Trakya University hosted the board of directors meeting of the Balkan Universities Association (BUA), which it serves as the general secretery and a permament board member. The board of directors meeting of Balkan Universities Association (BUA), the largest higher education association in the Balkans with 92 members, was held at Trakya University Rectorate Building.
The meeting, held by the Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu, the President of Trakya University, was attended by Prof. Dr Artan Hoxha, the president of the University of Tirana, former BUA President & the President of Tuzla University, Prof. Dr. Nermina Hadzigrahic, Trakya University’s Vice Presidebt & Head of External Relations, Prof. Dr. Osman Hatipoğlu and Vice President of the University of Tirana, Assoc. Dr. Bernard Dosti, the Vice President of the University of Bucharest, Assoc. Dr. Sorin Costreie attended the meeting online.
The President of Trakya University, Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu expressed immense gratitude in hosting the BUA Board of Directors at Trakya University, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face meetings with university representatives from the Balkans. He thanked Prof. Dr. Artan Hoxha, Prof. Dr. Nermina Hadzigrahic, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bernard Dosti, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sorin Costreie for their participation and provided information about BUA. Expressing gratitude to President Prof. Dr. Nermina Hadzigrahic for the successful VII. BUA Meeting in 2023, Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu highlighted the significance of face-to-face interactions among BUA member universities, stressing that the solution to problems lies not far away but right next to us, considering the shared culture, history, and geography among member universities. Referring to the increase in BUA membership to 92 after the 2023 BUA Tuzla Meeting, Rector Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu expressed the expectation of exceeding 100 members after the 2024 BUA Tirana Meeting.
Prof. Dr. Artan Hoxha, the president of Tirana University and the president of BUA 2024, expressed their graditude for being the president of this year’s BUA and stated their commitment to advancing the association further, drawing on the experiences from previous BUA meetings.
President of Tuzla University, Prof. Dr. Nermina Hadzigrahi, expressed the experiences and the path they followed in the BUA meeting, emphasizing the importance of gaining new members and structuring the program based on Tuzla University’s experiences.
After the speeches, agenda items were discussed in the meeting. President Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu emphasized the importance of adding new universities from countries with fewer members to maintain balance among BUA member countries, suggesting efforts to add new members from countries like Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Additionally, President Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu mentioned that three universities from Turkey currently have requests to become BUA members and highlighted that membership status will be clarified through voting during the General Assembly in Tirana.
The meeting also discussed the selection of the BUA 2025 President, with the main agenda item being the discussion of the program for the VIII. BUA Meeting. The proposal by Prof. Dr. Artan Hoxha, the President of Tirana University, to hold the VIII. BUA Meeting on June 3-4, 2024, at Tirana University was accepted by the BUA Board of Directors. Regarding the format of the meeting, it was decided to apply a similar format to that used at Tuzla University, with a scientific panel on the first day and a scientific panel and the BUA General Assembly on the second day.
After determining the main agenda and program of the VIII. BUA Meeting, steps will be taken to outline a framework including sub-working groups and other details. It was also stated that once details such as the venue, logistics, invited speakers, session chairs, and participants are finalized, the draft of the meeting will be shared with BUA members.
Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu, the President of Trakya University, thanked all BUA Board of Directors members for their participation and wished success to Tirana University in the BUA 2024 Presidency, affirming their unwavering support at every single step.
The meeting came to an end with the presentation of gifts.
-Translator, Uğurcan Altay
