• President of the Council of Higher Education Özvar: “We are implementing an approach in higher education based on quality, alignment with employment, and societal contribution”
• “At the center of this transformation is ‘workplace-based applied vocational education’”
• The issue of quotas is a strategic component of our country’s human resources planning
• “It is extremely valuable that 11 Turkish universities have entered the world’s top 500 in different fields”

March 27, 2026

President of the Council of Higher Education Erol Özvar visited Erzurum to attend the Executive Board Meeting of the Interuniversity Board (ÜAK) and the 8th Term Meeting of the Eastern Anatolia Project (DAP) Region Universities Association (UNIDAP), as well as to hold various contacts.

Speaking at the ÜAK Meeting held at Atatürk University, Özvar stated that a strategic change and transformation process has recently been taking place in higher education.

Noting that higher education systems are no longer merely structures where teaching and learning activities are carried out, Özvar said: “Universities have become strategic institutions that lie at the center of knowledge production, economic development, social transformation, and global competition.”

- “Reducing undergraduate education to three years is a multidimensional issue”

Stating that they have moved the higher education system away from a “quantity-oriented growth” approach, Özvar said: “We are resolutely implementing an approach based on quality, alignment with employment, and societal contribution. One of the important agenda items in this transformation process has been to initiate work on reducing undergraduate education to three years.”

Emphasizing that reducing undergraduate education to three years is a multidimensional issue, Özvar underlined that many aspects—such as simplifying curricula, reassessing program credits, and making regulatory arrangements—must be carefully addressed.

- “Our aim is to strengthen the employment opportunities of our graduates”

Özvar stated that another important dimension of the strategic transformation they are carrying out concerns “quota policies” related to higher education programs, and continued:

“We consider the issue of quotas not merely as a numerical matter, but as a strategic component of our country’s human resource planning. We are conducting this process in close cooperation with all relevant public institutions, sector representatives, and civil society organizations. Our aim is to establish a sustainable higher education structure that strengthens the employment opportunities of our graduates and aligns with our country’s development goals.      

One of the most important stages of the strategic transformation in higher education is the reconsideration of the content and structure of undergraduate programs. At the center of this transformation is the concept of ‘workplace-based applied vocational education.’ We continue our efforts on this matter without slowing down.”

- “The rise in international rankings is encouraging”

Özvar also stated that the research performance and international visibility of universities are among the areas they focus on with particular attention.

“We have recently been obtaining encouraging results in this regard,” said Özvar, describing it as “extremely valuable” that 11 universities from Türkiye ranked within the top 500 in various fields in the 2026 World University Rankings by subject announced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Emphasizing that the data show universities have gained international visibility across different disciplines and have reached a strong level in subject-based evaluations, Özvar added:
“Issues such as restructuring educational programs, strengthening applied education, quota planning, developing academic human resources, and a quality-oriented management approach are among the complementary elements of the strategic transformation process.”

- Visits to the Academic Units of Erzurum Technical University

As part of his engagements, Özvar visited Atatürk University and received information from Rector Prof. Ahmet Hacımüftüoğlu regarding the university’s activities. He also visited Erzurum Technical University (ETÜ) and was briefed by Rector Prof. Bülent Çakmak on ongoing work at the university.

At ETÜ, Özvar toured the High Technology Research Center (YÜTAM), where research is conducted in various fields, and listened to presentations on ongoing studies. He also visited the ETÜ Crystal Research Center, which carries out research and production activities in seven different areas, including aviation, artificial intelligence, and agriculture, as well as ETÜ Mucitpark, located in the same building, where children under the age of 18 develop innovative ideas.

During his visit, Özvar was accompanied by Deputy President of the Council of Higher Education Prof. Naci Gündoğan and Executive Board Members Prof. Erol Arcaklıoğlu and Prof. Mahmut Ak.