book on constitutional law after his retirement. His successor has yet to be selected by President Abdullah Gül.

Teziç's term was marked by heated discussions. He was originally expected to adopt a more democratic and liberal stance after Kemal Gürüz's tenure as the leader of YÖK, but he fell short of meeting those expectations, according to constitutional law professor and Justice and Development Party (AK Party) deputy Zafer Üskül: "YÖK was expected to have a more democratic approach. At first, the idea of a professor of constitutional law heading YÖK was welcomed by all. However, not only did he fail to live up to the expectations, but no democratic improvement at all was made in YÖK. His example showed that when talking about YÖK we should leave aside individuals and instead discuss the system."

Edibe Sözen, a communications professor and İstanbul AK Party deputy, also highlighted Teziç's failure to meet democratic expectations in his management of YÖK: "His implementations were a dark age for the universities. Universities have stopped being places where knowledge is produced and have instead become places that merely reflect the status quo."

However, Teziç did not agree with others' views of his commitment to democracy and the rule of law. In a press conference as part of a farewell meeting he held yesterday, Teziç said: "Everybody has their own style. I tried to stay inside the limits of my authority during my term in office, and I did. I also operated within the boundaries of the Constitution."

About this point, Mustafa Şentop, an instructor from Marmara University's school of law said: "Looking objectively, his term in office was better than that of the previous chairman, Kemal Gürüz -- particularly in terms of respecting the law and the function of universities." However, Şentop also said Teziç's term was a continuation of the influence of the "Feb. 28 process," an unarmed military intervention against religious and conservative politicians and public figures, and that "this is why one should not give him a good score."

"YÖK has always been a deep-state agency, and this became even more conspicuous in Teziç's term. I have mostly negative views about his term in office. YÖK, an institution of science, was highly politicized during his term, although the process started under the previous chairman, Gürüz," commented Tahir Hatipoğlu, who heads the All University Instructors Association.

Teziç had confrontations with the prime minister and the government on a number of issues, including the controversial 367-quorum decision by the Constitutional Court before the presidential election, the election of the president by popular vote and the prime minister’s proposal to found private universities. Strongly criticized by the prime minister, Teziç accused the government of failing to appoint faculty members in the universities.

A strong opponent of the draft laws that entailed changes to YÖK and the central university placement exam, Teziç announced that they would not accept the decisions of the 17th National Education Council and also asked the government to abandon preparations for a new constitution. The only issue that Teziç agreed with the government on was the condemnation of terrorist incidents.

Noting that he was leaving office content and satisfied with the job he had done, Teziç paid a farewell visit to former President Sezer but he did not meet with PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or President Gül. Teziç will be remembered for his political statements.

How is the YÖK chairman appointed?

The YÖK presidency is vital to the universities. YÖK is authorized to oversee the universities and to remove rectors from office. However, the draft constitution will introduce substantial changes to YÖK’s structure, significantly diluting its authority.

Under the Law on Higher Education, the YÖK chairman is appointed by the president from among YÖK members. The president is vested with the authority to appoint a current YÖK member or a new member who he will elect to the YÖK board. The chairman stays in office for a four-year term. The president is authorized to reassign the same chairman for a second term.