The Hasan Kalyoncu University 2025 Graduation Ceremony was held with great enthusiasm at the University’s 3,000-seat Performing Arts and Culture Centre. The ceremony was attended by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, Cemal Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Gaziantep Education and Service Foundation, the founding foundation of Hasan Kalyoncu University, former Ministers Lütfi Elvan and Abdulhamit Gül, Gaziantep Members of Parliament, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Abdullah Tancan, Governor of Gaziantep Kemal Çeber, Mayor of Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Fatma Şahin, and distinguished members of the provincial protocol.
At the ceremony, where 1,657 students experienced the excitement of graduation, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz: “All of our higher education institutions, first and foremost Hasan Kalyoncu University, which operates in Gaziantep, assume a strategic role at this point. It has a structure that not only produces academic knowledge but also takes the needs of the regional industry into account and develops programmes integrated with the business world. Hasan Kalyoncu University’s strengthening of its vocational school programmes and the importance it attaches to applied education make valuable contributions to this process. The technopark, technology transfer office, and entrepreneurship and prototyping centres within the University offer an infrastructure that turns ideas into products and dreams into projects, and give its students the opportunity to become an active part of the production cycle even before they graduate. From solar energy investments to digital transformation applications, from academic publication performance to environmental responsibility projects, it makes tangible contributions to Türkiye’s journey in science and technology in many fields. The University successfully maintains a multidisciplinary approach to education through its Faculties of Engineering-Architecture, Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Education, Law, Health Sciences, Communication, Aviation and Space Sciences, and Tourism. I sincerely congratulate our University on Hasan Kalyoncu University’s achievement of ranking among the top 8 foundation universities in TÜBİTAK’s Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index announced this week. This success shows how strong the culture of entrepreneurship is at the University. Its rise of 7 places in a single year in the URAP Türkiye ranking is another important development reflecting the increase in its scientific production capacity. However, what we should really underline here is Hasan Kalyoncu University’s ability to turn intellectual products into value. According to data from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, its attainment of the title of “Patent Commercialisation Champion” with 10 patent commercialisation agreements, and ranking second in Türkiye among foundation universities, is one of the most concrete examples of scientific knowledge turning into economic return. This success is exemplary not only for the University but also for our country’s development model,” he said.
Cemal Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Gaziantep Education and Service Foundation, in his speech at the ceremony, emphasised the importance they attach to education and said they are a family that believes in future generations and is devoted to its country and nation. Kalyoncu said, “We have always put ‘people’ at our centre and strived to serve our country with the dream of a ‘Strong Türkiye’. My late brother Hasan Kalyoncu believed that education is the most important investment in people and in the future of a nation. With this vision, exactly 45 years ago, we founded the Gaziantep Education and Service Foundation. To date, we have given education scholarships to 30 thousand students; we have opened student dormitories, nurseries and kindergartens. The first project of our Foundation was the Erdem College, which we established in 1998. The second project of our Foundation was to establish a university that would crown its services. Thus, in 2008, we established Hasan Kalyoncu University, the first foundation university of the Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia Region. We are fortunate to have produced nearly 20 thousand graduates so far who are devoted to serving their country. We have packed great achievements into 17 years. We have a university that ranks in the top 10 in student satisfaction, occupancy rate, graduate employment and scholarship rates,” and thanked everyone who contributed to this success.
Giving advice to the graduating students at the ceremony, Cemal Kalyoncu said, “Strong states exist with strong nations. Strong nations, in turn, stand firm through people of knowledge and wisdom. The struggle for independence and the future cannot be won without effort, without struggle, without sweat. Set yourselves great goals to contribute to the development of humanity and the advancement of our country. Work hard to achieve these goals and continuously improve yourselves. Never give up your values, and never give up when you face difficulties. Always have good morals and be just. On this journey, know the value of life and of your family. We will always be by your side. I sincerely believe that, with the contributions you will make in every field of life, you will light the way for humanity, and that by upholding the vision of a “Great and Strong Türkiye” and our values, you will carry our country further in the Century of Türkiye.”
Kalyoncu thanked all the parents who raised, with devotion, children of the homeland who are passionately attached to their country, flag and state and who sincerely love their nation, and said he was proud of the academics of Hasan Kalyoncu University for raising generations with human values at their core, free in thought, free in conscience and free in knowledge.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hasan Kalyoncu University Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli said, “With your knowledge, experience and vision, you will produce not only individual successes but also benefits for society, and you will light the way for the future of our country. On this new journey, let your greatest strength be your faith and confidence in yourselves. Remember that you are the graduates of an age in which the world is being reshaped and new stories are being written. While writing your stories and crowning them with your achievements, you can transform not only yourselves but also the world. I sincerely congratulate all our graduates and their families.”
1,657 Students Threw Their Caps
Following the speeches, certificates of achievement and awards were presented by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Cemal Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Gaziantep Education and Service Foundation, to the first, second and third ranking students of Hasan Kalyoncu University who completed the 2024 – 2025 academic year with honours.
The students who ranked in the top three in each faculty and department were invited to the stage and received their diplomas. At the end of the ceremony, a total of 1,657 students, sharing the joy of graduation with their families, proudly threw their caps into the sky.
