Bu araştırma, Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi'ne yönelik Niğde'de yaşayan vatandaşların bakış açısını incelemek ve vatandaşların sivil toplum kuruluşlarından ve üniversiteden beklentilerini belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Katılımcıların tanımlayıcı özelliklerine göre Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi'ne bakış açılarını ve beklentilerini incelemek de araştırmanın diğer amacını oluşturmuştur. Araştırma 2017 yılı Ocak ayı içerisinde Niğde'de yaşayan 404 vatandaş üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada veriler anket yöntemi ile toplanmıştır. Elde edilen verilerin analizi bilgisayar ortamında SPSS 22.0 programında gerçekleştirilmiştir. Anketlere ilişkin güvenilirlik ve faktör analizleri yapılmıştır. Katılımcıların tanımlayıcı özelliklerini belirlemede frekans ve yüzde istatistiklerinden, bakış açılarını ve beklentilerini belirlemede ortalama ve standart sapma istatistiklerinden faydalanılmıştır. Tanımlayıcı özelliklere göre bakış açıları ve beklenti düzeylerinin incelenmesinde ise t testi, tek yönlü Anova testi ve tamamlayıcı olarak da Scheffe testi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; Niğde'de yaşayan vatandaşların Ömer Halisdemir Üniversitesi'ne yönelik davranışsal etki boyutu dışında, ekonomik katkı, yöresel imaj, kültürel kaynaşma ve sosyal etki boyutlarında oldukça olumlu bir bakış açısına sahip oldukları saptanmıştır. Katılımcıların üniversiteden yüksek düzeyde beklentilerinin yanında, üniversiteye yönelik olarak yönetici ve sivil toplum kuruluşlarından beklentilerinin daha yüksek düzeyde olduğu saptanmıştır. Katılımcıların araştırmada ele alınan tüm tanımlayıcı özelliklerine göre üniversiteye bakış açılarında farklılıkların olduğu, cinsiyet ve memleket değişkeni dışında da, beklentilerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılıkların olduğu belirlenmiştir

This research study is carried out to examine Niğde residents’ point of view towards Ömer Halisdemir University and to determine the expectations of the residents from NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and universities. Examination of the perceptions and expectations of the survey participants towards Ömer Halisdemir University in accordance with their descriptive characteristics constitutes the other objective of the research. The survey is conducted in January 2017 with participation of totally 404 Niğde residents. Survey data are collected by using questionnaire method. Analysis of the obtained data is performed via SPSS 22.0 software program. Reliability and factor analyses related to the questionnaires are conducted. The frequency and percentage statistics are used to determine the descriptive characteristics of the participants, while the mean and standard deviation statistics are utilized to determine the perceptions and expectations. According to the descriptive characteristics, t-test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe tests are performed in the analysis of perception and expectation levels. As a result of the research; Niğde residents are found to have a very affirmative perceptions towards Ömer Halisdemir University in dimensions of economic contribution, regional image, cultural cohesion and social impact, with an exception of behavioral effect dimension. Participants are found to have higher expectations from the administrators and NGOs, as well as their high expectations from the university. In the study, it was determined that there are statistically significant differences in terms of the expectations from the university according to all the descriptive characteristics of the participants and there are statistically significant differences in the perception towards the university, with except for the gender and the hometown variables Universities play an important role in the development of individuals and societies and they are shaped by the changes in the social structure (Kaya, 2014: 238). Universities aim to train universal, ethical, scientific thinkers, productive and inquisitive individuals (Gültekin, Çelik ve Nas, 2008: 264). Universities perform functions such as cultural transfer, vocational and technical education, scientific research and the training of new scientists (Gasset, 1998: 43). By doing so, they are vital for social change and development (Kaya, 2014: 238). Universities have a lot of contributions to their cities and this has been the subject of many researches. However, their economical contributions were most investigated (Thanki, 1999; Erkekoğlu, 2000; Bilginoğlu ve diğerleri, 2002; Huffman ve Quigley, 2002; Tugay ve Başgül, 2005; Drucker ve Goldstein, 2007; Dalğar ve diğerleri, 2009; Görkemli, 2009; Çalışkan, 2010, Demireli ve Ercan, 2013). In recent years, researchers have mostly focused on how local people view the university, (Sağır ve İnci, 2013; Avcikurt ve Demirbulat, 2015; Gümüş, Ertürk ve Şen,2015) but their expectations from the university is a comparatively new subject (Torun, Öztürk ve Gelibolu, 2009; Yılmaz ve Kaynak, 2011). It is hoped that by examining how the local people view university and determining their expectations from administrators, non-governmental organizations and the university, integration of