Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) hosted the International 34th Council of Communication Faculties Deans (ILDEK) Meeting. Held between 7 and 9 May 2026, the meeting addressed quality and accreditation processes in communication faculties, academia-sector collaborations, communication education in the age of artificial intelligence, and transformations in the media sector.
The programme, which began at HKU Law Amphitheatre, opened with the screening of promotional films for HKU and the Faculty of Communication.
Delivering the opening speech, HKU Acting Rector and Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan stated that she considered the 34th ILDEK Meeting being held at the university highly valuable. She said: “The gathering of deans, academics, sector representatives and decision-making institutions from different universities around the same table will contribute to producing stronger solutions to the common issues of communication education. This meeting is not merely a council where we discuss existing problems and seek solutions; it is also a productive academic platform where we shape a shared roadmap for the future, and this is of great importance for us as communication professionals.”
At the meeting, which was also attended by Prof. Dr. Ümit Kocabıçak, President of the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council (THEQC), Kocabıçak drew attention to the need to develop long-term visions for accreditation. He noted that the World Labour Organisation had carried out a study on 30,000 professions in May last year and underlined that artificial intelligence could directly affect many professions. He also emphasised the urgent need to review curricula and highlighted the importance of including micro-credentials in curricula.
Dursun Güleryüz, Board Member of the Television Audience Research Committee (TİAK) and the Communication Research Association (İLAD), stated that the ILDEK Meetings, held for the 34th time, are of great importance in terms of seeking solutions to changes in the curricula of communication faculties and strengthening cooperation with the sector.
Arda Aşkın, Gaziantep Regional Director of the Press Advertisement Agency, stated that students’ learning and internalising the personal rights granted to them under the Press Labour Law while still at university would provide significant support in the face of challenges they may encounter in their professional lives.
Prof. Dr. Gilman Senem Gençtürk Hızal, Chair of the ILDEK Executive Board, said that they would not only identify problems but would also evaluate many decisions that will guide communication education together within the framework of common sense.
The Future of Communication Education Discussed During the Three-Day Programme
Within the scope of the three-day 34th ILDEK Meeting, panels and sessions were held under the titles “Academia-Sector Interactions”, “Artificial Intelligence and Content Production in the Media: Ethics, Opportunities and Risks”, “Quality and Accreditation Processes of Communication Faculties”, “Institutional Information Workshop” and “The Agenda of Our Science Communication Offices: New Professions and the Major Quota Transformation in Higher Education”.
The programme also addressed internship practices, curriculum transformation, artificial intelligence, journalism education, infrastructure and academic staffing under the title “Problems of Communication Faculties and Proposed Solutions”.
The meeting concluded with the determination of the new ILDEK Executive Board, the opening of an exhibition at HKU’s Science Communication Office in Bey Neighbourhood, a campus tour, a Gaziantep city tour and a cultural trip.
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