The ceremony, held at Pamukkale University Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz Congress and Cultural Centre, began with a moment of silence and the singing of the Turkish National Anthem. Following the screening of the Pamukkale University promotional film, the programme continued with speeches by protocol representatives.

Pamukkale University Rector Prof. Dr. Mahmud Güngör stated the following in his speech:

“What is the true measure of a university’s greatness? Is it its magnificent buildings? Its laboratories equipped with advanced technology? The volumes of books in its libraries, its published articles, patents, or positions in international rankings? Undoubtedly, each of these is extremely valuable. However, we know that the greatest legacy a university can leave to history and society is the virtuous individuals it brings into the world through graduation: people who are free in thought, alive in conscience, capable of thinking and questioning, and able to mobilise the knowledge they have acquired for the good of their country, their nation and all humanity.

This fundamental philosophy lies at the heart of every step we take as Pamukkale University. Our aim is not merely to equip our young people with a diploma and prepare them for a profession. We seek to educate them as global citizens whose roots remain firmly connected to the values of these ancient lands, while their minds and horizons remain open to every age. For we wholeheartedly believe that knowledge is a great power; however, conscience is the only guide that can give this power the right direction and transform it into a healing force that sustains human life.

Dear young people, my precious students, when I look at you, I see the bright Türkiye of tomorrow. Among you will be physicians who will provide remedies for the problems awaiting solutions, engineers who will rebuild the world, teachers who will educate future generations, entrepreneurs who will break new ground, distinguished scientists who will shape the world, as well as athletes and artists. Perhaps one of you sitting in these lecture halls will contribute to our country's progress through a project you develop.

However, as your rector and a professor, I ask one thing of you: whatever position you attain in life, make being a good person your first and foremost principle. May your knowledge grow exponentially, but may not even the smallest particle of your conscience diminish. May your achievements reach beyond the world, but may your humility never wane. Explore every corner of the world and compete on a global scale, but never lose your sense of belonging and loyalty to these ancient lands and this beloved nation.

Remember that what truly makes a person great is not the titles they hold or the positions they occupy, but the morality, character and virtue they demonstrate in difficult times.

As I conclude my remarks, we, as the Pamukkale University community, make this promise to you once again: We will dream bigger. We will think more deeply. We will conduct more research and produce more. And we will mobilise every piece of knowledge we produce for the prosperity of our nation, the continuity of our state and the peace of humanity. Our roots will remain in these lands, our minds in science, our conscience in universal justice and humanity, and our course will be set towards the Century of Türkiye.

On this meaningful day, I once again extend my heartfelt gratitude, on behalf of myself and my university, to the President of the Council of Higher Education, Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, whose presence has honoured our opening ceremony. I also extend my thanks to our Governor, our Minister, our members of parliament, our esteemed rectors and all our guests for sharing this excitement with us.

I wish the 2026–2027 Academic Year to bring prosperity and success to our dear students, valued academics, administrative staff, Denizli and our beloved nation. May our path be clear, our horizons bright and our future victorious. I greet you all with respect, reverence and affection.”

AK Party Deputy Chairman Nihat Zeybekci stated the following in his speech:

“I pray that the 2026–2027 academic year will bring benefits, first and foremost, to you, our university, our professors and the world of science. I believe that a university’s success is closely related to the extent to which theoretical knowledge can be put into practice and how well the educational process can be integrated with real life. I am convinced that the achievements of our universities in this regard will also make significant contributions to our country’s scientific and technological development.

In this period, as we pursue the goals of the Century of Türkiye and the ideal of a Türkiye free from terrorism grows stronger, I believe that our country will advance further in every field and continue to develop at an accelerating pace. You are the ones who will build this future. Through your scientific knowledge, technology and education, you will shape Türkiye’s future and contribute to our country’s development. Türkiye’s future will be shaped by your knowledge, hard work and achievements.

With these thoughts, I hope that the 2026–2027 academic year will bring good fortune, open new horizons for you and add further achievements to those of our university.”

Denizli Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger stated the following in his speech:

“Throughout history, even as far back as the Sumerian tablets, pessimistic things have been said about young people. There have always been questions such as, ‘Young people are getting worse. Where is the younger generation headed? What are young people doing?’ However, when I saw the works and projects produced by Pamukkale University’s students and young people as a result of their academic education, I once again realised that we must never lose hope in the younger generation.

