Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University held the “2024 External Stakeholders Meeting.”
The meeting took place in the BEUN Senate Hall and was attended by Zonguldak Deputy Mayors R. Kemal Cangöz and Ogan Göktürk; Provincial Director of Health Dr. Ertuğrul Güner; Provincial Director of Industry and Technology Yaşar Karaman; Deputy Regional Director of Forestry Mehmet Ali Deniz; Provincial Culture and Tourism Branch Director Mustafa Özaslan; Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Hakan Yüksel; Provincial Director of National Education Osman Bozkan; Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Mehmet Türkmen Köse; Deputy General Manager of TTK Ercan Gebeş; BAKKA Secretary General Mehmet Çetinkaya; Chairman of the Board of EMKO AŞ Yusuf Günay and Vice Chairman Ömer Faruk Yıldız; President of MÜSİAD Abdülkadir Aktarı; Düzce University AADEK Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serap Bayram; Vice Rector of BARÜ Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zahmakıran; Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yücel Mercimek; ZTSO Secretary General Muharrem Sarıkaya; Deputy Director of Zonguldak Coal Geopark Arda Yılmaz; protocol members, and BEUN academicians.
BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer delivered the opening speech, sharing information about the purpose and scope of the meeting. He then gave a comprehensive presentation on the university's history, 2024 statistics, collaborations, achievements obtained in 2024, and ongoing renovation and construction projects. Highlighting the importance of stakeholder input in managing the university’s quality processes, Rector Özölçer stated:
"BEUN is a well-established university with a 100-year history and a vision that always strives for excellence. In this regard, quality processes hold great significance. As an institution located in Zonguldak — the first province of the Republic — it plays a crucial role in the region’s development. Therefore, the views of both internal and external stakeholders are of utmost importance in our governance. Our university joined the Institutional Accreditation Program of the Higher Education Quality Council of Turkey (YÖKAK) in 2022 and was awarded a 2-year accreditation following evaluation site visits conducted in November 2022. In May 2025, a follow-up visit by YÖKAK will take place. As a result of this visit, we aim to secure an additional 3-year accreditation and ultimately achieve full 5-year accreditation to crown BEUN’s efforts. Indeed, the contributions our university has made to Zonguldak and our country through its educational and scientific research activities are evident. These efforts will continue to grow with the support of our stakeholders.”
Following Rector Özölçer's presentation, stakeholders emphasized the significant contributions that Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University has made to both Zonguldak and Turkey over its 100-year history and underlined the importance of effective collaboration and joint initiatives for the upcoming academic year.
The 2024 External Stakeholders Meeting concluded with mutual exchanges of ideas and evaluations between university administrators and stakeholders.