Board of Trustees Meets

The Bilkent University Board of Trustees met on December 5, 2011. Present at the meeting were Board Chairman Ali Doğramacı, Ergün Toğrol, Lucien Arkas, İlker Baybars, Gülsev Kale, Ahmet Nalbur, Ersin Özince, Şencan Özme, Muhsin Saraçlar, Lütfü Sel, Ergül Tunçbilek, Z. Boğaç Üner and Rector Abdullah Atalar.

At the meeting, the Board of Trustees welcomed the news of two new members: Lucien Arkas, chairman of the Board of Directors of Arkas Holding, and Nemir Kırdar, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Investcorp.

The agenda included a brief presentation on the subject of Bilkent University's international accreditation status. Currently the University is seeking an affiliation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, with the ultimate objective of obtaining accreditation for the University.

Also, information regarding the construction of Bilkent's Erzurum Primary School was given by the project architects via videoconference from New York.

The Board approved the decision by the University Senate to award an honorary doctorate to Nasuh Mahruki, founder of Arama Kurtarma Derneği (AKUT; Search and Rescue Organization), a professional mountain climber, writer, photographer and motivational speaker, and a 1992 BS graduate of Bilkent's Department of Management, for his accomplishments in leadership and mountaineering and his contributions to search and rescue operations in Turkey and abroad.

In addition, the Board of Trustees reviewed and approved a number of proposals put forth by the University Senate regarding various changes to the undergraduate and graduate schools' regulations, BUSEL regulations and the Regulations for Teaching, Examinations, and Assessment.

After approving these proposals, the Board of Trustees reviewed the revised budget for 2011.

Graphic Design Students' Posters Rank High in International Competition

Posters designed by Department of Graphic Design fourth-year students Arda Cem Yılmaz and Göksu Kaya have been selected among the top 100 in the international poster competition "The Right to Education," organized by "Poster for Tomorrow." The works of Ali Metehan Erdem, Aylin Demir, Baran Yazıcı, Meltem Şahin and Zozan Kotan were also shortlisted, appearing on the best 300 posters list and receiving recognition from among a total of 2,780 entries from many nations.

It is estimated that 121 million children worldwide do not attend primary school. The goal of the competition was to raise global awareness regarding the problem of illiteracy and to promote the idea that education is a basic and universal right for all children.

The selection process consisted of a preliminary online jury and a final jury of well-known designers such as Michal Batory, Niklaus Troxler and Erik Spiekermann. The posters selected as the top 100 will be published and exhibited simultaneously in 30 cities around the world.

For more information, please visit www.posterfortomorrow.org.

Bilkent Theater Opens Its Season

The Bilkent Theater will open its 2011-2012 season with four performances of Samuel Beckett's play "Krapp's Last Tape." The play is an independent production presented in collaboration with the Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts, Theater Department. The performances will be in English.

Play: Krapp's Last Tape
Playwright: Samuel Beckett
Director: E.K. McFall
Actor: Brendan McCall
Lighting Design: Yılmaz Ertekin
Sound: Esma Çankaya
Assistant Director: Haluk Kaya
Dates and Times: December 15, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m.; December 18 at 3 p.m.
Place: Bilkent Theater Hall
Tickets can be obtained from www.mybilet.com or the FMPA ticket office.

Clinton's Special Advisor Meets with Bilkent Students, Announces New Summer Exchange Program

Ronan Farrow, 23, special advisor to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for global youth issues, met with Bilkent IR undergraduate students on November 5 to talk about the Obama administration's efforts to increase youth engagement. During the meeting Farrow announced the opening of the application process for "Empowering Young Leaders: Turkey-U.S. Political Exchange Summer 2012," a new undergraduate summer exchange program.

Despite his young age, Mr. Farrow, son of US celebrities Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, has already had an impressive career. Starting college at age 11 and graduating at 15, Farrow later attended Yale Law School and became a lawyer. Asked about his undergraduate GPA, Farrow responded that he finished with a GPA of 3.93, adding that his college had a tough grade policy.

Mr. Farrow has been working at the US State Department since 2009, spending two years as a special advisor for humanitarian and NGO affairs with Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke before becoming special advisor to Ms. Clinton.                         

 By Zehra Nisa Altaylı (IR/V)

IR Students Hold VideoTeleconference with NATO

The Department of International Relations held a videoteleconference with NATO headquarters in Brussels on December 1, 2011, marking the 60th anniversary of Turkey's membership in NATO. The conference was organized by IR Professor Yüksel İnan in cooperation with NATO's Public Diplomacy Division.

Özge Öğütcü (NATO Public Diplomacy Division officer) was the moderator during the conference. The session focused on three major issues facing the global community, and NATO's policies regarding these issues.  After each presentation Bilkent IR students, including exchange students, offered comments and asked incisive questions that raised points for further discussion.

In the first presentation, Ambassador Hüseyin Diriöz (Assistant Secretary General for Defense Policy and Planning) outlined NATO's new strategic concept, and also spoke about Turkey's membership in the organization. He highlighted the "threat perception"

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