The First Lecture of the New Academic Year at PAU was Held by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz

The first lecture of the new academic year at PAU was given by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz on Monday, November 18. The main theme of the program, which was held at PAU Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz Congress and Culture Center, was determined as 'production' within the scope of PAU's 'producing university' vision. Before the program, the stands where the products produced by the faculties and vocational schools of Pamukkale University were exhibited in Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz Foyer Area, the awards won by PAU Teams in TEKNOFEST competitions and the stands where the vehicles were exhibited were visited by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Denizli Governor Ömer Faruk Coşkun, AK Party Denizli MP Şahin Tin, former Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci, Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan and the accompanying delegation.

The program continued with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem followed by opening speeches.

Rector Kutluhan: “Pamukkale University, with its mission as a productive university and its vision of being a guide to life, is determined and committed to fulfilling its role in the construction of the Turkish Century by upholding national values.”

Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan stated in his speech: “Our university, as a productive institution in a productive city, stands among the young yet mature universities at the age of 32. With 19 faculties, 17 vocational schools, 6 institutes, research centers, and 48,000 students, it is a large and significant university. Your esteemed emphasis on the applied education model is reflected in our university, which is one of the rare institutions implementing this approach both theoretically and practically. In theoretical courses, we employ the 'problem-based learning' method, bringing real-life issues into the classroom to enhance students' reasoning and comparative analysis skills while demonstrating how to solve problems. This educational method has been successfully practiced in our medical faculty for years, with its achievements recognized nationwide. I can illustrate this success with the following example from last year: our medical faculty, which ranked 69th among 120 medical faculties in the university entrance exam (YKS), rose to 14th place in the medical specialization exam rankings, a result we attribute to the success of the problem-based learning (PBL) method. While two more faculties have adopted this educational model, other faculties are currently implementing it as a pilot program. In the applied education model, our university effectively utilizes the city's resources, enabling our students to participate in workplace training for one semester (14 weeks) through the 7+1 and 3+1 applied education systems. Through this method, our students enhance their professional experience, knowledge, and skills. Employers who get the opportunity to work closely with our students often extend job offers to them after graduation. Dear Vice President, our city is one of the few in the country where the concept of university-industry collaboration is truly fitting. We have been working tirelessly in this regard, increasing the number of advisory professors supporting the technological advancements needed by the industry from just around 10 to over 70. The rise in R&D projects has been so significant that it necessitated the establishment of a second Technopark. On this occasion, we are working with the Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ) management to bring the second Technopark to our city. Another partnership has been established with the model factory founded by our Chamber of Industry. Beyond our educational role, our active participation as a partner in the factory demonstrates the importance we place on university-industry collaborations.

 

We are also supporting the development and transformation of the flagship textile industry of our province by contributing to the technical textile project led by our Chamber of Commerce. I would like to highlight the significant progress we have made in internationalization. We have signed 1,680 Erasmus agreements with 50 countries, enabling both our academic and administrative staff to benefit from international opportunities. To date, 270 administrative staff members have traveled abroad, 1,930 academic staff have participated in educational mobility, and 701 of our students have completed internships abroad through the Erasmus program. To further increase international internship opportunities for our students, we signed a protocol with MUSIAD. Through MUSIAD’s international offices, our students are provided with enhanced internship opportunities abroad, significantly expanding their access to such experiences. In terms of internationalization, we have also signed a dual degree agreement with SUNY (State University of New York) in the United States for the Economics and Political Science departments of our Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences. Under this program, students will study the first two years at our university and the final two years at SUNY’s New York campus. We are proud to be the sixth university to establish such an agreement. Dear Vice President, esteemed participants, Pamukkale University, with its mission of being a productive university and its vision of serving as a guide for life, remains committed to upholding national values and fulfilling its responsibilities in the construction of the Turkish Century with determination and dedication."

Former Minister of Economy Zeybekci: "Now, there is a new power that also controls nuclear power. This is artificial intelligence."

