It grows to one half million dollars thanks to matching funds from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, creating an endowment that guarantees of elementary and intermediate Turkish language at the University of Chicago forever more. The Turkish Culture Foundation, founded in January 2000 by Dr. Yalcin Ayasli, promotes Turkish culture and heritage, encourages and supports research, documentation and publications on the subject. Dr. Cornell Fleischer, Kanuni Suleyman Professor of Ottoman and Turkish Studies, accompanied Dr. Ayasli on a whirlwind visit to the University which included a meeting with President Don Michael Randel, talks with NELC department faculty members, a reception by graduate students enrolled in Turkish studies, and a visit to Regenstein Library and the Middle East Documentation Center. A luncheon for Dr. Ayasli, was attended by Dean Janel Mueller of the Division of Humanities and Dean Richard Saller of Social Sciences. When I read in the Turkish Times last fall that the Mellon Foundation had a matching challenge at the University of Chicago to establish a Turkish Language Lectureship, I knew such a project is exactly in line with the charter of the foundation.
Language is the gateway to understanding culture.
This lectureship will support the existing and extensive Ottoman and Turkish Studies program at University of Chicago. It is intended as a casual and entertaining walk through the subject. Dr. Ayasli is encouraging individuals, schools, universities, and other organizations that share similar goals to support this web site. Everyone is invited to suggest or provide references or material in print or in electronic format. Qualified individuals or organizations are encouraged to support specific topics of interest or research areas on a sustained basis.