BARU Attends the Opening Ceremony of the 2026–2027 Academic Year Organized by CoHE
6 Ekim 2026
Bartın University (BARU) Rector Prof. Ahmet Akkaya and the accompanying delegation attended the “2026–2027 Higher Education Academic Year Opening Ceremony” held at the Beştepe National Congress and Culture Center.
The “2026–2027 Higher Education Academic Year Opening Ceremony,” organized by the Council of Higher Education (CoHE), was held at the Beştepe National Congress and Culture Center with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The ceremony was attended by Bartın University (BARU) Rector Prof. Ahmet Akkaya, Vice Rector Prof. Mehmet Cengiz Karaismailoğlu, Rector's Advisor Asst. Prof. Özkan Avcı, Prof. Halil Barış Özel from the Faculty of Forestry, and students.
CoHE President Özvar Emphasizes Türkiye's Growing Position in Global Higher Education
Delivering the opening speech at the ceremony, CoHE President Prof. Erol Özvar stated, “We regard the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye as an extremely important objective that will strengthen our national unity and solidarity. With this understanding, we invite all our universities to contribute to this process through conferences, panels, seminars, and workshops. Our universities are addressing this issue during their academic year opening ceremonies and inaugural lectures. We believe these efforts will raise awareness among young people and society as a whole.”
Highlighting the progress universities have made in recent years, Prof. Özvar said, “Today, with 208 universities, approximately 6.3 million students, and nearly 190,000 academic staff, we have one of the largest higher education systems in the world. With Türkiye's growing representation in global higher education, we have become the third country in the world with the highest number of universities represented in an international ranking for 2027. Over the past three years, we have introduced approximately 80 new academic programs, particularly in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digitalization in agriculture and healthcare, and green transformation. In terms of internationalization, we are extending our efforts beyond the Turkic world, developing joint universities, dual-degree programs, mobility opportunities, and research initiatives across a broad geographical area stretching from the Balkans to Africa and from the Islamic world to Asia and Europe, thereby strengthening Türkiye's science diplomacy.”
President Erdoğan: “Our Universities Are Institutions That Generate New Knowledge and Contribute to Society”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began his remarks by expressing his hope that the 2026–2027 academic year would be a productive one in which students would acquire new knowledge and experiences and universities would build on their achievements.
President Erdoğan stated, “On behalf of my country and nation, I extend my strongest message of solidarity to all students in Gaza who, despite having their homes and educational institutions destroyed over the past three years, have remained steadfast in their struggle. Today's universities are institutions that use existing knowledge to generate new knowledge through research and share their findings with society to contribute to solving problems. These are precisely our expectations of our universities. Particularly with the rapid developments in artificial intelligence, access to information has become easier than ever before. Accessing sources and information through artificial intelligence models has largely eliminated the need for effort. The importance of approaching information comparatively and questioning it is gradually diminishing. However, in academia, the journey itself can sometimes be more valuable than reaching the destination. If human beings are not the central actors, the knowledge conveyed will not be lasting. Knowledge acquired without effort fades, disappears, and is forgotten instantly, like writing on water. Therefore, I believe our universities must carefully consider these challenges in the context of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. This is because we regard every investment in education as an investment in our future and our people.”
Commenting on the opening ceremony of the 2026–2027 Academic Year organized by CoHE, Rector Akkaya noted that the ceremony conveyed important messages regarding innovation and artificial intelligence in higher education. He emphasized that BARU would continue its efforts with a commitment to scientific research, quality education, and contributing to the country's development goals.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the 2026 CoHE Outstanding Achievement Awards.
BARU Communications Coordination Office
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