Board of Trustees Meets
The Bilkent University Board of Trustees met on February 8, 2013. Present at the meeting were Board Chairman Ali Doğramacı, Lucien Arkas, İlker Baybars, Turgay Coşkun, Gülsev Kale, Ali Karaosmanoğlu, Ahmet Nalbur, Ersin Özince, Şencan Özme, Muhsin Saraçlar, Lütfü Sel, Ergün Toğrol, Ergül Tunçbilek, Z. Boğaç Üner and Rector Abdullah Atalar.
At the meeting, the Board approved the decision by the University Senate to award an honorary doctorate to Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, French political advisor, businessman and former European Commissioner for Trade.
The Board also reviewed and approved the University Senate decision on final exam qualifications and retake exams (which can be read, in Turkish, on Bilkent University's website), as well as a number of proposals put forth by the Senate regarding various changes to the Academic Rules and Regulations and the regulations for internal transfer.
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Bilkent Graduates Take Turkish Coffee Truck to Europe
A "Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck" recently visited İstanbul, courtesy of Turkayfe.org. Dedicated to promoting Turkey through personal experiences,Turkayfe.org was founded by Department of Banking and Finance 2004 graduate Gizem Şalcıgil White. She and other Turkayfe.org volunteers, including Deniz Caner (FBA/'05), Emin Okutan (MAN/MA), Joy Anna Crow (MAN/'12 - MA) and Suhna Xianhua Jın (MAN/MA), launched the Mobile Turkish Coffee Truck project last year in the United States.
The coffee truck is a voluntary initiative organized by the American Turkish Association of Washington, D.C., and Turkayfe.org to promote Turkish coffee and to engage people in "coffee conversations." The intent is to spark interest in Turkish culture while enhancing the bonds of friendship between nations.
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New Book by Prof. Norman Stone
Norman Stone, world-renowned historian and professor in the Department of International Relations, has published his latest book on the history of the Second World War. Entitled "World War Two: A Short History," Prof. Stone's book offers, in the words of the publisher, "an unprecedentedly concise, utterly authoritative account of the deadliest war of human history." Here is an extract from the publisher's website: "With astonishing aplomb,
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A New Carpooling Service for University Commuters: birliktegit.com
A new carpooling website, birliktegit.com, began serving members of university communities in Turkey on February 1. Created by Cem Karasayar (IE/II) and Metehan Yurt (EE/II), birliktegit.com aims to reduce traffic, decrease the pollution caused by cars, make commuting less expensive and bypass the inconveniences of public transportation. The site's membership is increasing rapidly.
The founders say they created the site after realizing that they were both making the same commute to Bilkent every day in separate vehicles. But while driving alone in your own car is boring -- not to mention.
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BLIS Learners Achieve "Top in the World" Results in Cambridge Learner Awards
Two leaners at Bilkent Laboratory International School (BLIS) have received awards from Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) to acknowledge their exceptional performance in the June 2012 Cambridge examination series.
The Outstanding Cambridge Learner "Top in the World" Awards recognize the success of learners who have achieved the highest standard mark in the world for a single subject.
Julia Yasemin Kettner and Berkay Ekinci each achieved perfect scores in the Cambridge exam in German, earning the Top in the World award. High School Principal Michael Saffarewich noted that the awards recognized the talent, 
dedication and commitment of both learners and staff.
Julia and Berkay will receive their awards at a school ceremony in the near future. Janet Morris, director of communications and customer relationships at CIE, said: "It is extremely rewarding to congratulate Cambridge learners and teachers at BLIS who have worked so hard to achieve tremendous success in Cambridge examinations.
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