The 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and “World Veterinary Day” were Celebrated with an Event
Afyon Kocatepe University (AKU) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine celebrated its 30th anniversary and “World Veterinary Day”.
AKU Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Dean Prof. Dr. Turan Civelek, Vice Deans Prof. Dr. Zeki Gürler and Assistant Professor Durmuş Fatih Başer, Kocatepe Animal Hospital Chief Physician Prof. Dr. Musa Korkmaz, academic staff and students attended the event held in front of the AKU Veterinary Health Application and Research Center (Kocatepe Animal Hospital).
“Veterinary medicine is related to the environment and human health”
Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Prof. Dr. Turan Civelek, who made the opening speech of the event, said that the 30th anniversary of the Faculty was celebrated on the occasion of the event organized within the framework of World Veterinary Day. He stated that veterinary medicine plays a major key role in the maintenance of animal health, public health and in ensuring sustainable agriculture in terms of both agriculture and animal husbandry. Civelek noted that veterinary medicine is not only related to animal health but also directly related to the environment and human health, and said, “Veterinary medicine is a field that also concerns food. We all consume animal food. Of course, we are also asked about its health. Veterinary medicine is a profession that produces services from a very broad perspective when you look at it.”
“Our Hospital and Farm are now much more advanced with their equipment and infrastructure”
Drawing attention to the fact that protection against epidemic diseases such as Covid-19 is one of the important areas of action of the veterinary profession, Civelek noted the following:
“I would like to remember with mercy and gratitude our elders who have contributed to the veterinary profession coming to this day and who are no longer with us. Our Rector is also with us; you are all witnesses to the point our Faculty has reached in the last six years. Our Animal Hospital and Farm are now much more advanced with their equipment and infrastructure. Our accreditation processes are about to be completed. We are already accredited at the national level; we will also receive international accreditations with the support of my valuable colleagues. We all have to reach the future with the effort to serve the Turkish nation in the best way by following the footsteps of our elders who have added value to the profession and the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, by working, setting goals and planning. In this context, I especially recommend my valuable young friends to plan their lives step by step.”
“A Faculty with a continuously rising momentum”
AKU Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş also stated in his speech that he celebrated “World Veterinary Day” and the 30th anniversary of the Faculty. Karakaş said, “As an academician of the University for 32 years, I have witnessed where the Faculty has come from in 30 years. My colleagues who have worked for the Faculty since its establishment are among us. The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is a Faculty that has been constantly developing and whose momentum has been constantly rising since the day it was founded.” Stating that they declared the field of veterinary medicine as one of the priority areas of the University since the moment they took office in 2019, Karakaş said, “We applied our positive discrimination policy to our priority areas as well as to the field of veterinary animal husbandry and made serious investments in both the campus and the research farm within this scope. We made this investment in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine because it is one of the dynamic faculties of the University.”
“International accreditation process continues”
Emphasizing that the veterinary profession is necessary not only for animal health but also for human health, Karakaş said the following:
“We have always evaluated veterinary medicine within the general health concept. We have strived to implement our activities in this direction. We do not only consider physical infrastructure investment within the scope of the priority area. We include qualified education, qualified research and training qualified professional staff in this concept. For this purpose, we are primarily building the necessary infrastructure; in parallel, we have accelerated the accreditation processes. The national accreditation process has been completed; the international accreditation process is ongoing. In this context, you will see that the diplomas of students graduating from Afyon Kocatepe University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will become more prestigious with international accreditation.”
“National accreditation has an international dimension”
Noting that national accreditation has an international dimension, Karakaş said, “As you know, the vocational qualification institution gives the Turkish Qualifications Framework (TYÇ) Logo to programs. When the TYÇ logo is added to your diploma, your diploma becomes more prestigious in European Union countries.” Karakaş stated that “TYÇ logo applications cannot be made to programs without national accreditation and said, “Therefore, in this respect, we are striving to develop and strengthen veterinary animal husbandry, which is a priority area; to ensure that it takes the place it deserves both nationally and internationally. In this direction, we continue our work together with our Faculty administration, academic and administrative staff at the Faculty and our students.”
The event ended with rice served after the speeches, a musical feast and sports competitions.
