Preservation of the Academic Heritage in the Middle East

***UPDATED VENUE***

The event will now take place at the New York Marriott East Side in the O’Keefe Room, the hotel is located at 525 Lexington Avenue at 49th Street, New York, NY 10017

Searching for the Future: Preservation of the Academic Heritage in the Middle East

The Middle East contains the world’s oldest libraries, open air museums, universities and academic life. The ongoing wars in the region are killing thousands of people as well as ruining the academic heritage.

Sponsored by the Turkish Council of Higher Education and the State University of New York Office of Global Affairs, please join us for a panel discussion on how to preserve academic heritage in the Middle East. The Panel will have two main topics:

(1) The Places: Ruined universities, museums, and libraries, which were hundreds of years old and held thousands of valuable books; we will speak about those libraries and universities which still stand and discuss how best to keep and preserve them.

(2) The Academics & students: Those who had to interrupt their work and studies (many were threatened by ISIS and fled to different countries). To keep the academic heritage alive there is a need to support the people to continue their work and studies.

Turkey's experience: Having the highest number of refugees within the region, Turkey has a wide range of experience in preserving the academic heritage of the Middle East. Real examples of professors and students continuing their academic life in Turkey despite the conditions will be discussed.

Event Agenda:

1:00PM | Call time for speakers
1:30 | Panel Opening and Introduction Video (5 minutes)
1:35-1:45 | Project Presentation: Preservation of the Academic Heritage of the Middle East
1:45 | Speakers and Chair seated on stage

Chair to invite the panel’s comments on the following topics and opening questions:

• Academic Heritage in the Middle East: The pearl of the world with thousands of years of history

• The ongoing wars and their harmful effects on Academic Heritage

• Refugee Crisis, the Consequences of Migration, and Humanitarian Intervention

• Hope for Success: Starting a New Academic Life in another country

• How are we doing? Providing Support for Displaced Colleagues and students.

3:15 | Chair to wrap up
3:30 | Closing remarks
3:35-4:00 | Light refreshments served

Meet the Panelists

Professor Dr. Umran S. Inan
President of Koç University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is also a Professor (Emeritus) of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, where he served on the faculty for more than 30 years and as the Director of Space, Telecommunications & Radioscience Laboratory for 15 years.

Professor Dr. Nihat Berker
Vice-President and University Dean of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Kadir Has University. Former President (2009-16) of Sabanci University, and Emeritus Professor of Physics, MIT. After postdoctoral research at Harvard University, he was faculty member at MIT. He returned to Turkey in 1999 and has taught undergraduate, graduate, high school students and open-access courses.

Professor Dr. Fuat Keyman
Director of Istanbul Policy Center and Professor of International Relations at Sabancı University. Fuat Keyman is a leading Turkish political scientist and an expert on democratization, globalization, international relations, Turkey – EU relations, Turkish foreign policy, and civil society development.

Professor Dr. Zeliha Kocak Tufan (MD, Professor)
Studied at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine and Van Yuzuncu Yil University Faculty of Medicine. She completed her residency at Ankara Training and Research Hospital and specialized in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology. Zeliha Kocak Tufan is a member of Executive Committee of the Turkish Council of Higher Education.