President Ersin Tatar has appointed former rector of Eastern Mediterranean University, Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, as the new head of the Higher Education Planning, Evaluation, Accreditation and Coordination Council (YÖDAK).

Hocanın was notified of his appointment last night.

In a statement issued on Sunday, President Tatar expressed his belief that Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, who has extensive experience in accreditation and management both nationally and internationally, will make a significant contribution to this process.

Tatar also stated that the Turkish government and the Turkish Higher Education Council (YÖK) will provide the necessary support for the upcoming efforts.

He also emphasized the great responsibility that fell upon YÖDAK under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın.

Tatar highlighted that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has significant experience in higher education, having produced thousands of graduates from its universities.

He conveyed that recent setbacks should serve as an opportunity to strengthen this experience into a more robust structure, and expressed confidence that this would be achieved through a concerted effort.

Hocanın’s predecessor Turgay Avcı who had been appointed as head of YÖDAK in April 2021 resigned earlier this month following his arrest on charges of taking bribes and kickbacks.

He and several other high-profile figures are currently standing trial.

Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın began his career at the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) in 2003, serving as the Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2007 and as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at EMU in 2014.

He has been involved in the accreditation processes of many universities nationally and internationally and served as the Rector of EMU from 2020 to 2023.