Why Turkey?

With over 190 countries to learn about, why did I select Turkey?
In December 2006 I was looking for a vacation spot to escape from Christmas. Down here in the south, stores are decorated BEFORE COLUMBUS DAY and all entertainment is XMAS related as of November. Separation of church and state has a long way to go in the USA.

I figured my options were KlezKamp, Israel, Morocco, Tunesia or Turkey. (I didn't want to visit a country that wouldn't let me in with my Israeli entry stamp in my passport.) I'd just been to Israel in 2005 and thought I should get to Turkey before prices rise with their EU admission. (little did I know then that they are not on the EU fast track.)

I went to Turkey for 2 weeks and had a fabulous time visiting Istanbul, Edirne and Bursa. The people were very friendly and I loved visiting the beautiful tiled mosques. I only saw a small part of this large country. The political debate on many issues such as head scarves, AKP party, EU process, etc. is lively and fascinating. I thought I saw parallels to some of the issues on the Israeli political scene, so I knew Turkey would provide a fertile ground for learning and exploration.

I figured a Fulbright application requesting Turkey had a better chance of acceptance than one requesting Paris. More to the point, I am hoping that my engagement with the Koc Graduate School of Business will initiate an ongoing relationship between Goizueta and Koc. Students and faculty have much to learn from a country that bridges Asia and Europe. I feel strongly that Americans must learn more about Muslim countries as we work, travel and participate in a global world.

Thank you Senator Fulbright & Taxpayers!

In September 1945, the freshman senator from Arkansas, J. William Fulbright introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress that called for the use of proceeds from the sales of surplus war property to fund the “promotion of international good will through the exchange of students in the fields of education, culture and science.” One year later President Harry S. Truman signed the bill into law, and the senator’s vision of replacing swords with plowshares found its expression. The first participants in the Fulbright Program went overseas in 1948.

Today, Fulbright is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world, supported by the American people through an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress and by the people of partner nations.

I love to travel and was looking for a way that I could travel abroad, in a professional capacity. In April 2007 I attended a Fulbright informational session at Emory and I was pleased to learn about the Specialist Program that enabled librarians to participate in the Fulbright program for up to six weeks.

From the beginning of this journey I had the full support of my director, Susan Klopper, and the library administration. I learned in the informational session that it is best to find your own project. Thanks to a Goizueta faculty member I established contact with the Provost at Koc University in Istanbul. After briefly introducing myself and my objective, Provost Arkun responded July 11, 2007, "I think your visit will be mutually beneficial."

On December 3, 2007 I was accepted to the Fulbright Specialist Roster. I then worked with Koc on their proposal to host me and on June 26, 2008 the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) accepted Koc's proposal.

Ms. Bayir, the director of the Koc University library will be my host from November 17-December 26th. I will be giving some seminars on business research and embedding information competency into the curriculum. I look forward to exchanging best practices with the librarians. I plan to sit in on some classes in the business school and meeting their faculty, students and staff. At Goizueta, we say we are preparing global leaders, but our curriculum is quite U.S.-focused. So it will be fascinating to observe and learn how Koc is preparing their MBAs for our global marketplace.

The Fulbright program "aims to increase mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and other countries." I look forward to encounters and dialog with Turkish people from all walks of life. Now that I just purchased a big dictionary and we have a new president, I ready to roll.