Institutional Memory

The formation of the Turkish Fulbright Commission was the product of over two years of negotiations. The ongoing efforts of the bilateral delegations came to fruition after Illinois Senator Scott Lucas and Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright’s visit to Türkiye. On September 14-16, 1949, the senators, who had attended the Union of Parliaments Conference held in Rome, paid an official visit to Prime Minister Hasan Saka, Acting Foreign Minister Tahsin Bekir Balta, and National Education Minister Tahsin Banguoğlu. This meeting initiated the establishment of an institution which would endure various ups and downs in the political landscape.

The Turkish-American Cultural Agreement was signed in Ankara by the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Faik Zihni Akdur and American Ambassador George Wadsworth. Akdur, one of the architects of the agreement, highlighted the significance of this educational and cultural cooperation as a new phase in Turkish-American friendship:
“There is no doubt that the agreement we have signed today will strengthen the friendly relations between Turkey and the United States; relations which have developed gradually and graciously. There can be no better mechanism for fostering peace and friendship than the establishment of cultural ties. I am confident that this agreement will allow American and Turkish youth to come together and foster mutual understanding and respect for one another. In turn, this will strengthen the relations between our two countries. (…) The friendship between the United States and Turkey has never been as strong as it is today. We are committed to carrying out this project together on a mutual and voluntary basis. The Fulbright Agreement will contribute to significant development in the intellectual and cultural fields.”

The Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Türkiye was established through a binational agreement, which was ratified by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 13, 1949 and promulgated on March 19, 1949. The Commission, which celebrates its 75th birthday this year, earned a place in history as one of the oldest Fulbright Commissions in Europe. The original name, “The United States Education Commission in Turkey,”—which was established “for the purpose of facilitating the administration of the education program that [was] going to be financed by the money provided by the State of the Republic of Türkiye”—was changed as “the Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States and Türkiye” on April 28, 1961 to reflect the bilateral nature of the Commission.

The Commission commenced its activities in 1950, and the first members of its executive board were among the founding members of the Turkish-American Association. This situation enabled the two institutions to provide service under the same roof for a period. As an expression of the “shared wisdom” between the countries, the executive board comprised four Turkish and four American members appointed by the two governments; this structure has remained in place for the last seventy years.

THE FIRST EXECUTIVE BOARD

Frederic Palmer Latimer, Jr.
United States Cultural Attaché

Prof. İrfan Şahinbaş
Faculty Member, Ankara University

Lewis Rex Miller
American News Bureau Director

Mehmet Osman Dostel
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Legal Council

Floyd H. Black
Robert College Principal

Emin Hekimgil
MoNE Foreign Department Director

A. W. Walker
Sokoni Vacuum Co. Representative

Prof. Fadıl Hakkı Sur
Ankara University, Dean of the Political Science Faculty

İrfan Şahinbaş

Frederic Palmer Latimer, Jr.

The Commission’s Executive Directors:

William M. Lauman (1949-59)
Arif H. Özbilen (1959-63)
Ömer H. Mart (1963-66)
Hüsnü Ersoy (1966-86)
Prof. Ersin Onulduran (1986-2010)
Prof. Ersel Aydınlı (since 2010)

For the last seventy five years, the executive directors and their staff, including Muhtar Enata, who served as the Acting Executive Director for a period of time, have successfully run the Commission’s activities. In turn, they contributed to the cultural cooperation between the two nations.

Executive Director Prof. Ersin Onulduran with Senator Fulbright and his wife,
Harriet Mayor Fulbright, in the early 1990s

A group of the first Turkish Fulbright grantees to go to the United States in 1951

The establishment of the Commission saw the opening of Turkish and United States borders to students and researchers arriving from both countries. The condition that Turkish applicants must have adequate English language skills in order to pursue their education in the United States inevitably yielded grantees from Türkiye’s leading educational institutions in the country’s major cities. However, as the level of English proficiency across Türkiye has seen an overall increase, this situation has changed; the Fulbright Program has become one of the leading representatives of equal opportunity in education.

In 1951, the first group of Turkish students and researchers were selected to pursue their studies in the United States, and thus began a seventy-year tradition of educational exchange. During a period when communication was limited, these thirty grantees found themselves in the midst of the “American Dream.” When they returned to Türkiye, they became highly esteemed members of Turkish art and science communities, and passed on their experiences to the next generations. This pioneering group spanned various scientific and professional fields; they were succeeded by almost 3,900 grantees in the next seventy five years.

