Üsküdar University 2026–2027 Academic Year started with a ceremony!

YÖKAK President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak: “The world is changing. If we don't change, our job will be difficult. We need to change and transform with the world.” 

Emphasizing the importance and necessity of a quality culture, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan spoke about quality and the quality process, saying, ‘Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. Quality is also bitter at the beginning, but its fruit is truly sweet. We saw its benefits later on.’ 

Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör: “There is a threefold increase in our international student numbers compared to last year. This means that our goal and aim of becoming a global university are increasingly being realized, which is why students are coming to us.”
 

Üsküdar University 2026–2027 Academic Year Opening Ceremony was held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall, Central Campus. 

The opening speeches of the program, attended by academics in their gowns, were delivered by Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör and Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Nevzat Tarhan. The opening lecture of the academic year was given by the President of YÖKAK, Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak. During the program, in addition to the presentation of the institutional accreditation certificate, ceremonies were held for academics completing their 50th year in the profession, faculty members receiving academic promotions, and doctoral graduates.

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak: “Artificial intelligence should be integrated into curricula in all fields”

In his opening lecture titled “Globalization in Education and the Importance of Accreditations in a Changing and Transforming World,” YÖKAK President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, evaluating the transformation of higher education, emphasized that artificial intelligence education should not be limited to engineering programs alone, and said:

“When we talk about artificial intelligence, let there be no misunderstanding: We are not talking about artificial intelligence engineering. Whether it's economics, history, medicine, or sociology, content related to artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity needs to be integrated into curricula in every field. Artificial intelligence should be part of the curriculum in every field. It's not about closing down any profession and opening artificial intelligence engineering or similar departments in its place.”

Kocabıçak stated that professionals need to acquire the ability to utilize new technologies and emphasized the importance of updating curricula according to changing needs.

“If we don't change, our job will be difficult”

Prof. Kocabıçak stated that as artificial intelligence takes on many tasks, human creativity and analytical skills gain more importance, saying, “The creativity-based analysis that artificial intelligence cannot do must still be performed by us, by those graduates. We need to focus more on these areas. We will neither give up on artificial intelligence nor will we abandon these areas.”

Kocabıçak stated that the transformation should also be reflected in teaching methods, saying, “The world is changing. If we don't change, our job will be difficult. We need to change and transform with the world.”

Prof. Kocabıçak, emphasizing that educators also have a responsibility, stated, “We need to adapt to this change and transformation. We cannot carry this forward with old methods if we are not to fall behind them. We will discover new methods, otherwise, we cannot navigate this ship. The changing, transforming world shows this.”

“Graduates like Swiss Army knives are expected”

Kocabıçak stated that the business world needs graduates with flexible and versatile skills, and described this expectation with the words, “Graduates like Swiss Army knives are expected. This is where the world is at right now.”

Prof. Kocabıçak stated that lifelong learning skills should be acquired in an era where knowledge changes rapidly, and said that university education should equip students to develop themselves even after graduation.

Referring to the importance of communication, digital literacy, foreign language, and entrepreneurial skills, Kocabıçak said, “We need to ensure that each of our graduates completes at least one entrepreneurship project before graduation.”

“The whole world is looking at accreditation”

Kocabıçak, also drawing attention to the importance of institutional and program accreditations for international recognition, stated that Üsküdar University’s international student ratio further increases the value of these documents.

Prof. Kocabıçak said, “The ratio of international students in Turkey is approximately 5 percent. But at Üsküdar University, the ratio of our international students is 20 percent. Because there is a large number of international students, let me tell you that the institutional accreditation and the program accreditation certificates you receive will make very significant contributions to you in the future. The whole world is looking at this.”

Prof. Kocabıçak, emphasizing the importance of accreditation for graduates to continue their education and professional lives in different countries, stated that quality assurance is one of the fundamental elements of universities' internationalization efforts.

Evaluated Üsküdar University’s strengths

Kocabıçak, who also shared the findings in Üsküdar University’s institutional accreditation report, said; agile and embracing leadership, transparent decision-making, institutional transformation, and the integrated digital infrastructure developed by the university with its own resources are among its strengths.
Prof. Kocabıçak, stating that they value student participation in decision-making processes, said, “You have a student-centered ecosystem. Active student representation is present in the board of directors and the senate.”

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Quality is bitter, but its fruit is sweet”

Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, addressed the importance of the quality understanding transforming into an institutional culture in his opening speech.

Prof. Tarhan, drawing attention to YÖKAK President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak’s experience in quality studies in higher education, said that this accumulation of experience from the field is valuable for Turkey.

Prof. Tarhan, giving examples from the international accreditation and independent audit processes they carried out at the hospital, explained that quality practices might initially be seen as additional workload, but over time they facilitated the institution's operations. Prof. Tarhan said, “We saw great benefits from this in the hospital. At first, people said, ‘A lot of formalities are emerging, it’s keeping us busy.’ But as the quality culture developed, it started to become more automatic. The beginning is difficult. You know, there’s a saying, ‘Patience is bitter, its fruit is sweet.’ Quality is bitter, but its fruit is truly sweet. We saw its benefits later.”