AK Party Deputy Chairman and Head of Economic Affairs, former Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekci, stated the following in his speech: "Pamukkale University is the institution where I was honored with an honorary doctorate in the field of archaeology, and it is a university I am proud of. First of all, esteemed professors, without overstepping my bounds, I would like to offer some advice to our valuable students as an elder. I see this as an opportunity. We are talking about a world that is changing and transforming at an incredible speed. Believe me, many things that are considered right when our students start school are no longer right by the time they graduate. I am not saying they are wrong; they are simply no longer right because new truths emerge. We are living in an incredibly dynamic era or, rather, a period of rapidly transforming technology. These new truths signify that the era of nuclear powers is over. I emphasize this clearly. For instance, the claim that a certain country possesses significant nuclear capabilities, missiles, or slightly different resources is no longer relevant. These factors have lost their importance because there is now a new power that controls even nuclear power. This is artificial intelligence. We are entering an era where nations or entities with the power of artificial intelligence can attack their rivals or other countries at will, block them whenever they want, and reduce them to nothing in an instant. And we will witness this. Our trade habits are changing, our consumption habits are changing. The marketing methods we once knew have already shifted to a different dimension. The world is now divided into two groups: those who produce knowledge and those who consume it. The knowledge producers—those who possess the technology to process data, often referred to as 'mining' in its new terminology, those who accumulate and maintain massive archives and memories—will start the race with a 5-0 advantage over the knowledge consumers. At present, unfortunately, one of the primary issues we, including our esteemed President and my colleagues, are all dealing with is the issue of qualified labor. There is a vast Türkiye, and this great nation's dynamics demand a significant workforce. Yet, on the other hand, we are also facing an ongoing process marked by the story of those who remain unemployed despite their qualifications. We will grow Türkiye. We will advance Türkiye. We will elevate Türkiye to the level of contemporary civilization, as envisioned by Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and even beyond. However, we will achieve this solely and exclusively through the collaboration of our universities and the real sector. At this point, unfortunately, when we focus our attention on the state or public sector, it becomes unsustainable. Last week, as the Economic Affairs Department, we presented a briefing to our President and the team on sustainability. There is a new paradigm emerging worldwide called 'Global Sustainability.' This paradigm is as follows: you are either part of sustainability or you will be governed by the rules set by those who are part of it. Without geographical proximity or shared borders, new blocs are forming based on sustainability standards and rules. This has already begun to be implemented as of 2024. By 2026, nearly all products manufactured in Türkiye will be subject to sustainability-related regulations such as border carbon adjustments and emissions trading systems. There is a definition of sustainability that I greatly appreciate, and I would like to conclude my remarks by sharing it with you: Sustainability is meeting today’s needs, demands, and desires using the resources and opportunities of today without depleting those of future generations. In fact, if possible, it is defined as leaving even more resources and opportunities for future generations than we have today. With that understanding, I wish you a successful new academic year under the themes of a sustainable university, a sustainable Türkiye, and science.

Following the opening speeches, the program continued with the inaugural lecture titled "Future Perspective in the Light of Digital Transformation and Economic Policies" delivered by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.

Vice President Yılmaz: “Our 12th Development Plan: Digital and Green Transformation”

Speaking at the 2024-2025 Academic Year Opening Ceremony held at Pamukkale University under the theme "Future Perspective in the Light of Digital Transformation and Economic Policies," Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz expressed his great honor in attending the event. He conveyed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s heartfelt greetings, best wishes for success, and congratulations to the Pamukkale University community for the new academic term.

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz continued his speech as follows: "Innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, robotic production systems, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things have become integral parts of our lives. Digital transformation and technological advancements are now directly shaping all factors that impact productivity, placing the concepts of high technology, high efficiency, and high value-added production at the center of the economy. In this context, universities, as carriers of technological progress and digital transformation, stand among the most critical actors in driving productivity growth. The driving forces of the information and innovation age are our academics and students. As our President frequently emphasizes, becoming one of the leading countries in developing and utilizing digital technologies is among our primary goals. I call our 12th Development Plan Digital and Green Transformation. Digital and green transformation forms the backbone of Türkiye's medium- to long-term vision."

Vice President Yılmaz: “We are establishing a new Cybersecurity Directorate under the Presidency.”

Vice President Yılmaz also touched upon collaborations with the Ministry of National Education and stated: “As a result of these efforts, we established Türkiye's first cybersecurity high school. Following that, last year, in cooperation with the Council of Higher Education, we launched the first Cybersecurity Vocational Schools at universities. This year, we have raised the bar further with new undergraduate programs such as Cybersecurity Engineering and Information Security. We have been working on cybersecurity for quite some time. Turkey has achieved great success in this field so far, but we aim to elevate these efforts to an even higher level. To this end, we are establishing a new Cybersecurity Directorate under the Presidency. There is also a concept we call generative artificial intelligence. Generative AI encompasses applications that enable us to perform tasks more efficiently and effectively in every field, whether in the public sector, private sector, or education. This is one of our top priorities moving forward. As the Vice President, I also chair the Artificial Intelligence Board. In this context, I can say that we have been putting in intense efforts. In the field of artificial intelligence, we have provided face-to-face training in AI, game development, and entrepreneurship to our students from 24 universities. Additionally, through the digital youth ecosystem we have created, we organized technical and applied AI webinars for 4,000 students, aiming to enhance their digital competencies. We developed a platform called Digital Innovation Collaboration by bringing together the research infrastructure of our universities to offer advanced digital technology solutions that meet the needs of public institutions. These projects not only present new opportunities for our youth but also contribute to our vision of making the second century of our Republic the century of digital innovation.

