Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, one of the prominent universities in our country and region, bid farewell to its 2023-2024 academic year graduates. The Graduation Ceremony, held on June 29, 2024, at our university stadium, was attended by Kırşehir Deputy Governor Alper Balcı, Kırşehir Deputy Dr. Metin İlhan, Kırşehir Mayor Selahattin Ekicioğlu, Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ali Güneş, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Şimşek, and Prof. Dr. Musa Özata, Secretary General Dr. Hüseyin İlter, provincial protocol members, deans, directors, academic and administrative staff, students, and their families.
The graduation ceremony, where we bid farewell to our students who completed their education, began with a performance by the folk dance team of the Kırşehir Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate, directed by Seda İlanbey. The folk dance team included a part in their performance to raise awareness of the atrocities in Palestine, highlighting the ongoing suffering. Following this, a parade took place featuring the Turkish flag and the flags of the home countries of our international students studying at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University. During the parade, a banner reading "We Have Not Forgotten Gaza" was displayed, showing support for Palestine. After the parade, a moment of silence was held, followed by a recitation of the Turkish national anthem. The ceremony then continued with the speeches of the protocol. The first speaker was Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, who addressed the students, their families, and the faculty members. In his speech, Rector Karahocagil first condemned the genocide in Gaza, criticizing Israel for its inhumane massacres targeting civilians, including children, the elderly, women, doctors, and academics. Highlighting that our university was 18 years young, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil stated, "Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, with its motto 'In the Footsteps of Ahilik...,' has been recognized as one of Turkey's top universities in terms of quality and has become a role model in quality practices in Turkish higher education." Rector Karahocagil also shared the latest developments in our university's quality initiatives, noting that Kırşehir Ahi Evran University had developed two quality assurance software programs, IQMS and AYDEP, in-house. These products, which have been commercialized, have been marketed to 12 higher education institutions. He emphasized that the IQMS software received the second-place award in the Public Category of the Productivity Projects of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Jury Special Award in the Inspiring Public Administration Projects conducted by KalDer. Continuing his speech, Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil said: "As a result of these efforts, in 2022, we became the first state university established after 2006 to receive a 5-year Full Institutional Accreditation from the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC). Last year, we were among the first 20 universities listed in the OSYM preference guide in the category of Accredited Universities. By taking our quality work to the international stage and implementing the European Quality Management Foundation (EFQM) model in all our units, our university achieved the EFQM 5-Star Excellence Award in 2023, becoming the only Turkish higher education institution to receive this award, thanks to the contributions of our academic and administrative staff."
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil also mentioned that our university was selected as one of the first five pilot universities in the fields of Agriculture and Geothermal under the Regional Development and Specialization Projects carried out by the Higher Education Council (CoHE) in 2017. He stated, "Within this scope, we have implemented more than 50 research projects in our Geothermal-Heated R&D Greenhouse, including the Kaman Walnut-Focused Development Project and the Roughage Production Project, and have opened Research Application Centers such as the 150-bed Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Center, the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Center, the Geothermal Advanced Greenhouse Technologies Center, and the Athlete Health Center for your service." Rector Karahocagil continued, highlighting our university's significant achievements on the international stage: "For the first time, we entered the THE Impact Rankings, an international university ranking agency, and this year we have risen to the 1001-1500 band in the overall impact rankings among world universities, achieving notable success in the 'Quality Education' category."
At the end of his speech, Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, addressed the students, expressing that after a long journey of hard work, studying, researching, and questioning, they have reached their graduation goals today. He acknowledged that throughout their educational journey, they have endured many challenges and now rightfully take pride in graduating from higher education. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil congratulated all graduating students for their achievements and thanked their families and professors, who have been their greatest supporters throughout their education.
After our University Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, Kırşehir Mayor Selahattin Ekicioğlu took the floor. Mayor Ekicioğlu addressed the audience, mentioning the genocide in Palestine and expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. Continuing his speech, he addressed the students, their families, and the faculty, emphasizing that Kırşehir, renowned for education, is a student-friendly city due to its geographical and socio-cultural structure. Mayor Ekicioğlu highlighted that Kırşehir Municipality provides ample opportunities in culture, arts, sports, and social fields for the youth, emphasizing their ongoing support for students. Wishing success to the graduating students in their future endeavors, Selahattin Ekicioğlu hoped that students would depart Kırşehir with nice memories.
After Mayor Selahattin Ekicioğlu's speech, Deputy Dr. Metin İlhan took the floor. In his address, Deputy İlhan discussed the massacre in Palestine, expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemning the State of Israel. He expressed his happiness to be present at the graduation ceremony, which recognizes the success of students after a challenging four years. Deputy Dr. Metin İlhan congratulated the students and wished them success in their future lives.
After the speech of Kırşehir Member of Parliament Dr. Metin İlhan, Kırşehir Deputy Governor Alper Balcı gave a speech. Balcı advised the students to perform their future professions to the best of their abilities. At the end of his speech, Deputy Governor Alper Balcı congratulated the graduating students and wished them success in their new lives.
Following the protocol speeches, a flag handover ceremony took place. In the ceremony, Ali Arı from the Faculty of Theology handed over the National Flag to Ümit Kartal, a student from the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. The University Flag was handed over by Hilal Çağlar, also from the Faculty of Theology, to Gizem Taş, a student from the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation.
The graduation ceremony continued with a speech and plaque dedication in the graduation record by Özlem Yüksel, the top student of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Midwifery Program with a GPA of 3.87. Özlem Yüksel explained that she chose the Midwifery program to witness the miracle of a person's birth and the happiness and excitement it brings. She acknowledged the challenging journey they underwent until graduation, thanking the Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, professors, family, and friends for their support. After Özlem Yüksel placed her plaque in the graduation record, she was ceremonially presented with the Shed, a symbol of the Ahi tradition, by Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil. Following the symbolic Shed ceremony, all students took the Oath of Ahi Tradition.
After the speeches, graduation certificates and awards were presented to students who achieved top honors at their faculty, school, and vocational school levels. Following the unit-specific award ceremony, graduating students tossed their caps into the air, celebrating their graduation joyously. The 2023-2024 Academic Year graduation ceremony concluded with a concert by students from the Neşet Ertaş Faculty of Fine Arts, Music Department, featuring Doğukan Duran and his team.
