The highly respected British journal The Economist published a special report on Turkey in its 19 March 2005 issue. The report covers a number of issues, from Turkey's EU candidacy to its economic situation, and also discusses education in Turkey. It notes that while there are problems in primary and secondary schools, there have also been substantial improvements in the country's education system overall, with the greatest advances having been made in higher education. The article mentions in particular the founding of private universities that offer high-quality education in English, and cites Bilkent University and Sabancı University as examples.

The Economist goes on to say the following about Bilkent: “One of the best is Bilkent University, founded in 1984 on a vast site just outside Ankara and backed by a large family-owned conglomerate that built, among other things, Istanbul's huge new international airport. Students in Turkey sit a nationwide university entrance exam and are ranked on their performance. Of the top 100 students in the rankings last year, 34 choose to go to Bilkent."


 

Tourism Students Host Birthday Party for Prof. Doğramacı



On the occasion of Professor İhsan Doğramacı's 90th birthday, the Tourism Departments, in cooperation with the Bilkent Hotel, organized a birthday celebration on April 4. Bilkent Hotel Chef Ekrem Sarpkaya created a special menu for the occasion. The kitchen crew, under his direction, and the students, supervised by Chef Instructor Wolfgang Schmelcher, prepared the food. The service for nearly 200 guests was superbly handled by the students, under the supervision of Service Instructor Ali Ünal.

Also in this issue:

Radio Bilkent: A New Look A Chance to See What You Hear!

Radio Bilkent is opening a new studio to bring its programming closer to you, the listeners! For four hours each weekday, your campus radio station will broadcast from a location next to the Kıraç Restaurant. Formerly a store, the new studio space has large windows that will let us see our DJs live in front of the mike. The studio will be named in memory of former Radio Bilkent DJ Orçun Gül, and its broadcasts will begin three weeks from now.
The new location is in an area where large numbers of students pass by every day. Soon, while you're taking a break between classes or having lunch, you'll be able to check out what's happening in the Radio Bilkent studio. It will be more fun than ever to make a request, since you can actually watch the DJ put the disk on the turntable. When Bilkent faculty members or celebrity guests appear on Radio Bilkent programs, you'll be able to see them as well.
Radio Bilkent's public relations director Irmak Tosun (IR/IV) noted that besides watching and listening, students will also be able to get more involved in their radio station. Both in its new studio and in its main location on the fifth floor of the Engineering Building (where regular broadcasting will continue to take place), Radio Bilkent will open its doors to those who are interested in knowing more about radio broadcasting and being a DJ. The station will offer workshops following the programs at the new studio, and will also give students the opportunity to speak on the air and announce their own requests.
These innovations will be an important step for Radio Bilkent and, it is hoped, a great experience for students as well. By bringing Radio Bilkent closer to daily life on campus, the Orçun Gül Studio will also bring Bilkent campus life closer to the Ankara audience.
On Sundays from noon to 1 p.m., Professor Mustafa Pýnar hosts a new program on Radio Bilkent for those who enjoy classical music. During the hour, he discusses various aspects of classical music and plays selected pieces.
Prof. Pınar talked to Bilkent News about his new program and his interest in music. He said that he has a collection of 400 classical music CDs, which he has acquired over a period of 12 years, and also subscribes to several international classical music magazines.
"My aim is to share my personal collection with fellow classical music lovers," he explained.
"With this idea in mind, I submitted a program proposal to Radio Bilkent. After that, I received training in programming, announcing and technical matters at the station. I'm still learning!" He also noted that the pieces played on the program consist entirely of recordings from his collection, which he selects for the broadcasts.
This month's programs will feature the following works/selections:

Sunday, April 10
Cesar Franck: Piano Quintet; movement from the Symphony in D minor; Pastorale for organ, op. 19
Sunday, April 17
Hector Berlioz: selections from the vocal work "La damnation de Faust"
Sunday, April 24
Franz Schubert: selections from the song cycle "Winterreise"

Gülay Acar (COMD/II)

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