Institutional Statement on Local Stakeholder Participation in Decision Making

Atatürk Üniversitesi, as an institutional body, has established formal and systematic mechanisms to ensure that local stakeholders—including local residents, local government agencies, civil society organisations, and other community actors—are able to participate meaningfully in university decision-making processes. These mechanisms are integrated into university governance, planning, strategic development, and project implementation frameworks.

1. Governing Framework & Policy Basis

Atatürk Üniversitesi’s internal documents — including the Kurum İç Değerlendirme Raporu — describe how “paydaş temsiliyetinin sağlandığı kurul ve komisyonlarda … paydaş görüşleri ve kontrol mekanizmaları kullanılmakta” (stakeholder representation in boards and commissions, with stakeholder feedback and control mechanisms) at the university. Atatürk Üniversitesi
In addition, many faculties have produced formal “Paydaş Analizi” (Stakeholder Analysis) documents that define internal and external stakeholders, classify them and commit to soliciting their input and participation in decision-making. Atatürk Üniversitesi
These demonstrate the institutional recognition of stakeholders and mechanisms for their inclusion in decision-making processes.

2. Defined Stakeholder Groups & Participation Mechanisms

Atatürk Üniversitesi recognises the following stakeholder groups as part of its decision-making environment:

  • Local government entities (e.g., provincial governorate, metropolitan municipality),

  • Civil society organisations (including youth organisations, NGOs, regional development agencies),

  • Local residents and community groups (those affected by university policies, campus infrastructure and local economic/social dynamics),

  • Industry & business partners and regional development organisations (which, though not the primary focus of this indicator, show the university’s broad partner ecosystem).
    As evidence, the university published announcements of its “Paydaşlar Arama Konferansı” (Stakeholders Search Conference) organised on 7-8 April 2018, attended by the Rector, University senior management, and a wide range of local government, military, business associations, civil society organisations and regional stakeholders (Erzurum Valiliği, Erzurum Büyükşehir Belediyesi, 9. Kolordu Komutanlığı, Erzurum Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, etc.). Atatürk Üniversitesi
    This illustrates engagement at the highest institutional level with local stakeholders.

3. Decision-Making Bodies & Stakeholder Input Channels

Atatürk Üniversitesi has embedded stakeholder participation in its decision processes via:

  • Faculties and centres undertaking stakeholder analyses, identifying and classifying external stakeholders, and creating lists of “dış paydaşlar” (external partners) for consultation. Atatürk Üniversitesi+1

  • University-wide Strategic Planning processes in which external stakeholders (governance, local authorities, development agencies, NGOs) have been invited to collaborate, give feedback and participate in workshops and consultation events. For example, in sustainability-goal work, the Center for Environmental Problems (Çevre Sorunları Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi) invited external stakeholders (regional development, business associations, civil society) to strategy workshops. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Internal mechanisms in the Kurum İç Değerlendirme Raporu noting that stakeholder opinions are incorporated through commissions and feedback tools. Atatürk Üniversitesi

4. Community & Civil Society Engagement – Recent Evidence

Although explicit 2024-project details of local-resident, refugee-agency participation are less publicly specified, the institutional documents show ongoing stakeholder inclusion:

  • The stakeholder analysis and external-partner consultation frameworks across faculties ensure local residents and civil society groups can be engaged.

  • The sustainability workshops conducted by the university involve external stakeholders and are inclusive of local/regional actors. For example, in a sustainability-goal workshop, external partners such as DAP Bölge Kalkınma İdaresi, Erzurum OSB, Erzurum Ticaret Borsası, and MÜSİAD were included alongside internal stakeholders. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • The Kurum İç Değerlendirme Raporu (8 months ago) states that “paydaş temsiliyetinin sağlandığı kurul ve komisyonlar” exist, and that stakeholder feedback is used in monitoring and improvement. Atatürk Üniversitesi

5. Mechanisms for Local Resident, Local Government, Civil Society Representation

Atatürk Üniversitesince implemented the following mechanisms:

  • Stakeholder conferences and consultation workshops that bring together local government, civil society, business and community groups to inform university strategy, planning and project decision-making (e.g., the April 2018 “Paydaşlar Arama Konferansı”).

  • Faculty-led stakeholder mapping and prioritisation exercises (e.g., “Paydaş Analizi” at the Faculty of Theology) that explicitly identify external community stakeholders and commit to incorporating their views in service, research and teaching planning. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Internal committees or commissions in which external stakeholder representatives are invited or can participate. The Internal Evaluation Report asserts such commissions use stakeholder feedback to monitor performance and governance. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Feedback systems and reports: The university’s monitoring and evaluation systems incorporate stakeholder views in the planning, control and decision-making chains. For instance, according to the internal evaluation report, strategic planning, monitoring, control and preventive action processes include stakeholder feedback. Atatürk Üniversitesi

6. Institutional Ownership & Continuity

Atatürk Üniversitesi ensures these stakeholder participation mechanisms are not ad-hoc but sustained:

  • Strategic Plan (2024–2028) emphasises stakeholder inclusion and governance transparency.

  • Internal evaluation frameworks list stakeholder representation as an institutional performance area.

  • Faculties carry out stakeholder analyses and produce annual reports on stakeholder interactions.
    These embed participation of local residents, local government and civil society in decision-making in the institutional architecture of the university.