CoHE President Visits Malatya
April 15, 2025 / Malatya
Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education, attended the 50th
Anniversary Celebration Program of İnönü University in Malatya. Speaking at
the program, Özvar stated that it was possible to heal the wounds in a
short time and to a great extent with the solidarity of the state and the
nation after the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023.
He said that with the regulation prepared by the Council of Higher
Education, the rate of development allowance paid to academic staff working
at the universities in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Malatya provinces, which
are located in the earthquake zone, was determined as 250 percent for 18
months. He thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his support for
higher education and hoped that the regulation would be beneficial for the
academic staff and the higher education community.
Stating that İnönü University has achieved international recognition not
only in education and scientific production but also with its pioneering
works in the field of health, Özvar praised the achievements of the Liver
Transplant Institute operating at Turgut Özal Medical Center. He stated
that the first successful 7-way cross-liver transplant operation, which was
carried out in 14 operating rooms at the same time under the leadership of
Institute Director Prof. Sezai Yılmaz with a team of 120 people, including
50 surgeons, demonstrated the high capacity and quality reached by
university hospitals.
Governor of Malatya Seddar Yavuz pointed out that İnönü University is an
important value in Malatya, the ancient city where the first state
organization emerged, and said, “Our province has always and will always
protect its university in the past and today.”
Prof. Nusret Akpolat, Rector of İnönü University, also touched upon the
important works done by the university in the field of health and said, “We
are the world pioneer in cross liver transplantation. We have no
competitors in the world. We have performed 4,015 liver transplants, 1,985
stem cell and bone marrow transplants.” Akbolat stated that important
studies are also carried out in areas such as battery technologies at the
university. In his speech, Prof. Sezai Yılmaz, Director of the Liver
Transplant Institute in Turgut Özal Medical Center at İnönü University,
said that they performed their 4,000th liver transplant on the day of the
celebration of the March 18 Çanakkale Victory.
In addition to CoHE President Erol Özvar, Malatya Governor Seddar Yavuz,
CoHE Executive Board Members Prof. Erol Arcaklıoğlu and Prof. Hüseyin
Karaman, provincial high officials, 16 university rectors, representatives
from the Inönü Family, President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation
Mehmet Akif Üstündağ, academics and students attended the ceremony held at
İnönü University.
Özvar opened the 50th Year National Painting Competition Exhibition and
participated in the 50th Year March within the scope of the 50th
Anniversary celebrations of İnönü University. He opened the 50th
anniversary event area. He attended the award ceremony of the
Inter-University Badminton Super League Türkiye Championship organized by
the Turkish University Sports Federation and presented medals to the
champion, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University team. He also played a
friendly match with the President of the University Sports Federation and
Bayburt University Rector Prof. Mutlu Türkmen.
After the event, Özvar visited Malatya Turgut Özal University and received
information from Rector Prof. Recep Bentli about the campus under
construction and attended the senate meeting.