The “ORIENTATION’25 – Introduction to University Life Course” was organised for students who enrolled at Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) in the 2025-2026 Academic Year. Approximately 1,585 new HKU students had the pleasure of making a fully equipped and effective start to university life.
Scientific, Cultural and Sports Events for Students
The Orientation 25 programme, organised so that students could get to know the university and campus life, plan their career roadmaps and build friendships, was held over three days in all units of the university, notably the Performing Arts Centre. In addition to scientific, cultural and sports activities, the events included inspiring seminars by distinguished speakers.
Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, Gaziantep Member of Parliament Assoc. Prof. Dr. Derya Bakbak and the Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Fatma Şahin also attended the programme and conveyed their welcome wishes to the students.
Haluk Kalyoncu: “HKU Is Among the Universities That Support Their Students Most, with a 57 Percent Scholarship Rate”
Haluk Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU), said in his speech at the 2025-2026 Academic Year Opening and Orientation Programme: “Since the first day we set out on our journey, which grows with knowledge and experience, we have achieved many successes together with our university. At our university, which stands out with Türkiye’s entrepreneurial and innovative achievements, we continue with devotion our responsibility to raise qualified and virtuous people, with the disciplined understanding of education entrusted to us by our Foundation’s elders. As a result of this devoted work, our university is among the few campuses with its 500-decare open-air campus, and has become a science city performing a strategic function and meeting an important need of this region. Indeed, according to the results of the 2025 Türkiye University Satisfaction Survey, our university ranked 5th in overall satisfaction among 200 universities in Türkiye and 3rd among 74 foundation universities, and, even more importantly, with its 57% scholarship rate it is among the universities that provide the most scholarships to their students. For this reason, our university has an understanding of education that acts with the vision of sustainable programmes for our young people, not only with its academic achievements but also with its social responsibility projects, compulsory applied internships and project assignments, the orientation course delivered this week, environmentally conscious and sustainability projects, and its publications and technology productions. Nearly ten thousand new saplings were planted on our eco-friendly campus, which produces its own energy through solar power, our bicycle paths were renewed and extended, and with its zero waste model our university earned the right to receive the Zero Waste Certificate. As a result of these efforts, it earned a place in the UI GreenMetric 2024 Greenest Universities ranking. Furthermore, according to the results of the Times Higher Education World University Impact Rankings 2024, compiled by an international research and assessment organisation, it ranked 26th among foundation universities in Türkiye and 74th among all universities. Today, you have become new members of a well-established family that grows bigger every day, with nearly 8,500 students and 19,421 graduates; welcome to our family. With every step you take from now on, you will contribute to the success story of both our university and our country. As Hasan Kalyoncu University, we will continue to mobilise all our resources so that you can realise your dreams. With the opportunities it offers you, Hasan Kalyoncu University will bring out your talents and help you develop your skills, and, as it has done until now, will stand by you in your career journey and in your work and employment fields after graduation.”
Prof. Dr. Küçükerdoğan: “You Have Joined a Family Where You Will Realise Your Dreams and Reach Your Goals”
HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan also emphasised that students stepping into university is not merely an educational process. Küçükerdoğan stated: “Today, you are about to begin one of the most important journeys of your life, and we are here to support and witness it. Stepping into university is not only stepping into an educational adventure, but also into a future that will turn your dreams into reality. You are now the true owners of this campus. The years you spend here will not be, and should not be, limited to attending classes; you will develop yourselves socially and culturally, think, question, produce and take solid steps in life. Because you have joined not just a university, but a family in which you will grow your dreams and fulfil yourselves.”
At TEKNOFEST 2025, where six teams from HKU reached the finals, Haluk Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, presented the prize cheque to the Viento UAV team, which won first place in Türkiye in the international fixed-wing UAV category and the TUSAŞ Special Award.
Seminars and Experience Sharing
Within the scope of ORIENTATION’25, students met experts from different fields.
Mert Ödeş, Expert at the Presidency’s Communications Directorate, gave a seminar titled “Combating Disinformation and Social Media Use”; Emre Kuzuoğlu, Brand Management Manager at Anadolu Agency, “Is a Career Without Artificial Intelligence Possible?”; Prof. Dr. Veysi İşler, faculty member in HKU Computer Engineering and founder of Simsoft, “Taking Entrepreneurial Steps While at University: Opportunities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”; Prof. Dr. Haluk Şen, Gaziantep Green Crescent (Yeşilay) Branch President, “Green Crescent Addiction Seminar”; and Yusuf Beran Vuran, Deputy Governor of Bayburt and a graduate of our Faculty of Law, “A Success Story from Our Graduates”.
The new members of the HKU family were introduced to university life by taking part in many informative and entertaining events, including a campus tour and presentations on the social, cultural, sports and academic life of the university.
