The opening ceremony for the 2024-2025 Academic Year at Uşak University took place on October 7, 2024, at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congress and Culture Center, with the participation of Dr. Hulusi Akar, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) and AK Party Kayseri Member of Parliament. In his inaugural lecture titled "Turkey's Security Risks, Threats, and Dangers," Dr. Akar provided comprehensive information about Turkey's national defense and security policies.

The ceremony, which attracted considerable attention, was attended by Uşak Governor Dr. Naci Aktaş, Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş, former AK Party Kayseri MPs Yaşar Karayel from the 23rd, 24th, and 25th terms, Kütahya Dumlupınar University Rector Prof. Dr. Süleyman Kızıltoprak, local protocol officials, guests, academics, and students.

Before the ceremony, Dr. Hulusi Akar was welcomed by Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş in his office, where he signed the university’s honor book.

The ceremony began with a moment of silence and the National Anthem, followed by the screening of the Uşak University promotional film. After the film, Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş delivered the opening speech. He thanked the honored guest, Dr. Hulusi Akar, for his participation and for delivering the inaugural lecture, wishing a prosperous new academic year.

Rector Prof. Dr. Savaş began his speech by condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza. He expressed that the world has been watching this massacre for a year and emphasized that the Palestinian people will never be alone.

Rector Savaş stated, “In the 2024-2025 academic year, we will continue to achieve significant successes with our academics, administrative staff, and students.” He highlighted the efforts of Uşak University in student services, quality, qualified employment, internationalization, projects, R&D, and regional development. He noted that Uşak University, one of Turkey's young universities, has made a name for itself with its national and international successes in recent years, assuring that they will continue to achieve important successes in the new academic year.

Rector Savaş expressed gratitude to the Turkish nation, led by the President, for providing all the facilities at the university for the students. He highlighted Uşak University as the shining star of the region with its physical, social, cultural, sports, and scientific facilities, ranging from the cafeteria to sports areas, landscaping, stadium, student life center, congress and culture center, and laboratories.

He also mentioned that Uşak University continues to be recognized by international organizations for its successful work. “With our slogan ‘A City by Name, Aiming for the World,’ we continue to rank among the top thousand universities in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, which includes prestigious universities such as Oxford, Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and Cambridge. Additionally, we are one of 73 universities from Turkey to be included in the QS Europe 2024 rankings. We rank 676th in the world's green campuses (UI Green Metric). Furthermore, we are one of the 30 universities that have qualified to receive institutional accreditation from the Higher Education Quality Board (YÖKAK). Our goal is always to rise higher and improve our quality,” he stated.

Rector Savaş also highlighted that five of Uşak University's scientists ranked in the top 2% among 7 million researchers in the “World's Most Influential Scientists” list this year. He expressed pride not only in the academics but also in the students, noting that 112 research projects were submitted for TÜBİTAK 2209A and TÜBİTAK 2209B programs in the second call of 2023, doubling the number of accepted projects compared to the previous period, making them the second among universities in the TR33 region. He congratulated all students and academics who contributed to this success.

He addressed the students, encouraging them to work hard, improve themselves, and plan for the future to avoid missing out as they approach their final year. He urged them to learn at least one foreign language and utilize technology to compete globally. “The future of Turkey is in your hands. Your duty is not only to work hard but also to become well-prepared young individuals who contribute to our homeland and nation. I have no doubt that you will fulfill these duties excellently and make your families and teachers proud. As a family of Uşak University, we will move forward hand in hand to serve our country. I pray that our new academic year brings blessings to all of us,” he concluded.

Governor Dr. Naci Aktaş wished the new academic year to be beneficial for the university, students, and Uşak, expressing his happiness to be at the university so early in his tenure as the Governor of Uşak. He remarked that universities are not just centers of education and science, encouraging students to take advantage of all the facilities of the campus and the city, learn about their history, and embrace their heritage. He stated, “Exploring the City of Firsts will broaden your perspective on life. You are not just university students here; you are also members of our city. When the time comes for you to leave, we will be happy to send you off as honorary cultural ambassadors. Remember, your achievements will be a great source of hope for our future. In this sense, we believe in you and trust you.”

Inaugural Lecture by Dr. Hulusi Akar

Dr. Hulusi Akar, Chairman of the TBMM National Defense Committee, delivered the inaugural lecture on "Turkey's Security Risks, Threats, and Dangers," providing comprehensive information about Turkey's national defense and security policy.

Dr. Akar stated, “Turkey has become a subject country in the international arena.” He emphasized that, “There are those who love us and those who do not. But Turkey is now a subject. We have influence and interests across three continents. We closely monitor and engage with events happening worldwide. We are no longer a country that listens; we are now a subject that is listened to. With the spirit of a sapling turning into a giant, the spirit of Çanakkale, the spirit of the National Struggle, and the spirit that stood against July 15, we will work for our country’s survival and prosperity, and we will continue to do so. We have our Homeland, Blue Homeland, Sky Homeland, Brother Homeland, and Digital Homeland. We will progress together, united as 85 million. If we die, we are martyrs; if we survive, we are veterans. We have never allowed our rights to be violated, nor will we.”

He highlighted that the domestic production rate in Turkey’s defense industry has reached around 80% due to recent efforts. “We are producing our own weapons. We have drones and armed drones. We have Altay tanks and Cobras. We also have warships. The remaining 20% requires much more effort and struggle. We must operate with this awareness, as there are obstacles and traps in the work we are doing for our country’s survival and prosperity. There are two types of obstacles: natural obstacles (such as pandemics, earthquakes, floods) and the more critical ones, which are terrorism and terrorists. We have fought against them to the end and will continue to do so.”

On the Events in Gaza

Dr. Akar emphasized that the massacre in Gaza should not be ignored, stating, “This is not a war. Do not call it the Israel-Gaza War. Do not call it the Palestine-Israel War. This is a massacre, this is genocide. This is a cowardice, a dishonor, a disgrace, an indecency. This is inhumane. Those shameless, immoral, and indecent people are baby killers. These ruthless and immoral people will lose. Believe it. They will lose. They are losing something every day, and with God’s permission, along with your help and the support of our nation, one day they will lose everything.”

In his speech, Dr. Akar emphasized the importance of being a noble person who loves and defends their homeland and nation. “After doing these, with our religion, history, and way of life, united as 85 million, we will be one. This flag is ours, this homeland is ours, and this history is ours. We will never allow division or alienation. Together, as one fist, one heart, we will stand as 85 million. I respect and express gratitude to everyone who has contributed to our country’s, our lands’ state from Sultan Alparslan to Atatürk and up to today, especially all our martyrs and veterans. I thank Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş for his invitation, as well as the entire Uşak University family and Uşak. I wish our rector, academics, administrative staff, and students continued success in their endeavors.”

The opening ceremony concluded with a Q&A session, followed by Governor Dr. Naci Aktaş and Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş presenting a plaque to Dr. Hulusi Akar in memory of the day.

After the opening ceremony, Dr. Hulusi Akar visited the Uşak University Leather, Textile, and Ceramics (DTS) Design Application and Research Center, which has achieved national and international success, to learn about the ongoing projects.