Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya attended the meeting of the Mission Differentiation Aimed at Regional Development Program hosted by Kastamonu University. President of CoHE Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar Member of the Executive Board of CoHE Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan, Member of CoHE Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karaman, the President of Agriculture and Rural Development Support Institution (TKDK) Dr. Muhammet Adak and Rector Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya, and the rectors of 22 universities attended the meeting held at Kastamonu University Faculty of Theology Abdülhalik Oğuz Conference Hall on December 2, 2022.

The opening speech of the program was made by the Rector of Kastamonu University Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal. In his speech, Rector Topal gave information to the participants regarding the studies carried on and ongoing on the field of Forestry and Nature Tourism which is the field of specialization of the university. After the speech of Rector Topal, Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan, CoHE Executive Board Member, made an informing presentation on  the Mission Differentiation Aimed at Regional Development Program. 

CoHE President Erol Özvar: ‘'We Attach Importance to the Cooperation of the State, University, and Industry'

Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, President of CoHE, who came to the podium after Gündoğan, pointed out that they were in touch with all higher education institutions. Özvar said, "Individual visits and such group meetings do not only provide the opportunity to observe the problems of our higher education institutions first hand, but also enable us, as the Council of Higher Education, to express our expectations for the future from our universities on a healthier basis. We are able to set firm and healthy goals.” used the phrases. Highlighting the importance of state, university and industry cooperation, President of CoHE Özvar continued as follows: "It is very important to take the society one step further and integrate the society into the process. If the society included in the triple mechanism, the quadruple mechanism will be established and that mechanism will be a facilitator for the healthy cooperation. In this way, the higher education institutions, public and private sector organizations will be able to create a mechanism that is integrated with the business world and society. As a result of the proper functioning of these mechanisms and processes, our universities will be compatible with public and private sector organizations, can respond quickly to the information and human resources needs of the business world, and meet the expectations of the society. So that, they will become institutions that pave the way for regional and, therefore, national development." .

CoHE President Erol Özvar: ‘’We Expect the Universities to Take a Role at Regional Development’’

Özvar pointed out that 22 universities within the scope of the Mission Differentiation Aimed at Regional Development Program constitute approximately 10 percent of the total number of universities. He added: "The total number of face-to-face students of our regional development-oriented universities constitutes 45 percent of the total face-to-face students of our 60 state universities established after 2006, while the total number of faculty members constitutes 39 percent of the total number of faculty members of our state universities established after 2006. It is seen that our regional development-oriented universities have undertaken a significant responsiblity in terms of education." Expressing that their expectations from the universities within the scope of the program was to take a role in regional development and develop their research capacities, Özvar concluded his speech by stating that he wholeheartedly believed that the institutions would contribute more to the future of our country, taking both regional and national needs into account.


Rector Karakaya: "We Activated the Potentials of the Region and Focused on Goals for 2023 ”

Toplantı sonrası kısa bir değerlendirme yapan Rector Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya, who made a brief comment after the meeting, said the following in sum: ‘’"As the CoHE President said, we take steps according to the needs of the country and the region. As Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, we undertake a mission and specialize in the field of agriculture and geothermal. We work in the field to contribute to the development of the socio-cultural structure of Kırşehir. We are aware of the potential of the region in agriculture and geothermal, we are trying to attract investors, we are implementing our employment-oriented plans, and most importantly, we prefer R&D-oriented products with added value that we can export and equip the growing environments with the latest technology in line with the goals for 2023." The program came to the end with the annual evaluation of the universities in the meeting.