the citizen with the university can be achieved and thus contributions of the university to the city can be increased. This research aims to examine the participants’’ views towards Ömer Halisdemir University, to determine their expectations from nongovernmental organizations and university and also to examine if the participants’ views and expectations from Ömer Halisdemir University vary based on their demographics. Method Population and sample of the study: The population of the study is the people (aged 18+) living in Niğde. The study was conducted with the participation of 404 people in January 2017. Data Collection Tools: This is a survey study. The questionnaire consists of questions that aim to identify the demographics of the participants, to identify the participants’ views towards Ömer Halisdemir University, administrators and non-governmental organizations. Statistical Analysis of Data: SPSS for Windows 22.0 was used to analyze the data. The descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographics of the participants, their views and expectations. The ttest, the one-way ANOVA test and the Scheffe test were used to see if the participants’ views and expectations vary according to their demographics. Findings: The findings regarding the dimensions that make up the participants’ views to the university are as follow; the level of "economic contribution" is high (3,850 ± 1,121); The level of "behavioral effect" was high (3,420 ± 1,339); The level of "regional image" was high (3,811 ± 1,113); The level of "cultural cohesion" is high (4,050 ± 1,066); The level of "social impact" was high (4,027 ± 1,186). Conclusions and Recommendations  According to the findings, the contribution of the university to Nigde is high.The participants have a high level of expectations from the administrators and non-governmental organizations in the context of universities.  The participants have high expectations from the university.  Female participants compared to men think that the university provides cultural cohesion and social influence.  The behavioral impact scores of those who are from Niğde were found to be lower than those who are from other cities.  Those who live in Niğde for 26-30 years have the most positive view on the university's economic contribution, regional image and cultural cohesion. However, they have the most negative views in terms of behavioral impact.  The scores regarding the economic contribution, regional image and cultural cohesion of the married participants are higher than single participants. However, their behavioral impact scores are low.  Views of the participants (aged 45+) to university's economic contribution, regional image, cultural cohesion and social influence are more favorable. However, their views towards the dimension of behavioral effect are more negative.  It is found that if the participants’ education level increases, their views towards the university regarding the economic contribution, regional image and cultural cohesion dimensions become negative but the views towards behavioral impact become more positive.  Workers are more positive about the university's economic contribution and regional image dimensions. However, they have the most negative opinion in terms of behavioral impact.  Those who earn 4501 TL and above have the most favorable view towards university’s economic contribution, regional image and cultural cohesion. However, they have the most negative opinion in terms of behavioral impact.  There is no significant difference between the expectations of the participants regardless of their gender or hometown from the nongovernmental organizations and university.  As the number of years of living in Niğde increases, the participants’ expectations from non-governmental organizations and administrators are increasing. And the participants living in Niğde for 26- 30 years have the most expectations from university.  The married participants have more expectations from the administrators, non-governmental organizations and the university than the single participants. The participants who are aged 45 or more have more expectations from the administrators, non-governmental organizations and the university than the younger participants.  With the increase of the education level, the expectations of the participants from the administrators, non-governmental organizations and the university are decreasing. Workers and tradespeople’s expectations are higher than the occupational groups.  The participants with the highest level of income have the highest expectations from the administrators, non-governmental organizations and the university. In order to meet the expectations of citizens living in Niğde from the university, applications should be made especially for workers, tradesmen, and individuals over 45 years of age. More powerful universities will be able to be reached by meeting the expectations of the people from universities and administrators and non-governmental organizations. This research is limited only to Ömer Halisdemir University and the citizens living in Niğde. In order to generalize the results of the research, researches should be carried out on broader sample groups covering different cities.