The first lesson from Altunkaya

At the opening of the academic year of Mardin Artuklu University Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design and Midyat Vocational School, Mahsum Altunkaya, Chairman of the Board of Altunkaya Group of Companies, shared his success story and experiences with the students.

The opening ceremony of the 2024-2025 academic year was attended by Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özcoşar, Rector of Mardin Artuklu University, Midyat District Governor Ömer Faruk Özdemir, Midyat Mayor Veysi Şahin, successful businessman Mahsum Altunkaya, Chairman of Gaziantep MAREV Abdülkerim Aslan, Dean of Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design Prof. Dr. Mehmet Işık, guests, academicians, and students.

“It was a dream, and it became a reality”

After the opening speeches in the conference hall of the Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design, Mahsum Altunkaya, Chairman of the Board of Altunkaya Group of Companies, gave the “First Lesson”. Mahsum Altunkaya, who is from Midyat and made significant contributions to the construction of the Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design building, began his speech with, “It was a dream, and it became a reality. This faculty was a dream for our district, and it has become a reality. I would like to thank primarily our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the bureaucrats of that period, the Board Members of the Southeastern Anatolia Grain Legumes Oil Seeds and Products Exporters’ Union, and everyone who contributed to the realization of this dream.”

Altunkaya shared his success story and experiences with the students, saying, “I was born in the village of Sivrice in Midyat. After completing elementary school in the village, I enrolled in a secondary school in a neighboring village, which was 6-7 kilometers away, with my cousin. We walked to school every day for 6-7 kilometers in all kinds of difficult conditions, whether in snow or winter. We returned the same way. We faced the danger of freezing twice and survived by a great coincidence and luck. Then we transferred to Midyat Secondary School. After middle school, I enrolled in the Industrial Vocational High School in the Machining department, from which I graduated. In 1991, we migrated to Gaziantep as a family and continued our trade as a family business.”

“If you never give up, you will definitely succeed”

Expressing that he liked the slogan of Artuklu University, “Morality, Knowledge, and Production,” businessman Altunkaya stated, “Morality is very important. That’s why we say morality first. Then we will learn science and use our knowledge for our country and humanity.” Sharing his experiences with the students, Altunkaya continued, “Do not work just to make money. Work to be successful in your profession. If you are successful, the money will come anyway. You will have to work hard, research, and improve yourself. You must not give up at the smallest difficulty. Let me tell you an incident that happened with my son. My son Irfan, who was born after my daughter, was a first-grade middle school student. One morning, he missed the school bus. He called his mother from the intercom at the entrance of the house, asking her to call a taxi. I was at home at that time. I told her I would take him. I went downstairs, brought the car out, and Irfan was waiting for me to take him by car. The school is 3-4 kilometers away, and it was raining. When he wanted to get in the car, I said, ‘You will walk.’ When he asked how he would walk, I replied, ‘You will walk the same way you missed the bus.’ While he walked ahead, I followed him in the car. We reached the school this way. It was hard for him, but he never missed the bus again. Therefore, do not give up immediately at the smallest obstacle or problem you encounter. Strive, make an effort, and you will definitely succeed. Be in favor of change. Be inquisitive. Innovation and awareness are very important. Wherever you are and whatever job you do, innovate there, show your difference. Keep researching, visiting, going to fairs, and if possible, go abroad. Do not forget that Edison conducted two thousand experiments to invent the light bulb. Think about it, he reached his goal after two thousand experiments. Do not give up and chase your goals. Never lack respect for your parents who raised you. Unity and solidarity are very important. There is no success without unity and solidarity. Absolutely, without falling into despair, move toward your goals. Our Nobel Prize-winning professor Aziz Sancar and our Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek also came from these lands just like you. They succeeded. Believe me, if you work and do not give up, you will also succeed.”

“Thank you to Veysi Şahin”

While thanking Midyat Mayor Veysi Şahin, Altunkaya stated, “When the construction of this faculty building was being done, our Mayor Veysi Şahin had promised to build a girls’ dormitory here. I am very happy to see the dormitory building completed now. I thank him for his contribution. We talked to our rector as well. We received a promise from him to open a Textile and Fashion Design Department here next year. We will all serve our district together.”

“We have laid the foundation of Midyat University”

Prof. Dr. İbrahim Özcoşar, Rector of Mardin Artuklu University, also talked about the story of the construction of the Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design in his speech at the ceremony. Rector Özcoşar said, “We decided to establish an arts and design faculty that would carry the district into the future. Once the faculty was established on paper, the construction of the building came to the agenda. With the initiatives of our fellow townsman Mahsum Altunkaya, who was the President of the Southeastern Anatolia Grain Legumes Oil Seeds and Products Exporters’ Union at that time, the building was constructed in a short time and delivered to us. I thank Mahsum Altunkaya and everyone who contributed. In fact, we did not just establish a faculty here; we laid the foundations of Midyat University as well. Now we want to establish a technology faculty focused on artificial intelligence. We hope to realize this as soon as possible.”

At the end of the speeches, students presented flowers and plaques to Mahsum Altunkaya, Chairman of the Board of Altunkaya Group of Companies. After the ceremony, businessman Mahsum Altunkaya and the guests visited the stands showcasing the designs made by the students of the Jewelry department of Midyat Faculty of Arts and Design and Midyat Vocational School, gathering information from the students and chatting with them.