Robert College
The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often shortened to Robert, RC, or RK, is a highly selective, independent, co-educational high school in Turkey. The school is situated in a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul in the Beşiktaş district, with the historic Arnavutköy neighborhood to the east and the upscale Ulus neighborhood to the west. Founded in 1863, Robert College is the oldest continuously operating American school outside the United States. Robert College is consistently ranked as the top private high school in Turkey. The school has a long list of notable alumni, including  entrepreneurs, politicians, journalists, artists, three Turkish prime ministers, four Bulgarian prime ministers, multiple members of the Turkish cabinet, Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and philanthropist Osman Kavala. Robert College is a member of the G30 Schools group, and is accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools. History. In 1863, Robert College was founded in Bebek by Christopher Robert, a wealthy American philanthropist, and Cyrus Hamlin, a missionary devoted to education. Six years after its foundation, with the permission () of the Ottoman Sultan, the first campus (currently housing Boğaziçi University) was built in Bebek at the ridge of the  Rumeli Castle, very close to a Bektashi tekke, whose leaders maintained an excellent relationship with the Congregational and Presbyterian founders of Robert College, according to Friedrich Schrader, a German lecturer at Robert College during the 1890s. Hamlin, who became the first president of Robert College, was so preoccupied with the construction of the campus that George Washburn acted as the "de facto" head of the college from 1871 onwards. In 1877, he was officially named president by the trustees. During his tenure between 1877 and 1903, Washburn "gradually assembled a faculty of distinguished scholars who firmly established the college's  academic reputation." Christopher Robert died in 1878. According to the article "A Millionaire's Will" published in "The New York Times" on November 27, 1878, Robert left a great portion of his wealth to the college. In that same year, a college catalog was compiled, providing general information and an outline of the courses of study. Defining the aims of the college, the catalog stated: "The object of the College is to give to its students, without distinction of race or religion, a thorough educational equal in all respects to that obtained at a first-class American college and based  upon the same general principles." After Washburn, Robert College was administrated by Caleb Gates (1903–1932). During his presidency, the student body of the school underwent a major demographic transition; whereas the student body previously consisted of Bulgarian, Romanian, and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire, the Young Turks' liberalization of policies directed towards foreign schools and an increasing demand amongst Turks for a western education resulted in considerable numbers of Turkish students enrolling. Founded at the time of the Ottoman Empire as an institution of higher learning serving the Christian minorities of the Empire as well as foreigners living  in Constantinople, the school adopted a strictly secular educational model in accordance with the republican principles of Turkey in 1923. Robert College, at various points of its existence, had junior high school, high school, and university sections under the names "Robert Academy", "Robert Yüksek" and "American College for Girls". Since 1971, the current-day Robert College has functioned only as a "high school" (more comparable to the French "lycée" in academic rigor) on its Arnavutköy campus (formerly the campus of "American College for Girls"), yet it retains the title of "College". The Bebek campus and academic staff were turned over  to the Republic of Turkey for use as a public university named Boğaziçi University, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section. Academics. , as per Turkish Ministry of National Education (MEB) regulations, Turkish is the instructional language of history and social studies classes. Students. Robert College accepts 180 to 220 students each year, who have scored within the top 0.2 percentile in a nationwide examination, which every Turkish student must take in order to study in a high school (secondary education) after they complete their primary education. The school has around 1000 students each academic year. In the 1998–1999  academic year there were 942 students, with 99% having Turkish nationality. Circa 1904, the school had about 300 students, with boarding space for about 200. Lucy Mary Jane Garnett wrote in the 1904 work "Turkish Life in Town and Country" that at that time most of the students were Christian as the college had a requirement for students to attend Christian Sunday church services and chapel services, and "it would be unsafe for any professed Moslem to become either a resident or a daily student" since the Ottoman government would take a dim view of a Muslim going to chapel . In 1904, Greek students made up the majority and other students included significant numbers of Armenians and Bulgarians. Faculty and staff. The faculty have an average of 20 years of teaching experience and the majority have either Turkish or United States citizenship. The