THE FIRST GROUP OF TURKISH GRANTEES

Sami Bilgin
Student, Vocational Education
University of Arizona

Hüseyin Çağlayan
Student
Science and Mathematics
Northwestern University

Hüsnü Ciritli
Student
Curriculum and Administration
Indiana University

Fahri Dikengil
Student
Medicine/Tuberculosis
Herman Kiefer Hospital

Sırrı Erinç
Researcher, Climatology
John Hopkins University

Reşat Göndem
Student, English Teaching
University of Michigan

Sabahat Tuluy (Kaymakçalan)
Student, Medicine
Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania

Doğan Gücer
Student
Metallurgical Engineering
Leigh University

Adnan Kalfaoğlu
Student, Medicine
Barnes Hospital

Muvaffak Kavrar
Student, Trade Law
Harvard University

Zahide Kurgan
Student, English
Office of Education

Lübabe Önderol
Student
Medicine/Infantile Paralysis
Denver University

Nihal İpek Öz
Student, International Law
Yale University

Vedide Baha Pars
Researcher
Educational Methods
Iowa State Teachers College

Nurettin Sevin
Researcher, American Theater
University of North Carolina

Macit Saner
Student
Public Administration
Northwestern University

Ali Fahri Sümen
Student
Medicine/Rheumatic Heart Disease
University of Pennsylvania

Feyyaz Taner
Student
Construction Engineering
Cornell University

Esat Turak
Student, Urban Planning
Northwestern University

Hüseyin Yıldırım
Student, Primary Education
Northwestern University

Hüseyin Yılmaz
Student, Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gülseren Gönenç
Student, Journalism
University of Illinois

In order to navigate the images,
swipe to the sides or click the arrows.

THE FIRST GROUP OF AMERICAN GRANTEES

During the same period, American professors, researchers and students arrived in three major cities in Türkiye to learn about a world they had only glimpsed through books. These grantees were expected to represent American culture in Türkiye; however, upon their return home, they also became voluntary representatives of Turkish culture in the United States. Almost 1,900 American grantees followed this leading group.

Art historian Margaret Bouton of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., at the American College for Girls in İstanbul in 1951.

Virginia Elder
Teacher, English
Üsküdar Amerikan Koleji

Erwin Grave
Lecturer, Economy
Ankara Üniversitesi

Virginia Hallam
Teacher, English
Ankara Üniversitesi

Arland T. Hotchkiss
Teacher, Biology
Robert Kolej

Margaret Bouton
Lecturer
Art History

Gordon Jonas
Student, Geography
Ankara Üniversitesi

Robert Kane
Student, Political Science
İstanbul Üniversitesi

Allen King
Teacher, Mathematics
Talas Amerikan Koleji

Samuel Cramer
Researcher, Archeology
İstanbul Üniversitesi

Mary Lloyd
Teacher, OBGYN
Amerikan Hastanesi

Fred Lukermann
Student, Geography
İstanbul Üniversitesi

Herbert Mueller
Lecturer
American Literature
İstanbul Üniversitesi

Dolan Pawel
Lecturer
Mechanical Engineering
Robert Kolej

Thomas Reese
Lecturer, Psychology
Ankara Üniversitesi

Emory Roberts
Lecturer
Construction Engineering
Robert Kolej

John Rufi
Lecturer
Education Methods
Ministry of National Education

Carl Midkiff
Student, International Relations
Ankara Üniversitesi

Robert Wilson
Lecturer
International Law
İstanbul Üniversitesi

Mary Barber
Teacher, English
İzmir Amerikan Koleji

Kathryn Bennett
Teacher, English
Amerikan Kız Koleji

Roy Blakey
Lecturer, Economics
Ankara Üniversitesi

William Janson
Lecturer
American Literature
Ankara Üniversitesi

Prof. Sabahat Kaymakçalan, one of the first Fulbright grantees; and Prof. Ersel Aydınlı, Executive Director of the Turkish Fulbright Commission at the opening ceremony for the current office.

During its early years, the Commission carried out its activities in the humble offices on Mithatpaşa Street, 35 and 42; Konur Street, 6; Mustafa Kemal Boulevard, 7; and Çelikkale Street, 3. A number of significant names, who later became very important figures in Türkiye’s cultural life, participated in the program’s activities. The Commission was later moved to Cinnah Street, 183, and finally, to Şehit Ersan Street, 28. The current Commission office opened in 2013 and many grantee alumni, including one of the first Turkish Fulbrighters, Prof. Sabahat Kaymakçalan, attended the opening ceremony.

Thanks to the tireless dedication and commitment of both parties, the Turkish Fulbright Commission has successfully maintained its identity as a binational entity, free from political influence. With almost 6,000 grantee alumni in the past seventy five years, the Fulbright program – ignited by a group of Turkish and American pioneers in 1951 – remains one of the most instrumental elements of Turkish-American relations.

This digital exhibition was prepared within the scope of the Turkish Fulbright Commission, by the Commission staff.