President Kocabıçak Attends the 3rd International Rumelia Social Sciences Congress in Albania

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, President of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), attended the 3rd International Rumelia Social Sciences Congress, hosted by the University of New York Tirana in Tirana, the capital of Albania.

Spearheaded by İstanbul Rumeli University, the congress took place on 1-5 June 2026, with the participation of numerous universities, academics, and students.

During the opening sessions of the congress, President Kocabıçak shared his evaluations on quality assurance systems and accreditation in higher education.

Chaired by Prof. Mustafa Kara, Rector of İstanbul Rumeli University, the congress was attended by International Balkan University, University of New York Tirana, International University of Sarajevo, Comrat State University, and Baku Slavic University. Supported by TİKA and YTB, the opening program of the event featured Barış Ceyhun Erciyes, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Tirana; Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, THEQC President; Assoc. Prof. Ilir Kemalaj, Rector of the University of New York Tirana, and Prof. İsmail Boz, Rector of Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University. At the congress, Prof. İsmail Boz shared his experience regarding institutional quality monitoring systems.

With over 100 papers presented, the organisation evaluated current global developments from an academic perspective on a wide spectrum ranging from Albanian-Turkish relations to artificial intelligence systems.

Throughout the event, which was conducted in both in-person and online sessions, research prepared in various disciplines of social sciences such as psychology, sociology, history, economics, and communication was presented.