school currently has faculty who are 50% Turkish, and 48% native English speakers (including faculty from English-speaking countries other than the United States). Sixty percent of the full-time faculty hold master's degrees or higher. , as per Turkish Ministry of National Education regulations, the school employs only Turkish citizens to teach history and social studies  classes. , the school pays its foreign employees funds so that their children may attend Istanbul International Community School. If an employee chooses another school, Robert College will pay an equivalent amount. In 1904, the faculty included Americans, Turks, Armenians, Bulgarians, and Greeks. Curriculum. Robert College is a five-year high school, with the first year ("Prep") being the English immersion year that prepares students for rigorous curriculum, which is mostly in English. English is the language of instruction used in Science, Mathematics, Literature, Physical Education, Art and Music courses. Turkish is the required language of instruction in social sciences and  Turkish language/literature. Higher education. Robert College graduates traditionally continue their education in the United States or Turkey, though in recent years the number of students studying in Canada and the United Kingdom increased. Every year, approximately 50–60 percent of the graduating class choose to study abroad, while those wishing to study in Turkey get placed in a university based on their score on the Core Proficiency Test-Advanced Proficiency Test (TYT-AYT). In 2006, Robert College ranked first in all three sections of ÖSS, a formerly-administered Student Selection and Placement System test, among private high schools in Turkey , with 76 out of 132 students taking the exam scoring in the top 0.3% (top 5000). Out of the 104 students who chose to study in Turkey, 29 were admitted to Boğaziçi University, which is the overall highest ranking school in Turkey. 56 students chose to continue their education abroad and 36% of these students are attending Ivy League colleges. In 2011, Robert College placed 123 graduates in Turkish universities, 21 of them, 40%, in Bosphorus University. Another 53 planned to study abroad, 8 (15%) in the Ivy League. Of the 79 students who had applied abroad, 75 were offered  admission. Co-curricular activities. Robert College has a rich history of co-curricular activities and sports, with about 100 student activity clubs as of 2015. Robert College introduced basketball to the Ottoman Empire in 1907. The first Student Council in Ottoman Empire was also formed in 1908 in Robert College. Student Council. Student Council is formed of a group of annually elected student governors and a faculty advisor. The elected body is proportional with class size. As well as class representatives, the president, the vice president, the secretary and the treasurer are elected after a period of campaigning. Student Council  is responsible for facilitating communications between students, faculty and administration, as well as organizing social activities and fundraising for clubs. Student Council also organizes the largest and oldest high school festival, "Fine Arts Festival", in Turkey. The President of the Student Council, representing the student body, makes a speech during the opening, closing, and graduation ceremonies. Conferences and festivals. Fine Arts Festival (FAF). The "Fine Arts Festival" is the largest secondary school festival in Turkey. It has been held annually since 1982 by the Robert College Student Council. Each year, more than 2,000 people attend the festival, which is traditionally  held in May. The festival is a big event in which many student groups can perform on stage. There are various art exhibitions and dance shows that also take place. Student Council members visit other high schools in Istanbul and advertise for this event. At the end of the festival, a well-known artist or band typically performs on stage. Most of the revenues used to fund this event are raised through food and ticket sales. Food vendors are usually selected by Student Council members and consist of restaurants close to Robert College such as "kumpir" sellers in Ortaköy. This  promotes the tight-knit Robert College community spirit. International Istanbul Youth Forum (IYF). The International Istanbul Youth Forum is an annually held conference at Robert College. It has been organized every year since 2006 with participants from numerous European countries. Each year, more than 150 participants from all over Europe gather at the RC campus. The conference is organized by the Robert College European Youth Club. Ethics Forum. The Ethics Forum is the first to be established at high school level in Turkey. Robert College Ethical Values Club organizes an ethics case study contest at national level among high school  students, following their forum. The results are announced at the Ethics Conference near the end of the year. Both events attract more than twenty public and private schools from around Turkey. Robert College International Model United Nations (RCIMUN). Robert College International Model United Nations (RCIMUN) is a THIMUN-affiliated Model United Nations conference organized annually by the Robert College Model United Nations Club (RCMUN) since 2006. The conference includes four General Assembly committees, those being the Political, Human Rights, Environment, and Disarmament Committees, a Special Conference committee, the Security Council of UN, an Advisory Panel, ECOSOC, Specialized Agencies (RCSA), the  equivalent of two intertwined historical committees which simulate a single historical event, a separate Historical Security Council, as well as a simulation of the International Criminal Court. Approximately 750 students, of which about 42% were from international schools attended the 2012 conference. Istanbul Gençlik Forumu (IGF). Istanbul Gençlik Forumu is a national conference where representatives from over 30 high schools from different regions come together to discuss issues regarding the future of Turkey. In 2008, the fifth IGF welcomed over 250 participants. Discussions about international affairs are held in Turkish and each committee is responsible for writing a resolution. Then , at the General Assembly, each resolution is discussed and voted on. It is also the National Selection Conference of EYP Turkey, which is also recognized by the international office of European Youth Parliament. The conference is held annually and is organized by the Robert College European Youth Club. Turkish Theater Festival (TIFES). Organized by the Robert College Theater Club, TIFES is one of the major theatrical events at high school level in Turkey. The festival takes place in Robert College campus during the first week of June. Numerous plays are put on stage during the week in Suna Kıraç Hall  and famous actors, actresses and playwrights give talks on topics related to theatrical arts. Junior Achievement Robert College Conference (JARC). Robert College Junior Achievement Club is hosting this event. About 300 Junior Achievement students from all over Turkey meet each other and share their experiences with others and famous entrepreneurs and artists related to the topics like Risk (2010), Alternative Careers (2009), Creating a Brand (2008). The entertaining workshop about these topics is a didacting icebreaking activity to strengthen the relationship between Junior Achievement students. The nearest conference is in April 2011. Eurasian Schools Debating Championship (ESDC). The Eurasian Schools  Debating Championships (ESDC) is an annually organized, WSDC-style debating tournament, that welcomes high school students representing a wide range of countries. While being the only student-run, high school level debating organization, it has gained a reputation as one of the best WSDC-style tournaments worldwide. With the participation of experienced judges, numerous national teams and outstanding debaters across the globe, it happened to be among the most popular debating organizations. In 2021, the organization rocketed with over 400 debaters and 98 teams from 20 countries. Campus. The wooded campus overlooking the Bosphorus is home to five neoclassical buildings  as well as three brutalist ones, centennial trees and a rich fauna, among which the Bosphorus Beetle, an endemic species to this campus, could be counted. İbrahim Bodur Library. When founded in 1863, Robert College had four students. A sum of $2,120 had been allocated to the library, and Harvard University had donated 200 volumes for the opening of the library. During the 1950s and '60s, the college had one of the largest collections in Turkey. (In 1957: 111,598 books and 214 periodicals; the American College for Girls Library 27,163 books and 108 periodicals, according to the "Turkiye Kütüphaneleri  Rehberi" (Turkish Libraries Guide) published by the Turkish National Library that year. After the foundation of Boğaziçi University, the college donated most of its collections to the newly founded university. Today, Robert College has a print collection of approximately 40,000 resources in both Turkish and English. It also has an expanding collection of eBooks, eMagazines and databases that can be accessed both on and off campus. The library went through an extensive renovation in 2014 and occupies an area of 1034 square meters, with a seating capacity of 290 people on the second and third floors of Gould Hall. Other  buildings and facilities. "This section only includes the buildings on today's Robert College campus (formerly the campus of American College for Girls); the ones on the former boys campus of Robert College can be found in the Boğaziçi University article." Tuition and finances. Robert College's tuition fees, for the 2020–2021 academic year, are: Tuition fees are adjusted each year according to the inflation rates in a limited range set by the Ministry of National Education (MEB). Robert College has consistently ranked as the most expensive high school in Turkey by tuition. According to school data, 26% of students  received some form of financial aid for the 2019–2020 academic year. Robert College files its taxes in New York State through two separate 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organizations: the Trustees of Robert College of Istanbul, tax-exempt since December 1947, and the Robert College Foundation, tax-exempt since May 2000. The data is publicly available on ProPublica. As of Fiscal Year 2017, the two organizations reported a combined revenue of 28.7 million USD. Tuition fees and donations constitute a significant majority of the school's income. In 2019, income from tuition fees covered 55% of the school's expenses , with most of the remainder being supplied by donations. A majority of donors are alumni of the school, though financial institutions