Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan has been appointed Rector of Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) under a presidential decree signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette.
Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan, who had served as Acting Rector of Hasan Kalyoncu University since 1 July 2025, was formally appointed Rector of the University under the decree signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published in the Official Gazette.
Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan expressed her gratitude for the appointment made with the approval and discretion of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and also thanked Prof. Dr Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education.
Küçükerdoğan also conveyed her appreciation to Cemal Kalyoncu, Chairman of the Gaziantep Education and Service Foundation, and Haluk Kalyoncu, Chairman of the HKU Board of Trustees, for their trust and support.
She stated that Hasan Kalyoncu University would continue to enhance its scientific research capacity, strengthen its research-oriented activities and advance in line with its internationalisation goals.
Emphasising that the University would maintain its student-centred approach to education, Küçükerdoğan said:
“Having assumed this honourable responsibility with the approval of our President, I will continue to serve with determination to take our university further in every field. As Hasan Kalyoncu University, we will remain fully committed to an educational approach that contributes to regional development, encourages high-quality research and prepares our students for the world of the future in the best possible way. With our distinguished academic staff, innovative vision and productive young people, our principal aim is to add value to Gaziantep, our region and our country’s science diplomacy, while elevating our university to higher levels nationally and internationally. We will continue to work with all our strength to prove worthy of the trust placed in us.”
During her tenure, Küçükerdoğan has led initiatives aimed at developing the University’s research infrastructure, strengthening quality assurance and accreditation processes, and implementing student-centred projects. In the new period, she is expected to continue her work towards advancing the University’s academic, scientific and technological development.
Who Is Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan?
Born in Istanbul in 1966, Prof. Dr Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of French Language Teaching at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Letters. She received her master’s degree in 1993 and completed her doctorate in 1999 in the Public Relations and Publicity Programme at Istanbul University’s Institute of Social Sciences.
Küçükerdoğan began her academic career as a lecturer in 1990. She was awarded the title of associate professor in 2003 and became a full professor in 2009.
Throughout her academic career, she has held various administrative positions, including head of department, dean, senate member and quality coordinator. She joined the academic staff of Hasan Kalyoncu University’s Faculty of Communication in 2018. She was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Communication in 2020, Vice-Rector in 2022 and Acting Rector on 1 July 2025.
Prof. Dr Küçükerdoğan conducts research in the fields of semiotics, advertising communication, brand identity, visual culture and persuasive communication. Her published books include How Is Advertising Analysed?, Interculturality in Advertising and Advertising Discourse. She is also the author of numerous national and international articles and conference papers and works in areas including strategic communication and public diplomacy, corporate communication and quality in higher education, university brand management, reputation management, internationalisation, digital communication and new media, as well as cultural and communication studies.
Küçükerdoğan also serves as a member and auditor of İLEDAK and as a member of the İLDEK Executive Board. She continues to contribute to TÜBİTAK projects as a project coordinator, panellist and researcher, and serves as an evaluator within the Turkish Higher Education Quality Council.