“A university does not only have a vocational training function”

Prof. Tarhan stated that the responsibility of universities is not limited to vocational training; research and development, informing society, and transforming knowledge into production are also among their fundamental duties.

Prof. Tarhan, noting that they strive to extend the understanding of quality to all these duties, said, “We encompass scientific thinking, ethical sensitivity, digital competence, and human skills. A university does not only have a vocational training function. It has an R&D function, a public information function, and a function of transforming knowledge into production. We are trying to implement this in all four areas.”

Tarhan, drawing attention to students' volunteering in social responsibility activities, said, “Our students work with such enthusiasm and passion in these social responsibility activities… We aim to teach them to touch people, not just to acquire a profession, but to transcend themselves. We want students to be able to think not only of individual benefit but also of societal benefit.”

“We aim to teach values such as helpfulness, conciliation, and cooperativeness”

Prof. Tarhan, referring to the Positive Psychology course included in the curriculum at Üsküdar University in 2013, stated, “The topics taught in positive psychology are what we currently call prosocial values in scientific terminology. Prosocial values are not just self-developing values, but also values beneficial to society. Values such as helpfulness, conciliation, and cooperativeness. We address these values through a Positive Psychology course that we plan to teach our students. Emotional and social skills are important.”

Prof. Tarhan, emphasizing that professional competence should develop alongside human values, said, “Technology gives speed to our lives, but human values guide our lives. If we do not teach values, the young people we raise may not serve humanity. We tried to include this within quality as well.”

Call for participation for the 2027 World Positive Psychology Congress

Prof. Tarhan, also reminding that the World Positive Psychology Congress will be held in Istanbul in July 2027, stated that Üsküdar University and Ibn Haldun University will co-host the congress. Tarhan, stating that preparatory meetings are ongoing and abstract submissions have begun, reminded of the November 30 deadline for abstract submissions in his speech and invited academics to contribute to the congress.

Prof. Tarhan, once again emphasizing the importance of social and emotional development in preparing students for life, concluded his speech by saying, “Equipping our students with social and emotional skills is no less important than providing them with professional skills. We need to prepare them for life.”

Prof. Nazife Güngör: “There is a threefold increase in our international student numbers compared to last year”

Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, evaluating the university's work over the past year at the opening of the new academic year, said that they have made intense efforts to develop international relations.

Prof. Güngör, stating that memberships in the European University Association, Balkan Universities Association, Turkish Universities Association, Silk Road Universities Network, and Mediterranean Universities Union have been achieved, stated that these steps will contribute to the university's international visibility.

Prof. Güngör, drawing attention to the increase in international student and scientific publication numbers, said:

“There is a threefold increase in our international student numbers compared to last year. This means that our goal and aim of becoming a global university are increasingly being realized, which is why students are coming to us. Furthermore, we have increased our international publication numbers, certainly alongside quality, by two, even threefold compared to last year. Each year, we climb a little higher than the previous year. This means we are not standing still; we are continuously developing.”

“We aim for all our programs to be accredited within the next two years”

Prof. Güngör, also referring to the progress made in the university's quality processes, stated that obtaining the YÖKAK quality certificate was an important goal, and they achieved this goal.

Prof. Güngör, stating that program accreditations are also continuing, said the following:

“This year, we are making this opening to you as a university that has obtained a quality certificate and proven itself. Of course, various of our programs were being accredited. This accreditation process is also continuing rapidly. All our programs will be accredited within the next two years. Obtaining the YÖKAK quality certificate for the university as a whole was an important goal for us. We achieved this. This is also a significant source of pride for us.”

Prof. Güngör, also conveying that they plan to sign the Magna Carta in Lithuania in the second week of November, pointed to the contribution of academics in internationalization and quality studies.

“We are a team. As Üsküdar University continues to grow stronger each year, it also repeatedly demonstrates how strong a team it is. This process is realized with the cooperation of all our faculty members,” said Güngör, emphasizing that the results obtained are the product of collective effort.

Institutional accreditation certificate presented

Following the opening lecture, YÖKAK President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, presented Üsküdar University’s institutional accreditation certificate to Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör.

Founding Rector and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan also presented a plaque of appreciation to Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak for his contributions and opening lecture. 

Gowning ceremony held with academic promotions…

The program continued with academic promotions and a gowning ceremony. Faculty members receiving academic promotions were invited to the stage and donned their gowns with their new titles. 

Within the scope of the ceremony, a diploma presentation ceremony was also held for graduates who completed their doctoral education in 2026.

The ceremony concluded with a group photo shoot

Üsküdar University 2026–2027 Academic Year Opening Ceremony, concluded with a group photo shoot attended by protocol guests and academics. 

In the program, also attended by Üsküdar District Governor Adem Yazıcı and Ümraniye District Governor Yüksel Çelik, university management, academics, students, and guests gathered.