Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKÜ) held its 2026 Graduation Ceremony with great enthusiasm at the university’s 3,000-capacity Performing Arts Centre. A total of 1,878 students received their diplomas at the ceremony, which was attended by Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber, Chairman of the HKÜ Board of Trustees Haluk Kalyoncu, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu, Oğuzeli Mayor Bekir Öztekin, HKÜ Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan, academics, students and their families.
Emphasising that Hasan Kalyoncu University is an important asset for the city, Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber said: “Hasan Kalyoncu University holds a very special place for us. We have a highly valuable campus of which we are proud. However, we take pride not only in its campus, but also in the university’s academic substance, scholarly experience and the human capital it cultivates.”
Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin said: “In my eyes, you are the legacy of Hasan Kalyoncu. The late Hasan Kalyoncu never gave up on his passion for education, his goals or his ideals. I remember him with mercy; may his soul rest in peace.”
“Our Aim Is to Make Quality an Integral Part of Our Institutional Culture”
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, HKÜ Chairman of the Board of Trustees Haluk Kalyoncu highlighted the university’s goals in digital transformation, next-generation academic fields, data-driven management and energy efficiency.
“The 2025–2030 Quality-Oriented Process Management, Digital Transformation, Institutional Visibility and Entrepreneurship Action Plan, prepared by the Council of Higher Education, forms the roadmap for our university’s future. Our primary goal is to make quality an integral part of our institutional culture. We aim to establish a management model in which our quality assurance system is integrated into all processes and data-driven decision-making mechanisms are used effectively.
With the active participation of all our stakeholders, from students and graduates to academics and the business world, we will produce data that will contribute to scientific research for our region and our country, particularly for Gaziantep’s industry and business community. Through data management, big data analytics, artificial intelligence applications and decision-support systems, we will make our management processes faster, more transparent and more effective.
I firmly believe that our departments such as engineering, artificial intelligence, software and data engineering will play an active role in this process and contribute to our goal of becoming a university that not only stores data, but also creates value from it.
In terms of energy efficiency, water management, waste reduction and lowering its carbon footprint, Hasan Kalyoncu University serves as a living example. With its green campus practices, it fulfils its environmental responsibility and stands as a model campus for environmental sustainability,” he said.
“HKÜ Will Continue to Be a Strong Family You Remain Connected to Throughout Your Lives”
HKÜ Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan also addressed the graduates during the ceremony.
“As members of the Hasan Kalyoncu University family, wherever you may be in the world, you will achieve success through the competencies gained from the ‘quality-oriented education’ adopted at this university, and you will always be one step ahead of others. Hasan Kalyoncu University is not only an institution where you received your education; it will continue to be a strong family with which you remain connected throughout your lives. Today, you are graduating from here, but you will always continue to be part of this family,” she said.
1,878 Students Tossed Their Caps
Following the speeches, certificates of achievement and awards were presented to the top-ranking students of Hasan Kalyoncu University for the 2025–2026 academic year. University top graduate Bilge Yıldırım, second-ranked graduate Ravad Nadam and third-ranked graduate Murat Bağdaş received their awards from Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, HKÜ Chairman of the Board of Trustees Haluk Kalyoncu and Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu.
Students ranking in the top three in each faculty and department were invited to the stage to receive their diplomas. At the end of the ceremony, a total of 1,878 students shared the joy of graduation with their families and proudly tossed their caps into the sky.
