THEQC President Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak Attended Üsküdar University’s Opening Lecture

Prof. Ümit Kocabıçak, President of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), attended the Üsküdar University 2026–2027 Academic Year Opening Ceremony and delivered the opening lecture. At the program held at the Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall on 5 October 2026, Kocabıçak presented the Institutional Accreditation Certificate to the university administration.

Speaking in his opening lecture titled “Globalisation in Education in a Changing and Transforming World and the Importance of Accreditations,” President Kocabıçak drew attention to the transformation in higher education and stated that artificial intelligence education should not be limited to engineering fields alone. Stating that artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity contents should be added to the curriculum in all fields such as economics, history, medicine, and sociology, Kocabıçak evaluated, “Artificial intelligence must enter the curriculum of every field.”

Expressing that keeping up with the change experienced on a global scale is a necessity, Kocabıçak continued as follows:

“The world is changing. If we are the ones who do not change, our job will be difficult. We also need to change and transform together with the world. We need to keep up with this change and transformation. We cannot carry this out with old methods so as not to fall behind them. We will discover new methods, otherwise we cannot keep this ship afloat. The changing, transforming world shows this.”

Emphasising that human-specific creativity and analytical skills come to the fore as artificial intelligence takes over many tasks, President Kocabıçak stated that the business world seeks graduates with flexible skills. Noting that expectations today are for “graduates like a Swiss Army knife,” Prof. Kocabıçak highlighted the importance of communication, digital literacy, foreign language, and entrepreneurship skills, stating that every student should bring at least one entrepreneurship project to life before graduating.

Pointing out that accreditation plays a critical role in terms of international recognition, Kocabıçak stated that quality assurance documents have a global resonance, and listed agile leadership, transparent decision-making processes, integrated digital infrastructure, and the ecosystem where students are represented in the senate and board of directors as strengths highlighted in the university’s institutional accreditation report.

Taking the floor at the program, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Üsküdar University Founding Rector and Chairman of the Executive Board, gave examples of the accreditation processes they carried out in their hospitals and at Üsküdar University, explaining the importance of quality practices becoming an institutional culture. Stating that steps that seem like an additional workload at the beginning automate operations over time,  Rector Tarhan said, “As the saying goes, ‘Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.’ Quality is bitter, but its fruit is truly sweet. We saw its benefits afterwards.” Tarhan noted that they integrated the understanding of quality not only into vocational education but into all processes of R&D, informing society, and transforming knowledge into production.

Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör stated that they proved themselves by receiving the Institutional Accreditation Certificate. Expressing that program accreditation efforts continue without interruption, Güngör stated, “All our programs will be accredited within the next two years. It was an important target for the university as a whole to receive the THEQC Institutional Accreditation Certificate. We achieved this This is also an important source of pride for us.”

Following the opening lecture, President Kocabıçak presented the Institutional Accreditation Certificate to Rector Güngör. Prof. Nevzat Tarhan also presented a plaque of appreciation to Kocabıçak for his contributions to the ceremony and his opening lecture.