Rep. Hinchey Honors SUNY Dual Diploma Program

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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