Sister school begins new partnership
By Ashley Festa
Finally, after two years of planning and hard work, UIW has signed an agreement to form a new partnership with sister school Atilim University in Ankara, Turkey.
Dr. Murat Tas (from left) and Dr. Pat Watkins, both from UIW, visit with a Turkish student and Atilim University president Dr. Abdurrahim Ozgenoglu in Ankara, Turkey.
Dr. Murat Tas, the director for international recruitment at UIW, has been working with Atilim President Dr. Abdurrahim Ozgenoglu and others at the university to form a four-year double degree program that will prepare students for work in Turkey or the United States. All the protocols and degree programs had to be approved by the Turkish government. But finally, the deal is “signed, sealed and delivered,” said Dr. Pat Watkins, vice president for international programs.
The day of approval was filled with calm satisfaction.
“I went to the Atilim president’s office that day, and we kissed as is the Turkish way. We had tea,” Tas said, while wondering whether the program would be received well by the Turkish government. “When I asked him whether he’d heard any news about the program, he said ‘Didn’t I tell you? It’s approved!’ and I just said, ‘No, you didn’t tell me.’”
The dean of Atilim University’s English department Dr. Oya Mentese has lunch with Watkins, Ozgenoglu and Tas after the approval of the partnership between Atilim and UIW.
Tas said Watkins was the first person he called to deliver the good news. It was May 10. After first wishing her a happy Mother’s Day, he announced that the agreement had been approved. She was thrilled to hear the news, but, she admitted, “I never really doubted it would happen.”
There’s only one other American university, the State University of New York, involved in this program, Tas said.
Dr. Louis Agnese, president of UIW, is just as thrilled about the partnership.
“We’re very pleased to have been one of just two American universities selected by the Turkish government to participate in this double-degree program, which illustrates our strong commitment to the international component of our Mission,” he said. “Turkey has always been a good partner with us on past educational initiatives, and we look forward to further enhancing our relationship through this agreement.”
To start, the Turkish government has allowed 20 students to enter each of two programs that will be offered by the partnership. After completing their national entrance exams in Turkey, students will make a list ranking 18 universities that they would like to attend. Based on their exam scores, they will be placed in a particular university. This summer, UIW will find out how many students will be entering the program, and students will begin study in September.
Before they can begin their major studies, students first must complete a one-year English competency course, though they can place out of the class if they pass an English proficiency exam. After that is complete, the degree program begins.
The first two years, students will study at Atilim University, and then they will transfer to UIW in San Antonio for the remaining two years. The double degree will be awarded after completion of all four years of study.
English and computer information systems are the two programs that will be offered beginning in the fall, but more degrees are planned for the future. Tas said business and mathematics programs are on the horizon, and possibly others. As the partnership continues, the extra degree programs will bring more students, and the Turkish government likely will allow more students into existing programs in future years, Tas said.
Watkins praised the partnership as a job well done, and she emphasized the importance of relationships between UIW’s sister schools. “We already had a relationship with Atilim as a sister school. Dr. Tas was our bridge to Turkey all this time, bringing Turkish students here and having a relationship to get things started.”