A ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring a new partnership between Kent State University and Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey, will take place on Tuesday, April 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Van Campen Hall, Kent Campus. An older building on campus, Van Campen Hall has been saved from demolition by this new agreement, which builds on Kent State’s internationalization plan to increase the revenue-generating capacity of the university’s international affairs, as well as increase the number of international students and scholars on the Kent Campus.

“Under the new administration, Kent State is expanding its global family of institutions to provide rich international educational opportunities for all of our students and faculty,” says Vice Provost Dr. Steve O. Michael. “This entails creating our presence in other countries and serving as a host to our partnering institutions from overseas.” Kent State President Dr. Lester A. Lefton andProvost Dr. Robert G. Frank as well as Bahçeşehir University President Dr. Deniz Ülke Ariboğan will speak briefly at the ceremony.

In addition, Bahçeşehir University officially opened an office in Van Campen Hall today. They plan to move students into the facility by this summer or fall. “This type of institutional co-habitation and co-location is a new phenomenon in higher education,” says Michael. “It allows institutions to take partnership and collaboration to a new level, enabling institutions to become multinational, and providing an active pipeline for students and faculty exchange, as well as opportunities for joint-degree programming.”

First, the group will renovate the hall in collaboration with the Office of the University Architect. Funded by Bahçeşehir University, the potential several-million-dollar renovation and lease of Van Campen Hall also will provide space to establish a Center for Turkish Studies. The center will offer students practical, experiential training in a program for English as a second language, in addition to conducting research and extending outreach services to companies interested in doing business in Turkey.

For the past six years, Kent State University and Bahçeşehir University have had a memorandum of understanding, which includes sending faculty and students to Turkey and, in return, receiving their students and faculty at Kent State. Currently, 30 Bahçeşehir University graduates are studying at Kent State for their master’s degree in areas such as education, technology and communication studies, in addition to taking ESL courses.

“Bahçeşehir University’s presence brings international scholars and students to Kent State. The proposed Center for Turkish Studies will provide both learning and research opportunities. It is a win-win initiative for everyone involved,” says Michael.