Young people, we do not give up hope in you. You are our country’s hope, its future and its prospects. We have never lost hope in you. This nation has witnessed together what Generation Z did during the earthquake and on 15 July. Dear young people, do not lose hope in our country or our state either. Do not lose hope in your family, our school, our city or Denizli. Without ever becoming discouraged or giving in to pessimism, we will continue to move towards the future with confidence.

You will carry out the finest academic, social and technical projects, and we will continue to make Türkiye known to the world. I hope that the new academic year will bring good fortune and that it will be a year in which Pamukkale University adds new achievements to its record.”

YÖK President Özvar: “Our goal is to place at least two of our universities among the world’s top 100 universities.”

Continuing the programme, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar made the following remarks in his opening lecture for the 2026–2027 Academic Year:

“I would like to express my happiness at being here with you and addressing you at the opening of the 2026–2027 Academic Year. Turkish higher education has today reached a level of capacity on a global scale, with its strong infrastructure, qualified academic staff and dynamic student population. Thanks to the investments made under the leadership of our President over the past 24 years in particular, we have 208 universities, with at least one in every province, approximately 6.3 million students and 190,000 academics.

This substantial capacity has enabled us to make significant progress in access to higher education. Our higher education system offers our country's valued young people the opportunity to receive a quality education at very reasonable costs. It embraces everyone, regardless of their economic or social background, and leaves no one behind. One of the foremost goals of the Council of Higher Education is to further strengthen the accessibility and inclusiveness of our higher education system and to crown this strong structure with improvements in quality.

We are pleased to follow Türkiye’s progress in scientific output, both in terms of the number of publications and the quality of research. According to data from independent scientific organisations, our country ranked 29th among 213 countries in the number of articles and review publications in 2002, and has now risen to 15th place. This increase has been accompanied by a rise in the proportion of high-quality publications. The share of our studies published in Q1 and Q2 journals among all publications was approximately 34 per cent in 2019, but exceeded 58 per cent in 2025. At our research universities, this share has reached 79 per cent, matching the OECD average, which is highly valuable in terms of the quality of our scientific output.

The international visibility and reputation of our universities are growing stronger. In the 2026 international university rankings, six of our universities were placed among the top 500, with two of them ranking among the top 300. In another international ranking for 2027, we were represented by 124 universities among 2,297 universities from 118 countries, making Türkiye the third country with the highest number of universities represented. We are pleased with these results, but we aim to go further. Our goal is to place at least two of our universities among the world’s top 100 universities.

As another important step, with the support of our President, we launched the Türkiye Strategic Technology Human Resources Programme to train researchers needed in our country’s strategic technology fields. In the programme’s first year, we will employ 550 young people as research assistants at our research universities, and we will train a total of 3,000 young researchers over five years. I believe that these young people, who will be trained in artificial intelligence, information technologies, cybersecurity and hardware, will make a major contribution to our country’s scientific and technological capacity.

I would also like to address you, our valued students, in particular. The world is changing rapidly. At the same time, learning methods and the skills expected in professions are also changing and transforming rapidly. Under these circumstances, it is essential that you keep pace with these changes. Although university education and the diploma you will receive are highly valuable, do not limit yourselves to them. Whatever programme you are studying, never neglect the skills required for the next generation. Be sure to give importance to learning opportunities beyond your courses and curricula, particularly those offered through initiatives such as the Data Analysis School, the Sustainability School we will establish, and micro-credentials.

Make use of your university years as an opportunity to prepare for your profession while acquiring knowledge and skills in different fields and discovering your talents.

As I conclude my speech, I respectfully acknowledge all our academics, administrative staff, graduates and everyone who has contributed to Pamukkale University from its establishment to the present day. As the Council of Higher Education, we will continue to provide every possible form of support for the development of our university, as we have done to date. I wholeheartedly believe that Pamukkale University will build on the strength of its past and achieve even greater success in the future.

I wish our valued academics, administrative staff and students every success in your work. I thank our esteemed Rector, Prof. Dr. Mahmud Güngör, for his hospitality. Once again, I hope that the 2026–2027 Academic Year will bring prosperity to our higher education community and our country. I greet you all with respect.”

Following the opening lecture, the programme concluded with the presentation of a gift to YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar.