The Shining Star of Quality
Our university, a pioneer in quality, has been awarded with five stars. The efforts initiated in 2016 under the leadership of our former rector, Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya, to implement Quality Assurance Systems began to yield results in a short period. In 2018, our university, applying ISO standards to its management processes, obtained the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certificate for all its units in Turkiye. In 2019, our university, under the leadership of the Quality Management Coordination, decided to implement the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Model and commenced work in this field. In the same year, it successfully passed the External Evaluation of the Higher Education Quality Board and became a member of the National Quality Movement. In 2020, it applied for the Institutional Accreditation Program, which began to be implemented by the Higher Education Quality Board. In 2021, following the evaluation, our university became the first and only university among those established after 2006 to receive full accreditation for a period of five years. Reflecting on the EFQM criteria step by step in its management processes, our university, in 2022, under the leadership of our former rector, Prof. Dr. Vatan Karakaya, decided to apply for the EFQM Model Excellence in Performance Competency Assessment.
Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karagocagil, who was the Vice Rector and Quality Management Coordinator at that time, a comprehensive study was initiated. Despite the uncertainty created by the process of changing the rectorate, our university, which officially applied in the early months of 2023, continued its work without interruption. In the first days of August 2023, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil was appointed as the rector. With our new rector, the quality improvement efforts continued at the same pace. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Şimşek, who had served as the Coordinator Deputy for many years, was appointed as the Vice Rector responsible for quality. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Şimşek, the EFQM Excellence in Performance Competency Assessment Process was completed with a field visit that took place from October 2nd to 6th, 2023. During the site visit, approximately 700 meetings were held in 75 different sessions. In this evaluation process where all stakeholders mobilized, the members of the Quality Management Coordination and the academic and administrative staff of our university showed great performance to ensure smooth organization without any disruptions. Our rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, closely monitored the entire process, and the EFQM site assessment process was successfully completed.
How Did We Reach This Stage?
The EFQM journey, which began in 2017, was conducted with professional consultancy services obtained from the Turkish Quality Association (KalDer). The Quality Management Coordination exerted intense effort and dedication to implement the EFQM Model step by step. During the term of the former Quality Management Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kurt, the ISO Quality Management System Certificate was obtained. In the term of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, the Institutional Accreditation Program (IAP) Certificate was obtained. In the current term of our Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Şimşek, the EFQM Excellence in Performance Competency Certificate has been obtained.
All employees and managers of our university provided significant support to the process. All stakeholders mobilized to ensure the implementation of the model's criteria and dissemination. With the initiation of the model, comparative studies, experience sharing, sustainable value creation suggestions, and many other initiatives were implemented by all units. During this process, criterion groups for implementing the model were formed within the Quality Management Coordination. In addition, criterion tables were established in all units to enable the implementation of the model. Before the site visit by the Quality Management Coordination, all units were included in the evaluation process in line with the criteria set by the model. Our units conducted their own self-assessments to implement all aspects mentioned in the 174-page EFQM self-assessment report. Subsequently, improvements were made based on the evaluation results. The approach, dissemination, and reviews for all criteria were continuously monitored and controlled. In addition to introducing the model to all employees and students, stakeholders were also involved in the process.
In 2018, the ISO Certificate, in 2021, the Institutional Accreditation Program (IAP) Certificate, and now the EFQM Excellence in Performance Competency Certificate. Kırşehir Ahi Evran University continues to serve as a role model in Turkish higher education as the only university implementing the EFQM Model.
