Held from July 6th to 10th, this year’s retreat, themed “A Core-Curriculum for a Brave New World: Academic Leadership, Digital Literacy, and Global Citizenship,” offered AUC and Sabanci colleagues a shared space to rethink the role of core curricula in rapidly changing academic and social contexts. The week opened with a welcome reception and greetings from Foundations Development Director Emre Erol and AUC’s Academic Core Head of Studies Dora Achourioti, followed by an introduction to Sabanci’s Civic Involvement Projects (CIP) course by CIP Director Zeynep Bahar.

AUC staff were closely involved throughout the retreat. Dean Bruce Mutsvairo joined Professor Nebi Sümer (Sabanci University) for an open discussion on academic leadership in an era of crisis, exploring how liberal arts and sciences education can respond to global challenges. Sessions on global citizenship and anticipatory skills in the core curriculum featured contributions from Emma Cohen de Lara and Hilla Dayan, who drew on AUC’s experience in teaching citizenship, critical thinking, and democracy. Faculty from both institutions, including Duygu Karaoğlan Altop, Jacqui Edwards, Dora Achourioti, and Breanndán Ó Nualláin, shared a year's worth of experience integrating AI into teaching.

The second half of the retreat focused on hands-on curriculum design. Under the moderation of Süphan Bakkal and Sinem Erdoğan İşkorkutan, participants collaboratively drafted goals, modules, and syllabi for a new “AILiteracy” course, exploring how core curricula can equip students to engage critically and responsibly with emerging technologies. The week concluded with group presentations, a finalized syllabus draft, a forward-looking discussion on the CCSR 2027 theme, and a joint excursion to Kadiköy and Heybeliada, further strengthening ties and knowledge exchange between the two institutions.