Rector Ulku Bayindir, Dr. Oya Bayindir, Dr. Fikret Ikiz, Dr. Mustafa Turkseve, Dr. Saban Eren and Dr. Suat Oksuz of Ege University finalized a plan with Fredonia that will eventually send up to 120 Turkish undergraduate students to SUNY Fredonia each year.
SUNY officials have noted that the program is the first of its kind between Turkey and a foreign state. Other participating SUNY schools include the University at Buffalo, SUNY Binghamton, Cortland College, SUNY Maritime and SUNY New Paltz.
"As communication and transportation improve, the concepts of a global society and a global economy are becoming a reality," said President Hefner. "SUNY Fredonia and Ege University students will benefit from a better understanding of our interconnectivity because of the interaction facilitated by this dual degree partnership. This agreement allows students from our two universities to study and live together, and helps our students improve their awareness and understanding of global issues."
Students from Ege University who enroll in the program will attend SUNY Fredonia during their sophomore and senior years. Upon graduation, the students will receive diplomas from each school – a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Fredonia and a Lisans (the Turkish equivalent of a Bachelor of Science degree) from Ege University. The diploma will state "Awarded by SUNY Fredonia for a program jointly administered with Ege University," while the Lisans will be "Awarded by Ege University for a program jointly administered with SUNY Fredonia."
The degrees will be in coordinating programs such as computer science from Fredonia and computer engineering from Ege, or international studies from Fredonia and international relations from Ege. In order to earn both diplomas, students must spend at least three semesters of their eight-semester program at each of the two campuses. The exchange students will be taught in English.
Thirty students from Ege University are tentatively slated to enroll in the SUNY Fredonia Computer Science program in Fall 2007. Once the project is firmly rooted at both universities, officials hope to open the SUNY Fredonia International Studies program to an additional 30 Turkish students. As many as 120 Ege University students – 60 sophomores and 60 seniors – could be attending SUNY Fredonia annually with the next 10 years.
Mary Sasso, Director of International Education at SUNY Fredonia, is excited about the new agreement with Ege University. "Every agreement that furthers internationalization on our campus is good," Ms. Sasso said. "As the world becomes increasingly open, our students will need to understand and appreciate what is beyond our borders. I hope that this can someday become a two-way exchange, and our students can enjoy the opportunity to study in Turkey."
In a recent speech, Acting SUNY Chancellor John W. Ryan discussed the ways in which the state university system is reaching out to nations and cultures worldwide.
"We already have joint degree programs with universities in Turkey, Russia, Poland, Canada and Mexico that are, as I speak, transforming SUNY into a global university by bringing highly qualified international students to New York and exposing our students to higher education systems around the world," the acting chancellor said.
