We Commemorate Mehmet Âkif Ersoy with Mercy and Gratitude on the 89th Anniversary of His Passing

I commemorate Mehmet Akif Ersoy with mercy, gratitude, and deep respect on the anniversary of his passing on December 27, 1936.  

As Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, we see carrying the name Mehmet Âkif Ersoy not as a “label” but as a trust and responsibility. The name Âkif is a direction and a measure for us. It is a compass that reminds us of the diligence, truthfulness, courage, and justice, the loyalty to truth, and the sensitivity to keep words and actions aligned. 

We try to understand Âkif not only as a great poet but as a thinker who carefully reads his era and evaluates humans and society on the axis of morality and conscience. He was an epitome of honesty who could say, “Let my words be like wood, as long as they are true”; a monument of character who placed loyalty at the center of his life. 

Today, our duty is to go beyond commemorating him and to carry this exemplary model into our daily lives, institutional culture, and academic studies.

Mehmet Âkif harmoniously combined science and art in his person, and he made it felt at every opportunity that success detached from values would be incomplete. As a university, we also consider it our duty to strengthen an understanding that brings science and art together with social responsibility; that touches people and prioritizes truth. 

With these feelings and thoughts; I once again commemorate Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the common conscience of our nation, with mercy, and I emphasize with determination our responsibility to uphold the values he entrusted to us. May his soul rest in peace.

Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Dalgar
Rector