Prof. Dr. Yılmaz
BÜYÜKERŞEN

Yılmaz Büyükerşen completed his undergraduate education in 1962 at the Eskişehir Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences. He continued his academic career at the same institution and was awarded the title of professor in 1973. Elected President of the Academy in 1976, Büyükerşen founded Türkiye’s first School of Cinema and Television in Eskişehir during the 1970s. After being appointed Founding Rector of Anadolu University in 1982, he went on to establish several pioneering institutions in Türkiye, including the Civil Aviation School, the Faculty of Communication Sciences, and a range of educational and research centers dedicated to training specialists in the education of people with disabilities.

Büyükerşen also equipped the university with the country’s first color television studios, as well as an airport and a fleet of training aircraft. During this period, he was appointed—by presidential and prime ministerial decree—as a member of the Radio and Television Supreme Council and served as the council’s chairman.

In 1982, Büyükerşen implemented the “Open Education Model” within Türkiye’s university system. He also served for four years as Chairman of the Board of the Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV). In 1999, he was elected Mayor of the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, a position he held continuously for five terms until 2024.