Our university, Organized in the USA At the NAFSA 2026 International Education Fair “Represented at the ”Study in Türkiye” Pavilion
Sivas Cumhuriyet University participated in the NAFSA 2026 International Education Expo, held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, USA, from May 26–29, 2026, thus taking part in one of the world's largest and most prestigious international higher education events.
Our university was represented at the fair, which brought together thousands of higher education institutions, educational organizations, public institutions and sector representatives from different countries of the world, within the "Study in Türkiye" Pavilion, which was established under the coordination of the European Union Education and Youth Programs Center Presidency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish National Agency).
This year, Turkey was strongly represented at the fair with 89 higher education institutions and 3 public institutions located under the “Study in Turkey” Pavilion. Our university was represented at the fair by Vice Rector and Head of the International Relations Office Prof. Dr. Süleyman Değirmen and Erasmus+ Institutional Coordinator Assistant Lecturer Murat ERCAN.
During the fair, meetings were held with dozens of higher education institutions, educational organizations, and international education companies from different regions of the world, primarily Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. These meetings covered student and staff mobility, Erasmus+ collaborations, joint research activities, international project partnerships, and academic exchange programs.
As part of NAFSA 2026, our university delegation also met with Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, to exchange views on the future of internationalization in higher education, global academic collaborations, and student mobility.
As a result of intensive contacts made throughout the fair, new Erasmus+ Inter-institutional Agreements were signed with many universities via the Erasmus Without Paper (EWP) Dashboard System, while cooperation protocols were signed with two universities from Europe. Furthermore, an agreement was reached with a university from the United States regarding cooperation on student and staff mobility, and an Inter-institutional Agreement was signed with another university under the Erasmus+ KA171 International Credit Mobility Program. These agreements and collaborations were realized through negotiations conducted by Prof. Dr. Süleyman Değirmen, in his capacity as the Legal Representative for European Union Projects on behalf of our University.
In addition to meetings with representatives from leading higher education institutions worldwide, the fair also included various contacts with university administrators, international relations experts, education attaché representatives, and higher education stakeholders from Türkiye. The discussions focused on internationalization in higher education, student and staff mobility, opportunities for developing joint projects, and institutional collaborations.
Sivas Cumhuriyet University Vice Rector and Head of the International Relations Office, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Değirmen, stated that the NAFSA 2026 International Education Fair was extremely productive in terms of increasing the university's international visibility and developing new collaborations, and made the following assessment:
“Internationalization in higher education has now become an integral part of universities' development strategies. Participating in the world's most important international education platforms, such as NAFSA, ÜThis helps increase our university's global visibility and makes significant contributions to establishing new academic collaborations. As a result of meetings we held with numerous institutions from Europe, America, and Asia, new agreements and partnership opportunities have been obtained., ÜSignificant contributions have been made to our university's internationalization goals. We will resolutely continue our work in line with the internationalization vision set forth by our esteemed Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şengönül.”
Prof. Dr. Değirmen also thanked our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Şengönül, for his support of the university's internationalization efforts and his visionary leadership.
Sivas Cumhuriyet University, in line with its internationalization strategy, is determined to continue developing academic collaborations on a global scale, strengthening Erasmus+ activities, and offering more international opportunities to its students and staff. Within this scope, our University aims to participate in the NAFSA 2027 Annual Conference & Expo, which will be held in Los Angeles, USA, in 2027.
Our university extends its gratitude to the Presidency of the European Union Education and Youth Programs Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (Turkish National Agency), its President Mr. İlker Astarcı, and all officials involved in the coordination of the “Study in Türkiye” Pavilion for their contributions to the successful realization of the NAFSA 2026 organization.