Vice President Yılmaz: “As a government that is transforming academic infrastructure in Türkiye through its universities, faculty members, scientific research facilities, and with a sense of equal opportunity, we aim to support and build the lives of our students in a holistic way, not just their academic achievements.”

Vice President Yılmaz highlighted Pamukkale University’s strong leadership in digitalization efforts in its region, particularly through Pamukkale Technopark and various research centers. He emphasized that the productive city and its productive university, Pamukkale University, play a crucial role in these efforts. Yılmaz continued: “The economy is part of the concept we call development. But not all of it, but a very important part of it. True, sustainable development includes economic growth, but it also means the spread of that growth through social justice across all segments of society. And that’s not all. As mentioned earlier, it also ensures intergenerational justice—not just justice within today’s generation, but justice between today’s generation and future generations. Of course, this involves leaving a cleaner, better world for future generations. Therefore, universities are also part of this vision. We expect them to be leaders, first within their regions and then on a larger scale. We are allocating significant resources, and these resources must return to society as societal welfare. Pamukkale University is one of the pioneering institutions in this regard. Denizli is a productive city, and Pamukkale University symbolizes this with its campus. In my opinion, it has a campus that integrates with the city—both physically and conceptually. A university should not have mental barriers among its members, nor should it be biased or work in closed systems. On the contrary, it should be open-minded. It should be a system open to all kinds of differences, innovations, and new ideas. Otherwise, it cannot innovate, add to knowledge, or create added value for the society it lives in. Therefore, what we expect from our universities is to be open systems. We aim to create an environment where there are no prejudices, where differences work together in peace and harmony, and where work is focused on knowledge. We wholeheartedly believe that Pamukkale University will be one of the leading universities in this regard. Pamukkale University is drawing attention with its TÜBİTAK-supported international awards and achievements at TEKNOFEST. We also saw some of the products earlier today. I believe these competitions are very important. A society without self-confidence cannot progress. If our children and youth do not have the feeling of 'I can do it,' we cannot advance in science and technology. In this regard, TEKNOFEST and other initiatives contribute greatly, not just in terms of technical skills, but by instilling the self-confidence needed for success. The technologies supported by artificial intelligence developed by the Faculty of Engineering and the innovative cancer treatment research from the Faculty of Medicine show that Pamukkale University is not only a pioneer in education, but also in health and technology.

Yılmaz also pointed out that Pamukkale University is fostering strong collaborations with tourism and industrial organizations to support regional development, adding: “Especially through vocational schools, the university is contributing to the workforce by offering education programs that meet the labor market needs. Pamukkale University's scientific research, social projects, industrial partnerships, and international successes are tangible evidence of Türkiye’s progress in higher education. It is a beautiful example of this advancement.”

He concluded by reaffirming the government's goal to transform academic infrastructure in Türkiye, stating: "As a government that is transforming the academic infrastructure in Türkiye through universities, faculty members, scientific research facilities, and a sense of equal opportunity, we aim to support and build not only the academic success of our students but also their lives in a holistic way."

Vice President Yılmaz: "If I was born in Bingöl, graduated from Bingöl High School, then came to METU for my education, worked in the Planning Organization, and became the Vice President of the Republic today, I believe it is thanks to the equal opportunities provided by the Republic."

Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz emphasized the importance of university campuses being more than just classrooms. He stated that they should be environments where students engage in various activities, such as club events and intellectual debates, which create a dynamic and vibrant atmosphere. He stressed, “If we cannot create this atmosphere, we cannot truly have a university.”

He further highlighted the significance of equal opportunity in higher education in Türkiye, pointing out that the Republic is one of the few countries that offers free higher education. “In the past, university education was paid. Now, we provide it free of charge, supported by dormitories, scholarships, and loans. All of this embodies the concept of equal opportunity.”

Vice President Yılmaz also shared his personal experience, stating: “If I was born in Bingöl, graduated from Bingöl High School, then came to METU for my education, worked in the Planning Organization, and became Vice President of the Republic today, I believe it is thanks to the equal opportunities provided by the Republic." He underscored the importance of offering these opportunities to every child, regardless of their background, and reiterated that Türkiye must provide this equality of opportunity to all its citizens.

He also expressed his confidence in Pamukkale University’s role in preparing the youth for the future and advancing the potential of Denizli. “I believe that in the Türkiye Century, Denizli and Pamukkale University will reach even greater heights. I wish the academic year to be fruitful and successful,” he concluded.

At the end of the program, Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan presented Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz with a gift in appreciation of his attendance. Additionally, members of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games Champion Goalball Women’s National Team, students Berfin Altan and Şeydanur Kaplan from Pamukkale University, were awarded certificates of appreciation and gifts by Vice President Yılmaz and Rector Kutluhan.