Among the strategic priorities of Nakhchivan State University, the involvement of foreign academics in teaching is given particular attention. In this direction, close cooperation networks are being established, and scholars from foreign higher education institutions are engaged in teaching across various faculties. It is no coincidence that 2025 has marked the highest number of foreign scholars involved in teaching in the history of the university. In the new academic year, 31 foreign professors have been invited to teach across seven faculties. Consequently, together with visiting scholars from the previous year, a total of 50 foreign lecturers will be working at Nakhchivan State University during the 2025–2026 academic year. These academics come from prestigious universities in countries such as Türkiye, Jordan, Japan, Hungary, and others, and they will teach in fields including medicine, pharmacy, engineering, economics, international relations, law, foreign languages, and related disciplines. A significant number of them are guest professors from leading Turkish universities such as Istanbul University, Middle East Technical University, Karadeniz Technical University, Ege University, and Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa. These visiting professors will deliver lectures and conduct research activities. It has already been noted that classes delivered by foreign scholars have begun in the new academic year, and they have expressed rich impressions regarding their teaching experience at Nakhchivan State University. Aysel Ersoy, Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, stated that she is currently teaching the course “Digital Electronics” within the Computer Engineering program at Nakhchivan State University. She noted that the university offers ideal teaching conditions, highlighting the newly opened Nakhchivan Innovation Center, which includes five laboratories. She added that during the teaching process, courses are delivered in English to both foreign students and talented students from various regions of Azerbaijan. According to her, these students are highly intelligent, possess strong proficiency in both foreign languages and their native language, and are able to communicate effectively while fully mastering academic knowledge. Osman Ozkaraca, Professor at the Faculty of Technology of Mugla Sıtkı Koçman University, stated that he has started working at Nakhchivan State University under a mutual agreement beginning from the new academic year. He emphasized that their main goal is to expand inter-university cooperation and share knowledge and experience with students. He also noted that the students are highly motivated and active, which significantly increases interest in the lessons, adding that he is very pleased to share new knowledge with them. Serdar Birogul, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering of Duzce University, stated that he has been continuing his academic activities at Nakhchivan State University for the past six months. He noted that, as in his home institution, he teaches courses related to artificial intelligence at Nakhchivan State University. He also emphasized that the academic staff and administrative environment provide comfortable working conditions. He further added that during his time at the university, he has participated in three conferences and has also been a member of their organizing committees, describing this as a valuable professional experience. Finally, he highlighted the students, stating that there are many highly motivated students with clear academic and professional goals. Mehmet Sarper Erdogan, Professor of Public Health at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, stated that he is very pleased to be in Nakhchivan State University and that he will be present there four times during the semester. He noted that the university has rich teaching facilities and that the students’ discipline particularly attracted his attention. He added that students show a strong interest in learning, which he finds encouraging. He expressed positive impressions from his first lecture and stated that he would gladly participate in future visits as well. It is also noted that professional development trainings have already begun at the university since October, and within this framework, foreign professors are delivering training sessions for academic staff across all faculties. These trainings will continue until April of the following year. It is recalled that in April of the current year, the first large-scale “International Training Month” in the higher education system of Azerbaijan was implemented at Nakhchivan State University. Within this program, 21 trainers from 6 countries conducted trainings in various fields at the university. The sessions were held in three languages—Azerbaijani, Turkish, and English—with the participation of renowned experts from the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, the Netherlands, and Uzbekistan.
