Dr. Ali Akdemir has served numerous high responsibility civil servant and educational positions, including the President of COMU (Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University). As president of COMU, he had stated his transformative position on the role of universities in the 21st century as follows: In October 2010, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University will organize a World Universities Congress on the theme: "What should be the new aims and responsibilities of universities within the framework of global issues?"

The main responsibilities of universities around the world have traditionally been to offer education and training leading to a profession, to conduct scientific research and to provide other services to the community. However, in a world where global issues are increasingly impacting on daily life, universities today have a duty to assume more responsibility in a wider field.