The Kenan Işık Amphitheater, completed with the support of the Koç Group at the Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture (STMF) of Malatya Turgut Özal University (MTÜ), was inaugurated with a ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Malatya Metropolitan Mayor Sami Er, Yeşilyurt Mayor Prof. Dr. İlhan Geçit, MTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Recep Bentli, and MTÜ senior management, Koç Holding Durable Goods Group President Fatih Kemal Ebiçlioğlu, Arçelik Turkey General Manager Can Dinçer, Sabri Şimşek, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations at Token Financial Technologies; Burhan Murzoğlu, Director of Finance and Supply Chain at Bilkom; Banu Sorucu, Senior Expert in Export Logistics at Beko Supply Chain; academic and administrative staff; students; press representatives; and invited guests.

The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the Turkish National Anthem, followed by a short film detailing the protocol signed between the Koç Group and Malatya Turgut Özal University and the collaboration process. The video showed the construction stages of the amphitheater built with the support of the Koç Group, as well as the Umutkent Container City Project established for earthquake victims and the artistic activities carried out by the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture with children there. This was followed by Kenan Işık's biography and the poem “Sessiz Gemi” (Silent Ship), recited by the master artist himself, which was presented to the participants. The program gained an emotional atmosphere with the song “Şafak Söktü Yine Sunam Uyanmaz” performed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ferdi Karaönçel on the piano and Dr. Bilgehan Aycan.Malatya Metropolitan Mayor Sami Er addressed the city's business community during his speech at the ceremony: "Universities are not only places that produce science, but also spaces where culture, art, and aesthetics flourish. This amphitheater, named after Kenan Işık, is a valuable asset for our city of Malatya. However, our city needs more such works. In Kayseri, the names of businesspeople have been given to faculties; we want to see similar contributions in Malatya.“ Er concluded his speech by saying, ”We worked together with our universities to heal the wounds of the earthquake. As the municipality, we will continue to stand by our universities. We also expect more support for our universities from the business world."

Rector Bentli: “Kenan Işık is a Role Model for Our Students”

MTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Recep Bentli touched upon the collaboration process and the stage of determining the name of the amphitheater, stating, "Our first contact with the Koç Group was after the earthquake. I introduced our university to Mr. Fatih and conveyed the needs of our Faculty of Art and Design in particular. Thankfully, they provided a lot of support, from instruments to educational materials. Later, the construction of this amphitheater came up. They also provided support here so that our students could receive education in better conditions. While discussing what name to give this amphitheater in our faculty senate, the name that came to mind was Kenan Işık. He was a name that would serve as a role model for our students with his artistry, gentlemanly demeanor, and contributions to our culture. We are delighted that this decision has now been realized."

Prof. Dr. Ersan Çiftci: “The Koç Group and our Rectorate have always been by our side throughout the process.”

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Ersan Çiftci, Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, emphasized the faculty's vision and the importance of the amphitheater, saying, "We are a productive faculty with an application-oriented approach. We are a faculty with stage outputs. We strive to bring our university's social contributions to our city. We experienced bottlenecks from time to time during this process, but we overcame every obstacle with the pioneering contributions of the Koç Group and the support of our Rectorate. The support of our Rector and management gave us strength, and the Koç Group was always by our side throughout the process. I thank you all very much."

“Kenan Işık Amphitheater Will Be a Gift to Future Generations”

Fatih Kemal Ebiçlioğlu, President of Koç Holding's Durable Goods Group, spoke about both the work done after the earthquake and the importance of the Kenan Işık Amphitheater: "The earthquake we experienced was an extraordinary disaster that affected 11 provinces. As the Koç Group, we established cities of hope to address housing issues. However, it was not just housing that was important, but also meeting the needs of social life. Here, we saw that our professors and students made valuable contributions through music performances, theater plays, children's choirs, and artistic activities. They touched the lives of the local people through art therapy. I would like to thank our university for these dedicated efforts."

Kenan Işık's brother, Prof. Dr. Memet Cengiz Işık, gave a detailed account of the master artist's life in his speech, saying, "It is difficult to put my brother Yusuf Kenan Işık's story into words. It all began when we were in elementary school, showing movies in the small shed we built in the garden of our house in Sıtmapınarı. As he narrated the film clips reflected on my mother's stove curtain, he was actually embarking on his artistic journey. His passion for theater, which began in middle school at the Malatya Community Center, extended to state theaters in Ankara during his high school and university years. My brother saw the stage not only as a place for art, but also as a space where people could discover themselves and hold up a mirror to society." Memet Cengiz Işık emphasized the artist's versatility, saying, "He pursued art in every field, from documentaries on TRT to the General Art Directorship of Istanbul City Theaters, from column writing to television hosting. The public knew him as the host of the show ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, but above all, he represented the power of theater, literature, and art to touch people. Today, having his name live on in this amphitheater is a great source of pride and joy for our family."

Following the speeches, plaques were presented. Mayors, university administrators, Koç Holding executives, and representatives from the business world were invited to the stage to be honored. The ceremony concluded with commemorative photographs.