In honor of the 60th anniversary of its establishment, the Economics Department convened a 3-day conference. The highlight of the conference was the inaugural “METU Speed Networking Meetings” event, held on Saturday, September 28, 2019, in the Foyer Area of the Culture and Convention Center (CCC). Sponsored by the METU Career Planning Application and Research Center (METU CPC) and Alumni Office, this event brought together METU’s esteemed alumni, academics, and students, who used the “Speed Networking” format to develop new connections. The activity, coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Pınar Derin Güre, was carried out under the guidance of Assist. Prof. Adil Oran. More than 200 alumni, academics, and current students attended the event. After the welcome speeches, the “Speed Networking” format, used here for the first time in METU alumni-student meetings, was introduced to the participants in the Conference Hall. The alumni, academics, and students then gathered together around the foyer area tables to exchange information. Participants greeted each other in a series of brief exchanges during a set period of time, and had the opportunity to continue their talks in the cocktail area after the meeting.

The METU CPC and Alumni Office plan to implement “The METU Speed Networking Meetings” at other departments of the University in the coming months, in the hope that such a layout will strengthen the alumni-student-university relationship by offering METU’s esteemed alumni, academics, and students increased opportunities to connect.