Graduation Joy at İbn Haldun University

The First Graduate Commencement Ceremony Held at İbn Haldun University

İbn Haldun University (IHU) held its first graduate commencement ceremony, attended by Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk, IHU Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees Bilal Erdoğan, TÜRGEV Board Member Mevlüt Uysal, Turkish Airlines Board Member Dr. Murat Şeker, and IHU Rector Prof. Dr. Recep Şentürk. Diplomas were presented to a total of 49 graduates from programs including philosophy, economics, sociology, political science and international relations, air transportation management, and civilization studies.

“For Us, What Matters is Not Just to Graduate, But to Attain Mastery”

In his address, Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk noted that while the ceremony might be perceived as a typical university graduation, it actually represented a historical moment:

“This history stands before us as the product of passion—a serious initiative to rebuild a university model based on intellectual independence and the concept of verification. Every ending is a new beginning. For us, what matters is not just to graduate, but to attain mastery (vakıf olmak). Success is often defined as remembering something until the end of an exam, but we value knowledge that we journey toward for a lifetime, and that is how we see mastery.”

“Without Passion, You Cannot Contribute to Making the World a Better Place”

Bilal Erdoğan, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, emphasized that the university was founded with a mission to fill the void felt in both Turkey and the world:

“We envisioned a university where people gather with the sole purpose of producing ideas and thought, and where students devote their lives to this cause. If you have no passion in life, if you live only for your own desires, and if you lack aspirations beyond yourself, then you cannot contribute to making the world a more livable place. Your diplomas are important milestones, but I hope you live the rest of your life in a way that honors this university’s mission and the efforts made to achieve it.”

“Our Aim is to Make Istanbul a Center of Thought Once Again”

Rector Prof. Dr. Recep Şentürk expressed his happiness on this milestone occasion:

“This is our first graduation ceremony—an extremely significant threshold for us. Our students come from all over the world. İbn Haldun University currently has the highest proportion of international students in Turkey, with students from 74 countries. This shows that our university is truly global and has an international vision. Our goal is to make Istanbul, as it was in history, once again a global center of science and thought. Istanbul has immense historical wealth, but unfortunately, today much of it remains only as historical monuments. We aim to draw from this cultural heritage to restore Istanbul as a center of intellectual life.”