and corporations have donated as well. Criticism. Pervaneler. , a Pan-Turkist author, wrote "Pervaneler", a novel criticizing the foreign, anti-Turkish nature of the American College for Girls. Published in 1924, a year after the declaration of the Turkish Republic, the novel revolves around "Byzantium College" (), a fictionalized account of the American College for Girls. The story includes Leman, a young Turkish Muslim woman attending Byzantium College. There, she befriends two Turkish girls, Nesime and Bahire. Nesime is the  daughter of a famous Mevlevi Sheik, Amir Çelebi. Her education at Byzantium College alienates her from her Turkish and Muslim identities, leading her to convert to Protestantism to migrate to the United States. Bahire is a woman who "dresses like a man", rejects her gender roles, and is captivated by the western feminist movement. She also moves to the United States to attend feminist lectures. Leman, influenced by her friends, meets Jack Peterson, an American soldier in deployment, and escapes to the United States to marry him. These three figures represent cautionary tales for what the author believes will happen  to Turkish youth in non-national educational institutions. In the novel, Byzantium College is depicted as the principal institution corrupting young Turkish women — both a literal and figurative enclave of the foreign powers who invaded, but failed to hold Istanbul. According to the novel, the "Greek" and "foreign" architecture of the school — possibly a reference to the Greek ionic columns of Gould Hall — provides those visiting its campus a sense of entering into a separate country. Throughout the book, the school is described thus: "truly, this was the capital city of an American-Armenian country... [it was] like a separate  country within our motherland". Similar anti-Armenian sentiments dominate the novel: in the school's museum, artifacts by Armenian, Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian peoples are displayed, whereas Turkish culture is denied. 2014–2015 admittance scandal. In the 2014–2015 academic year, a student was admitted to Robert College with a lower high school entry exam score than was required. The admitted student was the twin sister of another student who had gained admission to Robert College with her exam score. On 25 March 2015, Hürriyet reported that the student was admitted to Robert College with the instruction of the Ministry of  National Education (MEB). Responding to reports by the media of unfair conduct, the headmaster at the time, Anthony Jones, stated in a letter that "the numerous administrative objections made to [the MEB ruling] by our school have been denied, and we are by law obliged to abide by this ruling." It was later reported that the student in question could not attend lessons due to "a literal meat shield of students" blocking her, and that she dropped out shortly thereafter. Yeni Akit. A government-aligned Islamist newspaper and website, "Yeni Akit" has published three articles on Robert College since 2017 . The first, entitled "Heresy in Robert College" (Turkish: ""Robert Koleji'nde Sapkınlık"") was an attack on the school's LGBTQ week. Authored by Faruk Arslan, the homophobic article characterized homosexuality as a "disease", with the subheading "the American Robert College joined the choir of heretics representing the disease of homosexuality as a normal human condition." In 2018, Faruk Arslan published another article, entitled "The Headscarf Hate of Robert College" (Turkish: "Robert Koleji'nin Başörtü Düşmanlığı"), claiming that Islamic headscarfs were banned by the school dress code. In reality, religious headscarfs are allowed in Robert College. Another article in 2018 by the same  author questioned the source of Robert College's funding. In "Where Did Robert College's 900 Trillion [Million] Come From, Where is it Going?" (Turkish: "Robert Koleji'ne 900 Trilyon Nereden Geldi, Nereye Gidiyor?"), a conspiracy theory surrounding Robert College's finances is concocted. Arslan claims that the 137 million dollars that Robert College acquired within a 5-year span is a result of "the exploitation of Turkey's resources", and is being used for "US interests". In reality, Robert College raises funds through tuition and voluntary donations by its alumni. A 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, Robert College files  its taxes in New York, and its expenditures are publicly available. Notable alumni. Since the Ottoman period, Robert College alumni have played a leading role in numerous fields including the arts, academia, science, engineering, business, civil society and government administration. Garnett stated in her 1904 publication that "since its foundation forty years ago many of its graduates have attained to high positions in the Governments of the Balkan principalities, and otherwise distinguished themselves." In 1990, three alumni, Nejat Eczacıbaşı, Suna Kıraç and Feyyaz Berker donated the necessary funds for the construction of the new buildings that are mentioned in the  Buildings section. An annual giving campaign raises funds for the school, as costs cannot be met by tuition fees alone. The development office publishes the "RC Quarterly", which reaches 10,000 Robert College alumni around the world online and by mail. Bizimtepe, a cultural and recreational center next to the campus, is an affiliate of the Alumni Association.