Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler donned the robe as the 11th-term Rector.
The handover ceremony of the Trakya University Rectorate was held on the occasion of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler's appointment as the 11th-term Rector, under the appointment decision numbered 2024/290 published in the Resmi Gazete numbered 32634 on August 16.
Edirne Governor Yunus Sezer, MPs Fatma Aksal and Ahmet Baran Yazgan, Deputy Mayor Hakan İşcan, Chief Public Prosecutor Mustafa Çakmak, Deputy Chairman of the Judicial Justice Commission Zafer Tuna Ertürk, former rectors Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu and Prof. Dr. Yener Yörük, Ambassador Murat Ahmet Yörük, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Edirne, President of the Bar Association Av. Gökhan Karakoç, other city administrators, civil society representatives, academic and administrative staff of Trakya University, and a large crowd of guests attended the ceremony at the Balkan Congress Center.
Speaking after reading the congratulatory messages sent to the ceremony, 9th and 10th Term Rector Prof. Dr. Erhan Tabakoğlu stated that he had an emotional bond with Trakya University and explained what he had done during his 8 years in office. “I am handing over my duty to Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler, our university's esteemed professor, who best describes the Balkan spirit with his poems and books.” Tabakoğlu stated that he will always support Rector Hatipler from now on and said, “I have full faith that our new Rector Hatipler will carry the flag of our university further.”
Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler, who spoke afterward, emphasized that merit would be the most important principle, stating, 'Those who perform their duties correctly and well, who develop and renew themselves in line with the current conditions, and who are in harmony with their surroundings, will always be more valuable. Our fundamental criteria are to work diligently, produce with effort, and contribute to this city and this country.' Hatipler also underscored that they will elevate Trakya University, one of our country's esteemed educational institutions with its deep-rooted history, academic knowledge, and contributions to society, to the level it deserves, adding, 'Our greatest goal will be to cultivate students who are more contemporary, more innovative, and who closely follow and apply technological advancements worldwide, without losing touch with the cultural heritage of the millennia to which we belong.'
Following the speeches, Tabakoğlu dressed Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hatipler, the 11th-term Rector of Trakya University, in the rector's robe and handed over the university seal, marking the beginning of the new term for the university.
Translated by: Deniz ENGİN
