Tuğba Aydın Halisoğlu

I am Tuğba Aydın Halisoğlu, working as an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Tarsus University. I wanted to prepare this letter to share my experiences between September 2-6, 2024 at CIEC, where I was warmly welcomed, experienced academic saturation at every moment, and had the opportunity to get to know and spend time with friendly people. How did my process start? I am a working group member of the COST Action CA 22121 OPEN: Rising nationalisms, shifting geopolitics and the future of European higher education/research openness. During annual meeting at Aveiro on April, 2024, I have met with Dr. Orlanda Tavares who is member of the same working group. I communicated with her on my intention to establish an academic collaboration in the context of STSM (Short Term Scientific Mission) for a 5-day academic visit hosted by CIEC. After I was accepted within the scope of the COST Action, I planned my academic visit within CIEC between 2-6 September 2024 by staying in constant communication with Dr. Orlanda Tavares. Within the scope of my STSM, we held discussions with Dr. Orlanda Tavares on joint project opportunities in cooperation with Turkiye and Portugal in the context of Mediterranean countries. We exchanged ideas on issues such as project budget, work plan and method. Within the scope of these very productive meetings, I had opportunity to give a speech for researchers and academics at CIEC on “Turkey and Higher Education System Through European Union Membership: Challenges, Opportunities and Threats”. To summarize the whole process, I was welcomed in a warm environment where Dr. Orlanda Tavares shared her academic experience and knowledge and all the staff at CIEC were so friendly and helpful. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Maria Assunção Flores (The Dean), Dr. Orlanda Tavares, Irene Cadime, Eva Lopes, Diana Pereira, Maria João Antunes, Beatriz Gouveia (especially for the delicious traditional sweet), Francisca Sousa, Jeremias Lello Correia and Enrique Garcia Tort.