Albany – SUNY’s award-winning dual diploma program
garnered additional accolades when U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey recently read a
tribute into the Congressional Record.
Students earn diplomas from both State University of New York campuses
and Turkish institutions of higher education.
Students spend half of their undergraduate experience at a SUNY campus
and half at a Turkish University and utilize distance learning to earn two diplomas through a single
course of study.
"This
highly successful program and others like it are exactly what higher education
institutions should be striving to achieve," said Hinchey. "The
dual diploma program with Turkish universities highlights SUNY's
commitment and leadership in international education and I encourage them to
continue with those efforts. These universities' contributions in
education and efforts at globalizing their campuses benefit their communities
in profound ways and are particularly important in the face of our country's
current challenges in the Middle East and throughout the
world."
SUNY Interim Chancellor Dr. John B. Clark said, “We are
very grateful to Congressman Hinchey for honoring our innovative and
award-winning dual diploma program. SUNY’s dual
diploma program succeeds because of the enthusiastic cooperation between the
Turkish Council of Higher Education, their outstanding campus leaders, and SUNY
System’s Office of International Programs, SUNY campus presidents, faculty and
staff. I commend our educational leaders
for this well-deserved honor.”
"Congressman
Hinchey's recognition of SUNY's dual diploma program
with Turkey underscores
the support SUNY receives from the federal government as we continue to
internationalize our campuses," said Dr. Risa
Palm, SUNY's Provost. "In addition, this
successful program is an example of how SUNY is strongest when it operates as a
system - with campuses working cooperatively and with System Administration
supporting those efforts."
Binghamton University and SUNY New Paltz offer the dual diploma
program and are located in Congressman Hinchey’s district.
Binghamton University
Binghamton
University President Lois B. DeFleur said, “I am very
pleased that Congressman Hinchey recognized the SUNY dual-diploma program and
in particular, Binghamton University’s role in making this
initiative such a success. Binghamton is proud to be on the
cutting edge of global education, which is so important to our students and our
nation. Congressman Hinchey’s tribute recognizes not only my vision for Binghamton University, but all
of the faculty, staff and students who value internationalization.”
Binghamton University has long-standing
relationships with universities in Turkey, which played a central
role in the dual-diploma program's success. Binghamton enrolls more Turkish
students than any of the other nine participating SUNY campuses. Binghamton's
program draws students from four Turkish partner institutions, including Bilkent University in Ankara; Bogazici
(Bosphorus University) in Istanbul; Istanbul Technical
University in Istanbul; and Middle East Technical University in Ankara.
Close to
450 students are currently enrolled in the dual program at Binghamton University, pursuing studies in
information systems, global and international affairs, and management. Students
typically spend freshman and junior years at their home campus and their
sophomore and senior years abroad, which affords experiences in two cultures
and two educational systems.
The
dual-diploma program enriches the Binghamton campus, bringing a variety
of perspectives to the classroom. Conversely, the dual-diploma students
interact with faculty and students out of the classroom, making valuable
contributions to international knowledge and appreciation that permeate the Binghamton campus.
The first
group of students in the Turkish dual-degree program graduated earlier this
year. Many have gone on to pursue graduate degrees while others were snapped up
by major companies in the United States and Europe.
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY
New Paltz President Steven G. Poskanzer
said, “We're delighted to have our program with Turkish universities recognized
so prominently. This has been a complex
undertaking, requiring faculty to develop fully-integrated curricula. The success of these students here at New Paltz demonstrates the high quality of the preparation
these students receive in Turkey and the
compatibility of our educational systems.”
This
year there are nearly two hundred students from Turkey's two most
prominent technical universities as well as one of its major private business
schools studying for degrees in business, economics and Teaching English as a
Second Language at SUNY New Paltz.
These
students have a near-perfect record of graduating within four years or even
less with strong records of achievement.
In addition, the faculty and staff at New Paltz
have developed close working relationships with their colleagues in Turkey. We would certainly encourage other colleges
and universities to engage in cooperative programs with universities in Turkey to promote a
stronger bond with our staunchest ally among predominantly Islamic nations.
By the Numbers
Since 2003, more than 1,500 students have participated
in 24 programs on ten SUNY and nine Turkish campuses. Just over 70 students have earned two
diplomas, with an additional 190 projected for the end of the 2008 academic
year.
Heiskell Award
SUNY’s dual-diploma program model with Turkey was selected
to receive the prestigious Andrew Heiskell Award for
International Exchange Partnerships for 2006-2007, by the Institute of International
Education.
The
IIE administers the U.S. Dept. of State Fulbright Program and the Heiskell awards are named for the former Chairman of Time
Inc., Andrew Heiskell, who served on the IIE Board of
Directors.
Campus by Campus
During
this academic year, more than 550 Turkish dual-diploma students are studying at
the Universities at Binghamton and Buffalo, as well as
the Colleges at Cortland, New Paltz, the Maritime College, the Fashion
Institute of Technology and Empire State College. New programs have enrolled students in Turkey and will see
students arriving over the next few years at the Colleges at Brockport,
Fredonia and Geneseo.
Participating
Turkish institutions of higher education include Istanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University, Bogazici University, Bilkent University, Anadolu University, Ege University, Izmir Economics University, Hacettepe University and Isik University.
About the State University of New York
The
State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in
the United States, educating
nearly 427,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64
campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu
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