Ensuring success through education

24 Apr 2014

Ensuring success through education

Re: Husnu Ozyegin (MBA 1969)

Topics: Entrepreneurship-Corporate Entrepreneurship Philanthropy-Material Giving Education-Higher Education

Educating a nation of children is Hüsnü Özyeğin’s (MBA 1969) investment in Turkey’s future. The successful self-made businessman and philanthropist is focused on eliminating disparities in education. He has founded dozens of schools and has pledged up to $1 billion for Özyeğin University, which opened its first campus in 2008 and its second in 2011. “There are many businesses that are born and die. A university is supposed to live forever,” says the founder and chairman of FiBA Group, a multibillion-dollar portfolio of investments that includes shopping malls, retail stores, real estate, wind energy, and banks.

Located outside of Istanbul, Özyeğin University offers financially accessible education programs focused largely in business and engineering, and has plans to grow its student population to 6,000 by 2015.

“I try to instill in the students self-confidence and entrepreneurial spirit. I tell them if they believe and work hard . . . they can be successful,” says Özyeğin. “Life is a marathon, not a hundred-meter dash. Young men and women have to strive for long-term sustainable achievements, rather than short-term successes.”

(Published April 2014)

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Featured Alumni

Husnu Ozyegin

MBA 1969

Featured Alumni

Husnu Ozyegin

MBA 1969

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