In commemoration of the 104th anniversary of the adoption of the Turkish National Anthem, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University organized a panel on March 12, 2025, at the Ahi Evran Congress and Culture Center, Neşet Ertaş Hall, focusing on Mehmet Akif Ersoy and his poetry. The panel was attended by Rector of KAEU Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Musa Özata, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Nadir İlhan, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kavaz, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maksut Yiğitbaş, as well as academic and administrative staff and students.

Speaking at the panel,  Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kavaz, faculty member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, discussed the Poet of Independence Mehmet Akif Ersoy’s engagement in the Turkish War of Independence and adopting the Turkish National Anthem. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kavaz said that Mehmet Akif Ersoy was involved in the Kuvayi Milliye movement in Anatolia during the period of the national struggle and that he undertook many tasks in the shipment of ammunition and equipment needed by the soldiers from Istanbul to various provinces of Anatolia and that he made great contributions to the nation in resisting occupation. He then elaborated on the process that led to the writing of the National Anthem: "After the end of the War of Independence, a decision was made to organize a competition for a national anthem. Many poets, including Mehmet Akif Ersoy, were invited to submit their works. However, he initially refused to participate, stating that a national anthem should not be written for money or a prize. Eventually, upon the persistent requests of Hamdullah Suphi Bey and the assurance that the prize money would be donated, Mehmet Akif Ersoy agreed to participate in the competition. He wrote our National Anthem at the Tacettin Lodge in Ankara. Among the seven finalist poems, Ersoy's composition ranked first and was officially adopted as Turkiye’s National Anthem on March 12, 1921, when it was recited in the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye."

Continuing the panel,  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maksut Yiğitbaş highlighted that Mehmet Akif Ersoy primarily reflected his artistic side through poetry, often adopting a lyrical style in his works. Dr. Yiğitbaş emphasized that Ersoy was a deeply emotional individual and that his poems vividly depicted the era he lived in and that the most striking example of that was found in the National Anthem. The panel concluded with the presentation of certificates of appreciation to the participants and taking a commemorative group photo.