Leaders from the George Washington University and Koç University, an academic institution in Istanbul, signed an undergraduate student exchange agreement Thursday that will allow students at each university the opportunity to study abroad at the other for up to one academic year.
University President Steven Knapp and GW alumnus Mustafa Koç, chairman of the board of Koç Holding and grandson of the founder of Koç University, introduced the agreement Thursday night at a GW alumni reception in Istanbul, where Dr. Knapp recently participated in a three-day conference at Boğaziçi University for the Global Humanities Project.
“The George Washington University values its many partnerships with academic institutions in Turkey,” Dr. Knapp said. “This new agreement will provide students with educational opportunities that will prepare them for active and productive lives as global citizen leaders."
More than 150 alumni, students, prospective students and others attended the reception, held at the Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art.
“On behalf of myself and Koç University’s esteemed faculty members, I would like to express my sincere enthusiasm for our current and future collaborations with GW,” said Mr. Koç, B.B.A. ’84, the 2008-09 Robert P. Maxon Lecturer at the GW School of Business. “I am very happy to see all of you here and to feel a part of GW again, which brings back all the good memories. Your attendance here this evening reaffirms your commitment to our valuable community and gives all of us an opportunity to further strengthen our relations.”
Turkey is home to more than 200 GW alumni, and the university has participated for many years in academic exchanges with Boğaziçi University and other institutions, including semester-length and short-term study abroad opportunities, visiting faculty arrangements and research projects.
“Our school keeps graduating the next generation of leaders,” Mr. Koç said. “GW, being at the heart of Washington, provides its students and faculty with unparalleled opportunities to study and work alongside leaders and practitioners in government institutions, agencies, associations, foundations and think tanks.”
The Global Humanities Project, currently a partnership between Boğaziçi University, Al Akhawayn University in Morocco and GW, highlights the importance of the humanities in higher education through a network of globally connected universities. The conference this week was the second held as part of the Global Humanities Project. GW hosted the first in March.
GW identifies globalization and cross-disciplinary collaboration as pillars of its strategic plan and is dedicating significant resources to further international outreach, scholarship and teaching in the arts, humanities and sciences. Roughly 15 percent of GW students come from abroad and more than 50 percent study abroad during their undergraduate years. Nearly 2,000 graduate and undergraduate students participate in international education and research each year.
