The "2025-2026 Academic Year Opening Ceremony" organized by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) was held on October 9, 2025, at the Presidential Complex, Beştepe Millet Congress and Culture Center, with the presence of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The ceremony was attended by our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, on behalf of Kastamonu University, along with our Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Ömer Küçük, the Coordinator of Excellence in Education, Prof. Dr. Berat Ahi, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Fatma Zehra Pattabanoğlu, the faculty member of the Faculty of Forestry, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Önder Tor and research assistants.

The program began by screening a promotional film that the Council of Higher Education prepared.

Following this, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar took the stage and, in his opening speech titled "First Lesson: Gaza," drew attention to the inhumane events in Gaza. In his remarks, Özvar said, "The attacks carried out by Israel against the innocent Palestinian people in Gaza for two years, without distinguishing between children, the elderly, women, or men, have long surpassed the scale of a massacre and turned into genocide. This brutality, which is incompatible with any human and moral value and disregards international law, must end immediately. He stated, "The Republic of Turkey, under the leadership of your esteemed selves, has strongly supported the just cause of Palestine and the Palestinian people from the very beginning of the process and has been the voice of the oppressed."

Stating that significant studies have been conducted in artificial intelligence since 2024, Prof. Dr. Özvar said that university candidates show great interest in newly opened artificial intelligence-based programs. Stating that these programs will increase further in 2025, Prof. Dr. Özvar noted, "New undergraduate and associate degree programs based on artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, and digital technology have started accepting students at more than 100 state and foundation universities."

In addition to artificial intelligence and digital-based programs, Prof. Dr. Özvar stated that numerous new programs in strategic areas such as green transformation, energy efficiency, carbon management, nature conservation and biodiversity, digital technologies in agriculture, agricultural robots and precision agriculture, digital infrastructure in healthcare, telemedicine and medical data processing are accepting students for the first time this year, emphasizing that education is being transformed to meet the needs of the age.

Prof. Dr. Özvar stated that they aim to transition to a workplace-based applied vocational training model in higher education, adding that this practice will make traditional internship systems more efficient and enable students to gain direct experience in the working world. Furthermore, emphasizing that this model will make a significant contribution to university-industry cooperation, Prof. Dr. Özvar announced that pilot applications will be launched in the provinces of Konya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Bursa, Kocaeli, Izmir, and Ankara.

Stating that courses and credits that do not contribute to students' development in the new term will be removed from the curriculum, course plans will be simplified, and learning processes will be made project, application, and research-based, Prof. Dr. Özvar also mentioned that summer schools will be reorganized. Prof. Dr. Özvar concluded his remarks: "Thus, our students will have the opportunity to complete most undergraduate programs in 3 years, just like in many European countries; our higher education system will become both more efficient and more compatible with international standards."

Following YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a speech at the ceremony. In his speech, President Erdoğan said, "In recent years, our universities have begun to move their campuses abroad, establishing new academic units in different corners of our cultural geography. "We are taking steps to develop our academic and cultural cooperation with member countries of the Organization of Turkic States," he said. 

Stating that course plans will be simplified in universities in the new academic term, President Erdoğan said, "We will develop practical and research-based models where our students can develop projects. "As in many European countries, we will address structural reforms that will allow our students to graduate in 3 years," he said.

President Erdoğan concluded his speech by saying, "With these reforms, our higher education system will become both more efficient and more compatible with international standards. May our new regulations be auspicious. With these thoughts, I hope the 2025-2026 academic year will bring blessings again. With these thoughts, I hope the 2025-2026 academic year will bring blessings again. I sincerely wish our professors, students, and university staff the best of luck. He said, "I greet you again with respect and love."

Following the opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar presented President Erdoğan with a model of the PAUSAT-1 cube satellite, developed in collaboration between Istanbul Technical University and Pakistan Air University, as a memento of the day.

At the end of the ceremony, the "2025 Outstanding Achievement Awards" presented by YÖK were awarded to the recipients. In this context, our Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal and Erasmus+ "ECOPRINT in Nature" Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Önder Tor received the "International Cooperation Award" from President Erdoğan.

The program concluded with a group photo taken in memory of the day after the award ceremony.