Doctoral Alumni

List of UAlbany Turkish Doctoral Alumni*

2010 Asil Özdoğru, Educational Psychology
2010 Sedef Uzuner, Educational Theory and Practice
2010 Burak Dindaroğlu, Economics
2010 Çağrı Özköse-Bıyık, Educational Theory and Practice
2009 Ahmet Güler, Public Administration
2009 Ersan Özkan, Political Science
2009 Bahadır Kazım Akçam, Informatics
2008 Ayhan Bingölbalı, Physics
2008 Sezgin Seymen Çebi, Political Science
2007 Rahmi Bula, Physics
2006 Şehnaz Baltacı-Göktalay, Educational Theory and Practice
2006 Mehmet Akif Ocak, Educational Theory and Practice
2005 Gültekin Işıklar, Economics
2004 Osman Nuri Kureş, Mathematics
2004 Emrah Arbak, Economics
2003 Özlem Çeziktürk, Educational Theory and Practice
2003 Vedat G. Diker, Information Studies
1994 Selçuk Caner, Economics
1988 Candan Karlıtekin, Economics
1982 Ali Mehmet Celal Şengör, Geological Sciences
1978 Mehmet A. Odekon, Economics

* The list is not official and all inclusive. For corrections and additions please contact us.

Did You Know?

Interesting Facts about Turkey

1. The only city in the world located on two continents is İstanbul which had been the capital of three great empires; Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman for more than 2000 years
2. Legend has it that St. John brought Virgin Mary to Ephesus where she spent her last days in a small house on Mt. Koressos (Bülbül dağı) near Ephesus
3. Early Christians escaping from Roman persecution nearly 2000 years ago sheltered in Cappodocia in Central Anatolia
4. Part of Turkey’s southwestern shore was a wedding gift that Mark Antony gave to Cleopatra
5. The famous Trojan wars took place in western Turkey
6. Turkey introduced coffee to Europe
7. St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus, was born and lived in Demre, Turkey
8. Turkey is the birthplace of the many historical figures and legends such as the Poet Homer, King Midas, Historian Herodotus and St. Paul
9. Long before the discovery of America, English merchants discovered the Çulluk, a kind of bird in the Turkish countryside, and began exporting it back to England, where it became very popular, and was known as a 'Turkey bird' or simply a 'turkey.'
10. "Turkiya" means "season's beginnings" or "beautiful" in Swahili
11. How was the name of country Turks & Caicos Islands derived? The popular story is the name Turks being derived after the indigenous Turk's Head "fez" cactus, and the name Caicos, a Lucayan term "caya hico," meaning string of islands. A more romantic, origin of the name is a reflection of the Islands' pirate history, when 17th and 18th century pirates used the islands as hideouts and preyed upon the passing Spanish treasure ships bound for Europe. The term "Turk" for a pirate stemmed two centuries earlier when the Ottoman Empire dominated the Mediterranean and Turkish corsaries harried European Atlantic shipping, thus translated "Turks" Islands becomes "Pirate" Islands!

Spring 2008 Events

Turkish Movie Night - 9
Saturday, February 23, 2008
8:00pm, Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Eşkıya “The Bandit”
The epic adventures of the legendary Baran the Bandit following his release from prison. After serving 35 years, it is no surprise that the world has changed dramatically. His home village is now underwater thanks to the construction of a new dam, Baran heads for İstanbul to get revenge upon his former best friend, the man who snitched on him and stole his lover Keje. (IMDb)

Turkish Movie Night - 10
Saturday, April 5, 2008
8:00pm, Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Hacivat Karagöz Neden Öldürüldü? “Who Killed the Shadows?”
Karagöz and Hacivat lived and died during the first clashes of the decaying Eastern Roman Empire and the early Ottomans of the 14th century Anatolia. Their stories and characters have been adapted for the traditional shadow theatre of the later Ottoman Empire, in modern Turkey and all over the Middle East, Greece and western Asia. (IMDb)

Turkish Day Reception
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
6:00–8:00pm, Campus Center Patroon Room
Celebration of the 88th National Sovereignty and Children's Day of Turkey featuring three prominent guest speakers and a Turkish folk musician preceded by dinner.

