Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN) held its 2025–2026 Academic Year General Academic Council Meeting under the chairmanship of Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer. During the meeting, university’s academic, scientific, and institutional development between 2022 and 2026 was comprehensively discussed. The meeting was also considered an important platform where achievements were shared and the future vision was presented.
Broad Participation and a Strong Institutional Vision
The meeting, held at the Sezai Karakoç Cultural Center on Farabi Campus, was attended by BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu and Prof. Dr. Servet Karasu, Secretary General Prof. Dr. Zehra Safi Öz, senate members, department heads, as well as academic and administrative staff.
The program began with a moment of silence in memory of the martyrs and the singing of the Turkish National Anthem, followed by a comprehensive presentation by Rector Özölçer on the institutional development and academic transformation efforts carried out at the university between 2022 and 2026.
Rector Özölçer started his speech by thanking all academic and administrative staff who have contributed to BEUN’s development since the day he took office.
BEUN’s Growing Academic and Institutional Strength
Rector Özölçer stated that the university operates across 13 campuses with 16 faculties, 3 institutes, 9 vocational schools, 3 schools, 1 stat conservatory, and 34 application and research centers. He emphasized that BEUN is a strong higher education institution with more than 1,300 academic staff, over 31,500 active students, 1,711 international students, and nearly 110,000 graduates.
Highlighting academic quality indicators, Rector Özölçer noted that the number of accredited programs increased from 4 in 2022 to 25 in 2025, indicating significant progress. He also drew attention to the increase in the number of programs within the Turkish Qualifications Framework (TQF) to 19 and the implementation of the social transcript system. He added that double major and minor programs have increased by 72.97% since 2021, demonstrating the strength of a student-centered education approach.
A Major Leap in Scientific Publications and Academic Success
Rector Özölçer stated that BEUN has experienced remarkable growth in scientific productivity, with the number of publications indexed in SCI, SSCI, SCIE, and AHCI rising from 368 in 2022 to 700 in 2025, marking an increase of 84.21%. He emphasized that SSCI publications increased from 38 to 121 (218.42%), while AHCI publications rose from 2 to 12, achieving a 500% increase. According to 2025 Scopus data, BEUN ranked 19th among state universities and 33rd nationwide with a Q1 publication rate of 57%. He also noted that the number of academics receiving academic incentives increased from 277 to 404, reflecting a 45.84% rise.
Record Growth in Research Projects and Technological Development
Rector Özölçer reported that the number of Scientific Research Projects (BAP) increased from 62 in 2022 to 194 in 2025, while the project budget rose from 35 million TL to over 104 million TL. He highlighted the success in the TÜBİTAK 2209-A program, where 99 projects were supported with a 55% acceptance rate. Additionally, he stated that 8 academics were included in the “World’s Most Influential Scientists 2025” list, and the number of firms in the technopark increased from 19 to 50, representing a 163.15% rise. The establishment of the Cyber Homeland Competence Center in 2024 was also noted as a significant step in digital transformation.
Leading Achievements in Accessibility and Social Responsibility
Rector Özölçer also addressed BEUN’s achievements within the scope of the Accessible University Awards, stating that the university ranked 3rd and 4th in Türkiye in 2025. He noted that BEUN entered the top 7 universities in Türkiye by receiving 10 accessibility flags and 15 badges in the same year, increasing the total number of flags from 11 to 29. He added that BEUN ranked 4th in the Sports-Friendly Campus Awards and was honored with a gold medal and platinum certificate by the Turkish Red Crescent. The number of social responsibility projects increased from 103 to 482, marking a 367.96% rise, along with significant improvements in scholarship opportunities.
Major Advancements in Healthcare
Rector Özölçer emphasized the developments in healthcare services at the university hospital, noting that the number of inpatients increased from 32,361 to 47,868, and the number of surgeries rose from 35,265 to 43,980. He stated that the hospital investment budget increased significantly from 21 million TL to 157 million TL, and highlighted major medical achievements such as the first autologous bone marrow transplant, endoscopic lumbar disc surgery, and minimally invasive cardiac surgery in the Western Black Sea region. He also underlined that investments such as a new-generation angiography device, LINAC radiotherapy system, and blood transfer system have enhanced the quality of healthcare services.
Internationalization, Digitalization, and Library Achievements
Rector Özölçer pointed out the increase in the number of international students and significant growth in graduate student numbers, along with the rise in Erasmus+ agreements from 136 to 267 (46.70%). He also emphasized that the BEUN Library achieved remarkable success in the number of e-publications, ranking first in Türkiye among universities established in 1992. Innovative digital solutions such as BEUN BAPSIS, academic incentive software, digital appointment systems, and the ZODYN application were also introduced during the meeting.
Sustainable Campus and Future Vision
Within the scope of sustainability goals, Rector Özölçer stated that BEUN has undertaken the GreenMetric Türkiye National Coordination and provided information about green roof implementations and solar energy projects.
He also mentioned future projects, including new social areas at İbni Sina Campus, an indoor sports hall, parking facilities, a new faculty building, a National Technology Workshop, and the Zonguldak GO Entrepreneurship Office.
Rector Özölçer: “Our Goal is to Become a Research University”
In his closing remarks, Rector Özölçer expressed the university’s future goals as follows:
“All the work we have carried out since the day we took office is part of our goal to move Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University forward. In the upcoming period, we will continue to work with all our strength to first achieve the status of a candidate research university and then become a full research university. I sincerely thank all our academic and administrative staff who contributed to this success.”
Achievements Crowned with Awards
As part of the program, plaques were presented to academics who received academic incentive, publication, and honor awards, as well as those included in the world’s most influential scientists list, and personnel who contributed to healthcare, education, and administrative fields.
The meeting concluded with a group photo commemorating the day.
Click for 2025-2026 Academic Board Meeting Photos
