Lawrence Technological University and Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, Turkey, have signed a memorandum of understanding that clears the way for student and faculty exchanges and the development of joint degree and certificate programs.
While visiting Turkey in early June as part of a Michigan delegation, LTU President Virinder Moudgil signed the agreement with Bahcesehir University President Senay Yalcin.
Since its founding in 1998, Bahcesehir University has developed a reputation as one of Turkey’s leading private universities. It has ties with other American universities and a campus in Washington, DC.
“We are pleased to create new opportunities for our students and faculty at this prestigious university,” Moudgil said. “Turkey stands at the historic crossroads where East and West meet, and it is a perfect place to see how the people from different cultures and beliefs can work together in the global economy.”
The types of cooperation authorized under the three-year agreement include student exchanges; faculty exchanges for study, research, and instruction; collaborative professional development; joint education programs allowing students from one institution to complete a degree by studying at the other institution; joint certificate programs and shared courses; and the arrangement of internships.
“The parties will exchange students, teachers, and researchers and will perform educational activities on the basis of broad reciprocity in those areas in which both institutions have mutual interest,” the agreement states.
Earlier this year, LTU signed new agreements with universities in Germany, China and Brazil and now has academic partnership agreements with more than 30 universities around the world.
Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is a private university founded in 1932 that offers more than 100 programs through the doctoral level in its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Management. Payscale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 7 percent of universities for return on undergraduate tuition investment, and highest in the Detroit metropolitan area. Lawrence Tech is also listed in the top tier of Midwestern universities by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review. Students benefit from small class sizes and experienced faculty who provide a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 102-acre campus include over 60 student clubs and organizations and a growing roster of NAIA varsity sports.