In his opening speech, our Faculty Dean Selahattin Çınar stated that our University ranked among the top 5 universities out of 41 universities in 2016 with the projects it prepared. Stating that the studies conducted by our university in the fields of agriculture and geothermal energy have made significant contributions to regional development, Çınar emphasized that the panel would allow for the evaluation of the current status of the projects and wished the panel success.
Subsequently, our University Rector Mustafa Kasım Karahocagil stated that the agricultural and geothermal projects carried out by our university have yielded important results in terms of regional development. Noting that regional development-oriented projects are ongoing endeavors, Karahocagil stated that our university has made significant progress in this field since 2016. He said that within the scope of the Higher Education Council's Regional Development-Oriented Mission Differentiation and Specialization Program, universities are developing projects that reveal the potential of their regions, and that in this process, universities are beginning to acquire a thematic university identity. Referring to our university's process of becoming a pilot university, Karahocagil stated that the panel was important for the re-evaluation of the projects and thanked everyone involved.
Following the opening speeches, the panel session, moderated by Rüştü Hatipoğlu, commenced. The panel included: Yaşar Ertürk, the project leader of the “Walnut-Focused Development Project,” Tamer Yavuz, the project leader of the “Forage Production Project,” and Hakan Başak, the project leader of the “Clustering in Thermal Greenhouses Project,” presented their respective projects.
At the end of the panel, certificates were presented to the participants by our University's Vice Rector Ali Güneş and our Faculty Dean Selahattin Çınar. The program concluded with a group commemorative photograph.
