Prof. Ramazan Bayındır, THEQC Vice President, Took Place as an Invited Speaker at the UNAK 2026 Symposium
Prof. Ramazan Bayındır, THEQC Vice President, Took Place as an Invited Speaker at the UNAK 2026 Symposium
Prof. Ramazan Bayındır, the Vice President of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), attended the UNAK 2026 Symposium, organised by the Turkish University and Research Librarians’ Association (UNAK) and hosted by İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, as a guest speaker.
Held in Ankara on 7-8 September 2026 and organised under the theme “The Changing Strategic Position of Information Centres and New Paradigms,” the symposium brought together academics, information professionals, and sector representatives.
The opening program of the symposium was also attended by Prof. Orhan Aytür, Rector of İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, and M. Fatih Kumsel, UNAK President. Following the opening speeches, Vice President Ramazan Bayındır addressed the participants as one of the invited speakers of the symposium.
In his presentation titled “Advancing Quality in Higher Education: An Introduction to the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC),” Prof. Bayındır discussed THEQC’s institutional structure, the higher education quality assurance system in Türkiye, external evaluation and institutional accreditation processes, internationalisation efforts, and future targets.
Attention Drawn to the Strategic Role of Information Centres in Quality Assurance
Specifically addressing the relationship between quality assurance in higher education and the changing role of information centres, Bayındır stated that THEQC’s institutional evaluation approach consists of 14 criteria and 46 sub-criteria under four main headings: “Leadership, Governance, and Quality,” “Learning and Teaching,” “Research and Development,” and “Service to Society.”
Stating that information centres are not merely support units providing access to information resources in higher education institutions, Bayındır emphasised that these centres have become strategic stakeholders supporting learning and teaching, research, institutional decision-making, and continuous improvement processes. In his presentation, Bayındır also addressed the contributions of information centres in areas such as evidence-based decision-making, digital transformation, stakeholder involvement, open science and open access, research data management, scientific communication, lifelong learning, and social inclusivity.
Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Evaluated from a Quality Assurance Perspective
Drawing attention to the common areas between the main theme of UNAK 2026 and the quality assurance system established by THEQC in the Turkish higher education system, Bayındır stated that digital transformation and artificial intelligence, open science and research data, user-centric services, research infrastructures, sustainability and social impact, along with new competencies and a quality culture, are becoming increasingly decisive in the future of information centres.
In this context, Bayındır emphasised that the common approach bringing together quality assurance and new paradigms of information services is evidence-based, stakeholder-oriented, and institutional practices based on continuous improvement.
THEQC’s International Position and Future Objectives Were Shared
In his presentation, Prof. Bayındır also included THEQC’s activities in the field of international quality assurance. Stating that THEQC has been a full member of ENQA since 2020 and registered with EQAR as of 2023, he also shared membership, information-sharing, and cooperation activities carried out with different international quality assurance institutions with the participants.
Furthermore, regarding THEQC’s upcoming period activities, Prof. Bayındır shared targets, such as sustaining international institutional accreditation activities and strengthening internationalisation and continuous improvement, with the participants. He informed the participants that the first issue of the Journal of Accreditation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education (JAQAHE), an academic journal published by THEQC, was released in June 2026.
At the end of his speech, Prof. Bayındır was presented with a certificate and plaque for his contribution to the UNAK 2026 Symposium as an invited speaker.
The UNAK 2026 Symposium stood out as an important scientific gathering that addressed the changing role of information centres from the perspective of higher education quality assurance, revealing the importance of the transformation of university libraries and information centres from a “support unit” approach to a “strategic institutional stakeholder” understanding.
