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Among numerous institutions named after the founder of modern Turkey, Ataturk University can claim a more direct connection than most. The idea of a state university in Eastern Anatolia was raised in a speech by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1937 and came to fruition 20 years later, after the city of Erzerum had been chosen as its home.

It has expanded since it was established, with early developments including a medical school in 1962. It has remained on a single campus with facilities including dormitories for 26,000 students, primary and secondary schools and a hospital to serve the region - which is also among Turkey¡¯s largest training centres.

Students can study across 22 faculties and eight research institutes. Subjects that students can study include architecture and design, dentistry, education, fine arts and communication among others.

Students can get involved with winter sports enabled by the region¡¯s climate. In fact two Olympic curlers are among recent alumni of the university. The Winter and Sports Science Institute, founded in 2017, is among one of the eight research centres. The climate facilitated another striking enterprise ¨C a giant ice sculpture encasing thousands of cigarette butts built by sculpture students as an anti-smoking symbol in January 2020.

The university's astrophysicists are the academic leaders of the Eastern Anatolia Observatory which is Turkey¡¯s largest ever astronomy, space and astrophysics project. It also due to open its first ever infrared telescope, in 2021.

Alumni include Recep Akdag, who served as Minister of Health and Deputy Prime Minister, Omer Dincer, the former Education Minister and one-time Health Minister Ahmet Demircan.