Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer Awarded Honorary Doctorate in Lithuania

Mykolas Romeris University, one of Lithuania's leading universities, presented the honorary doctorate degree to Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer, Chairman of the Board of ITU ARI Technokent, Founder of ITU Development Foundation and ITU Development Foundation Schools, and long-serving founding chairman of the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA), at a special ceremony held on 28 October.

Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer, Chairman of the Board of ITU ARI Technokent, Founder of ITU Development Foundation and ITU Development Foundation Schools, was honored with the honorary doctorate degree at a special ceremony held in Lithuania for her inspiring leadership in gender equality. Turkey's first Ambassador to Lithuania, Halina Kabaskaita, attended the ceremony and conveyed her congratulations. Mykolas Romeris University stated that Sağlamer was deemed worthy of the honorary doctorate degree due to her "significant contributions to the promotion of gender equality in European research and higher education institutions, important scientific research in the field of gender equality, bringing together the global academic community to jointly address global challenges related to research policy, scientific evaluation, development of doctoral studies and improvement of education quality, and her continued support in opening up broad international academic cooperation opportunities for Mykolas Romeris University."

This honorary doctorate is Sağlamer's fifth from an international institution. Previously, she received honorary doctorates from Carleton University in Canada (2001), Universitatea de Nord Din Baia Mare University (2002) and Ovidius University of Constantza (2009) in Romania, and Queens' University Belfast (2018) in the United Kingdom.

Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, Rector of Mykolas Romeris University, expressed great pleasure at hosting Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer in their country and university, stating that "Prof. Sağlamer has been and continues to be a shining example of academic and social leadership, inspiring many people to achieve academic and professional success."

During the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer, Chairman of the Board of ITU ARI Technokent, expressed her pleasure at being part of Mykolas Romeris University, stating, "It is a great honor for me to be deemed worthy of this degree by Mykolas Romeris University, a well-established university with high standing across Europe."

About Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer

Prof. Dr. Gülsün Sağlamer graduated from Istanbul Technical University with a Master's degree in Architecture (1967) and became the first and only female rector of Istanbul Technical University, which has a history spanning over 250 years (1996-2004).

She served as founding board member and first president of the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) (2015-2023), member of the Executive Board of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) (2003-2024), president of the Comités Méditerranéens des Universités (CMU) (2012-2016), board member of the European University Association (EUA) (2005-2009), board member of the Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) (2009-2013) and member of the EUA Research Policy Working Group (2005-2017).