As Istanbul Gelisim University IECO, we participated in the Internationalization in Higher Education Consultation Meeting, hosted by Istanbul University on December 20, 2022. Representing our university, the Vice-Rector who is responsible for Research and Development, Prof. Dr. Necmettin MARAŞLI and IECO Coordinator Alisa USUBOVA attended the meeting.
At the meeting, which started with the opening speeches of Istanbul University Rector Prof.Dr. Mahmut AK and Deputy Chairman of The Council of Higher Education H. Haldun GÖKTAŞ, attention was drawn to the importance of internationalization in higher education. In the first session of the meeting, which consisted of 4 sessions, Mustafa Efe, Head of the International Relations Department of the Council of Higher Education, made a presentation on the Current Situation, Goals, and Future Projections in Internationalization. Mustafa Efe emphasized the importance of international cooperation protocols for internationalization in higher education, the number of international students, the number of international academics, and international rankings. In the ongoing session, the Head of the Education and Innovative Services Department, Fatih Aydın, made a presentation on the Support Provided to the Education Sector by the Ministry of Trade. In the 3rd session, a presentation was made by the Immigration Administration, the Turkish National Agency, Administration for Turks Living Abroad and Related Communities, and the Turkish Maarif Foundation. Turkish National Agency Higher Education Coordinator Hür Güldü stated that the countries with the highest outgoing mobility in higher education are "Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Czechia", for incomings "Germany, France, Poland, Netherlands and Italy" among the program countries in Europe. He also mentioned that the most visited countries outside of Europe are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Jordan, while the most incoming visitor countries are Azerbaijan, Jordan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Russia. Emphasizing the importance of higher education institutions taking an active part in the Erasmus+ Program, Hür Güldü said that incentives should be given to increase the number of applications in the field of higher education, especially within the scope of Central Projects. The meeting ended with opinions, questions, and suggestions about Collaborations between Universities, International Student Supply Acceptance Criteria and TR-YÖS (Turkey International Student Admission Exam), International Student Visa and Residence Procedures, TÖMERs, Education Fairs, International Rankings, and International Competition, International Academician Employment. Today, the field of higher education shows an increasing tendency towards internationalization. With the increasing number of international students around the world, national and international strategies gain importance and internationalization in higher education becomes inevitable. As seen in the Internationalization Strategy Document in Higher Education, The Council of Higher Education attaches utmost importance to internationalization. Adopting the Internationalization strategy of the Council of Higher Education, Istanbul Gelişim University has adopted as its goal to increase its human, social, cultural, intellectual and organizational capital through internationalization. In this respect, the information obtained within the scope of the meeting is important in terms of guiding the IGU Internationalization strategy.
