INSIDE BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY

Turkish rector meets with Bogaziçi students at Binghamton

By : Katie Ellis

Ayse Soysal, center, rector of Bogaziçi University in Turkey, met with several dual-diploma and exchange students from Turkey during a visit to campus last week. Soysal received a warm reception, she said, and noted that the students feel very much at hom

Ayse Soysal, recently elected rector of Bogaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, visited Binghamton Uni-versity for the first time this past week to meet with collaborators and students involved in the SUNY-Turkey dual-diploma program.

The program allows students from Turkey to study at SUNY campuses, including Binghamton, and earn dual degrees from SUNY and their home university in Turkey. The University welcomed more than two dozen participants from Turkey last fall.

“Binghamton is the University with which we have the closest connection,” Soysal said. “Those connections go way back and many of our faculty have PhDs from Binghamton. I couldn’t turn down the chance to visit.”

While on campus, Soysal met with administrators and faculty involved in shaping the dual-degree program, but also met directly with students. “I had a meeting with the dual-diploma students and another with the exchange students here from Turkey, as well as one with the graduate students,” she said. “One common thing I found was that everyone is singing the praises of the personal attention and good counseling they’ve found here. It’s been totally unanimous that they love Binghamton and think it’s a wonderful place.”

The dual-diploma students on campus will return to Turkey to study in the fall. Soysal hopes they will have a positive impact on their home campus as a result of their time in Binghamton.

“They didn’t have a clear idea of what to expect when they came here, but were all very pleasantly surprised and feel very much at home,” she said. “I feel that maybe they can help create a similar atmosphere in Turkey.”