The Story of Cukurova University Emblem

As soon as Cukurova University was established, one of the main issues was to find an emblem that would symbolize our university. However, we didn’t want the emblem to be something ordinary. It had to be an assertive emblem that would suit an assertive university so that its staff and graduates would proudly carry and maintain it.

 The topic was discussed at the university senate in details. With the decision dated 14.12.1973 and numbered 1/8 the senate members agreed that a composition based on cotton plant cocoon would take place in the emblem to characterize Cukurova.

 At the same session, in the decision 1/9 the emblem was decided to be embroidered on weft of academic clothes as well.

 Although the emblem project slowed down a bit because of hectic work schedule, researches on the emblem continued. Various opinions were received and suggestions were evaluated.

 After a while the university senate put the issue on their agenda again and reconsidered the issue and evaluated all the views till that day. Before holding a contest the senate decided to get the opinions of faculties with the decision dated 29 November 1974 and numbered 38/5.

Considering the opinions of the faculties, the university senate decided to hold a contest for Cukurova University emblem, form a jury for that emblem contest and give awards to winners with the decision numbered 106/1 and dated 16 November 1976.

 It was decided that one lecturer from State Academy of Fine Arts, one from School of Applied Arts, one from Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture Chair of Landscape Architecture would be at the selection committee and that Prof. Dr. Lütfullah Aksungur and Prof. Dr. Muhsin Yılmaz would represent our university at the selection committee. Also, they decided to give 12500 TL to the winner of the contest, 7500 TL to the one who comes second, 5000 TL to the third and 2000 TL to two contestants as honourable mentions.

 The works ranking the highest in the contest were exhibited at the Senate Hall. The winner made a detailed explanation about the emblem. Senate members heckled the winner. I cannot say that we liked the current university emblem immediately. We were dreaming some figures that symbolize Cukurova instead of letters on the emblem. We had even decided to have cotton boll as a symbol at one of our earlier senate meetings, but what we had now was a two-letter figure. However, with the description of the creator of the work, we started to see the emblem from a different perspective and started to like it. Today, the emblem exhibited in Rectorate Museum is the originally coloured and shaped emblem which won the contest.

 Although the decision University Senate made that emblem would be embroidered on the weft of lecturers’ academic clothes is still valid and there is no contradicting decision from then on, this application  somehow hasn’t started and has been forgotten. It can surely be a nice application if it can be put into practice.