Fall 2007 Events

Turkish Movie Night - 6
Saturday, September 29, 2007
9:00pm, Campus Center Terrace Lounge
İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında “İstanbul Under My Wings”
The story takes us back to the 17th century İstanbul, and the powerful times of the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Sultan Murad IV. Interesting life and love story of Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi, one of the first aviators to have succeeded in flying with artificial wings. (IMDb)

Turkish Movie Night - 7
Saturday, October 20, 2007
9:00pm, Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Selvi Boylum, Al Yazmalım “The Girl with the Red Scarf”
A classic and endlessly watchable love story that never dates… Inspired by the novel of acclaimed Soviet writer Cengiz Aytmatov, Atıf Yılmaz adapts one of history's greatest love stories to the screen with the greatest finesse. It is said, in fact, that the French poet Aragon described The Girl With The Red Scarf as "the world's greatest love story." (IMDb)

Turkish Movie Night - 8
Saturday, November 17, 2007
9:00pm, Campus Center Terrace Lounge
Hokkabaz “The Trickster”
In his latest film, the enormously popular Turkish comedian Cem Yılmaz plays the struggling magician İskender. The only person who believes in him is his childhood friend Maradona and together they dream of a better life. They embark on a tour of Anatolia to escape the hustle and bustle of İstanbul's streets, and to make as much money as possible. (IMDb)

Culture through Food
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
5:00pm, Chapel House
The end-of-semester MCAA event with food from different parts of the globe! Prizes for the top three of a 'Show and Tell' (Dürüms “gyros” and lokums “Turkish delights” are served)

Turksa Service

Call for Turksa Service

Turkish Student Association always welcomes people who want to serve the organization. Interested persons can serve either as an officer or a volunteer.

Elections for officer positions are held as long as there are multiple candidates for a position at the designated nomination dates for each academic year. Anyone interested in running for a position should nominate themselves or another person by contacting us between June 1st and August 1st of every year. Elections are organized and monitored by the President, if s/he is not running for a position. In the other case, President appoints an independent person for the electoral process.

We value and appreciate contributions of our volunteers. Volunteers can contact us at any time of the year to serve in various capacities.

Welcome Letter

Turkish Student Association prepared a welcome letter for incoming Turkish UAlbany students as requested by the International Student and Scholars Services.

Letter, written both in English and Turkish, welcomes the newly accepted students, informs them about Turksa, and lists various channels of communication with other Turksa members in order to facilitate new students' transition to their program at UAlbany and life in Albany. Letter is intended to be included within the information package that is usually sent out to students before they arrive campus.

A PDF copy of the letter can be downloaded here.

GSO Award to Turksa - 2

Turkish Student Association (Turksa) secretary Bilge Avcı has been awarded by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) of the University at Albany with the

2007 GSO Service Award

for her "selfless dedication and instrumental contributions to Turksa and graduate student community in the University at Albany."

Turksa congratulates Bilge for her award and appreciates her great service.

Spring 2007 Events

Turkish Movie Night - 3
Saturday, March 10, 2007
8:00pm, Campus Center Terrance Lounge
Dar Alanda Kısa Paslaşmalar “Offside”
A romantic football (soccer) movie by Yeni Sinemacılar. A nice dramatic story of an amateur football team in the early 80's in Turkey. Also it's like its first words says: "Life is like football." The life story of Esnafspor Football Club and people around it in one of the historic neighborhoods of Bursa. (IMDb)

Turkish Movie Night - 4
Thursday, April 12, 2007
8:00pm, Campus Center Terrance Lounge
Organize İşler “Organized Jobs”
Some say stealing, some pilfering, some snatching, whatever the heck it is, it is Organized Jobs, the story of the snatched and who snatch. In one of the world’s wonders, İstanbul, where who saves who, and who gets snatched by whom, is uncertain, jobs are all organized and organized always works. (IMDb)

Turkish Movie Night - 5
Thursday, May 3, 2007
8:00pm, Campus Center Terrance Lounge
Babam ve Oğlum “My Father and My Son”
Sadık is one of the rebellious youth who has been politically active as a university student and became a left-wing journalist in the 70's, despite his father's expectations of him becoming an agricultural engineer and taking control of their family farm in an Aegean village. … (IMDb)

Making and Tasting of Kısır
Monday, May 14, 2007
7:00pm, Chapel House
Kısır: “Bulgur Salad or Turkish Tabbouleh” Learn how to prepare the famous Turkish dish.

Fall 2006 Events

Turkish Dream
September 13 – 21, 2006
Campus Center Patroon Lounge
The painting exhibition of artist Arzu Ayşin Tekindor.

Turkish Republic Day
October 29, 2006
RPI Student Union
Observation and commemoration of the Turkish Republic Day.

GSO Award to Turksa

Turkish Student Association treasurer Cüneyt Gözü has been awarded by the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) of the University at Albany with the

2006 GSO Service Award

for his "active role in the establishment of Turksa, constructive involvement and engagement with GSO activities, and the meticulous and multifaceted services to Turksa and graduate student community."

Turksa congratulates Cüneyt for his award and appreciates his great service.