Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), which started to operate the Quality Management System, has completed the External Audit Process carried out by the Certification Department of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSI). After the audit controls that lasted for four days, the closing meeting of the process was held at the Senate Hall of OMU Rectorate.

The meeting was held with the participation of Rector Prof. Dr. Sait Bilgiç, Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kuran, Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Vedat Ceyhan, Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Cengiz, and Fatih Sağdıç, Lead Assessor of TSI, Adnan Bahadır, Provincial Coordinator of TSI Black Sea Region, Erol Kaygı, Director of Certificate for TSI Samsun, TSI Assessor Mustafa Tıkansak and TSI Assessor Ayşe Akbaba, the deans of the faculties, the directors of schools, the administrative units of the university and the heads of departments.

"This process contributes to the development of our institution"

Rector Prof. Dr. Bilgiç evaluated the process and said: "As you know, we met before four days ago. In these four days, our esteemed assessors from TSI have completed their studies by conducting the audit process. I thank everyone who contributed to this process. I would like to thank Vedat Ceyhan who has worked as the coordinator and the team of quality coordinators for the implementation of this process. This process will contribute to the development of our institution. It is a profit that the issues which we have not noticed are reviewed by the experts from outside. As we thought this process would be useful, the findings did not disturb us. Of course, such a large institution will have a number of shortcomings. Our intention is to make OMU a better institution by realizing what we have not noticed before. I believe that we will accomplish this purpose".

"We have performed the audit with a high rate of participation"

TFatih Sağdıç, the Lead Assessor of TSI, expressed his satisfaction with the interest and high rate of participation during the audit and he expressed: "We were together for four days.  The whole process was accomplished as we had hoped. We were nicely welcomed in every faculty we went to and each department made incredible contributions to us. We started with the Faculty of Engineering. Afterward, we conducted an audit in which we got in touch with both academic and administrative staff, especially in the Faculty of Education, Department of Strategy Development, Faculty of Health Sciences and Vocational School of Health Services. The heads of departments, branch managers and administrative personnel were present at the audit in every department we visited. There was a high rate of participation. In addition to the faculties, I had to visit the Vocational Schools. The Vocational School of Health Services made a good impression on us after the audit. As you know, Vocational schools are not preferred in our country as they were before. Despite this, we have realized that OMU has a vocational high school where departments can be established. ”

Erol Kaygı, Director of Certificate for TSI Samsun, evaluating the audits, TSI Assessor Mustafa Tıkansak, TSI Assessor Nuray Balaban, and TSI Assessor Ayşe Akbaba emphasized their satisfaction on being welcomed in a hospitable manner in the faculties and administrative units where they evaluated, and they remarked that the current shortcomings were correctable.

"It was very important for us to see our shortcomings”

Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Vedat Ceyhan expressed the benefits of the examinations carried out by the external audit team for OMU, and he said: Vedat Ceyhan said, “First of all, I would like to thank our Rector for giving importance to this subject by bringing up this important task to our agenda and ensuring that the Quality Management System can be applied at OMU. I think it is impossible for an institution to make positive progress without such will and support. Afterward, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to our projects on various platforms in the field of system implementation. As of June, we have developed and shaped the Quality Management System of OMU to test our TSI compliance with the standards and the viability in the field. These developments are not just about our projects. It has emerged by melting the OMU's traditional practices of 44 years in a pot. In this context, I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the process from the very beginning. I also want to thank the external audit team. They enabled us to realize our shortcomings, which was quite significant for us".

“We are glad to see that our institution is at the level of receiving the certificate of quality"

At the end of the meeting, Prof.Dr. Sait Bilgiç remarked that the process made a great contribution to the OMU, and he said: "We were happy to see the signs of establishing a Quality Management System as a result of this audit. Of course, every effort becomes more meaningful when it finds a response. We are all pleased to see that our University was at the level of receiving the certificate of quality with your efforts and supports despite the shortcomings to be corrected. However, the delivery of this certificate does not indicate that we are flawless. We promise in the presence of the assessors to correct the deficiencies of our institution and to develop it. We aim to eliminate our shortcomings, to establish our system and to reach a desired level among the universities with greater excitement and enthusiasm. We have units in very good condition as well as the units with deficiencies.  These units will be shared with you and this process will continue all together”.

The meeting ended with wishes of mutual success.