İbn Haldun University’s 7th Commencement Ceremony was held on June 28, 2025, at the IHU Campus with broad participation. The Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz, attended the ceremony as the guest of honor and delivered a keynote address. During the 2024–2025 Academic Year Commencement Ceremony, graduating and prospective graduates from our undergraduate and graduate programs received their diplomas from their professors.
The ceremony, held at the University’s Amphitheater, was also attended by distinguished guests from the business, academic, and political spheres, who shared in the excitement and pride of our graduates.
At İbn Haldun University’s 7th Commencement Ceremony, Vice President of Türkiye Cevdet Yılmaz began his speech by conveying President Erdoğan’s greetings to the graduates. He emphasized the responsibility of universities to go beyond knowledge transfer and cultivate critical thinking, referencing Ibn Khaldun’s intellectual legacy. Highlighting the key roles of education, research, and development in building the “Century of Türkiye,” he stressed the importance of blending global knowledge with our own heritage. Praising İHU’s AI-supported educational vision, Yılmaz called for a justice-based, multi-civilizational paradigm and concluded by urging that knowledge be paired with wisdom, and power with compassion.
During the commencement ceremony, TÜRGEV Chairwoman Hatice Akıncı Yılmaz emphasized that graduation is not just a farewell, but the beginning of an intellectual and social journey that carries great responsibility. She described İbn Haldun University as a home for those who think with their hearts, seek justice, and aim to be the voice of truth. Highlighting the moral sensitivity of students and academics toward global injustices, she stated that universities must be not only academic but also ethical and conscientious institutions. Diplomas, she added, are not just certificates but symbols of identity, stance, and responsibility. She concluded by encouraging graduates to carry wisdom with knowledge, justice with success, and compassion with confidence.
During his address at the graduation ceremony, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Prof. Dr. İrfan Gündüz described İbn Haldun University as “a tree bearing its seventh fruit,” expressing his confidence in its continued growth. Emphasizing the university’s commitment to a balanced student-teacher dynamic and its mission to shape the future through new paradigms, he highlighted its role in cultivating refined leaders who contribute to civilization. Stressing the need for graduates to serve both locally and globally with vision, he underlined the importance of a “zü’l-cenaheyn” mindset—embracing both Eastern and Western knowledge. He concluded by noting that raising conscious individuals requires a comprehensive and principled intellectual framework.
In his address, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan emphasized İbn Haldun University’s vision of becoming a center of excellence poised to lead in the post-Western era. Highlighting the principle of "intellectual independence," he underscored the need to build a new mindset rooted in both scientific progress and the legacy of our own civilization. He noted that the university’s comparative and confidence-based educational model aims to foster central intellectual awareness. Stressing the importance of producing alternative paradigms through globally aware students, he called on universities to take the lead in this transformation. Erdoğan concluded by recognizing the growing impact of İbn Haldun University and thanking faculty members for their dedication in pursuing a long-term vision of building a new academic paradigm.
In his commencement address, Rector of İbn Haldun University Prof. Dr. Atilla Arkan expressed his pride in graduating a new cohort of students and emphasized the greater responsibilities they now carry. He thanked the students, the faculty who guided them, and the families who supported them throughout their journeys. Describing the university as “an initiative marked in history for a more just world and a brighter future for Turkey,” Prof. Arkan highlighted the innovative, AI-supported educational models and the university’s commitment to international engagement. He concluded by reaffirming İbn Haldun University’s determined progress toward becoming a leading research university.
During the diploma ceremony, Yusuf Fahmy, a graduate of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, gave a speech on behalf of the undergraduate students, while Sunbul Sayedi, a graduate of the Alliance of Civilizations Institute, addressed the audience on behalf of the graduate students.
As part of the ceremony, İbn Haldun University also presented the “Doctoral Dissertation of the Year Award” and the “Pioneer Researcher Award” to recognize and promote a strong research culture within the university. The Doctoral Dissertation of the Year Award was granted to Nilab Saeedi, a graduate of the Ph.D. Program in History, for her thesis titled “Muslihuddin Lārī: An Intellectual of Three Empires.” The Pioneer Researcher Award was presented to Mehmet Seyda Tepedelen, a current student in the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology.
The ceremony concluded with the awarding of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral diplomas, followed by the traditional cap toss.
