A Turkish consul general visited UNL Dec. 16 to learn about and strengthen the long-standing relationship between the University of Nebraska and the Middle Eastern nation.

The visit was a first for Ramis Sen, who has served as the Turkish consul general in Chicago since early September.

“I am visiting UNL to inquire on a variety of issues and find how we can continue and strengthen the cooperation that exists between Turkish universities and the University of Nebraska,” Sen said. “The goal is to try and increase the number of Turkish universities that work with UNL and try to increase the number of Turkish students who come to the University of Nebraska and vice versa.”

The University of Nebraska first partnered with Turkey in the early 1950s. In a measure to move higher education away from the traditional centers in Anakara and Istanbul, and to open the benefits of university education into other areas of the country including eastern Anatolia, former Chancellor Clifford Hardin and other university officials worked with the Turkish government to create a land-grant university similar to NU.

The project resulted in the 1957 opening of Ataturk University in Erzurum, an eastern Turkish provincial capital. Today, Turkey remains one of eight priority nations with which UNL officials hope to expand research projects and student and faculty exchanges.

“The relationship between UNL and Turkey is a unique partnership that goes back nearly 60 years,” said Tom Farrell, senior adviser to the chancellor for international affairs. “That investment is an important part of the university’s history and future international exchanges.”

Presentations during Sen’s visit included an overview of 15 study abroad opportunities in Turkey open to UNL students, as well as three ongoing research projects. The research projects included:

• The development of the Global Yield Gap Atlas between researchers at UNL’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Ataturk University. The project aims to maximize agriculture production, making the most of every acre of suitable land while preserving the environment. The international research project is led by Ken Cassman, professor of agronomy.

• An early childhood development study between the College of Education and Human Sciences and Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey. The project, funded by both universities, is examining how the emotional regulation of children is affected by a variety of factors. The study will include up to 1,400 students, ages 3 to 5. The project includes Ibrahim Acar, a UNL doctoral student who is from Turkey. Helen Raikes, professor of psychology and child, youth and family studies, said researchers believe the project will lead to other cross-cultural studies between the two institutions.

• The Antiochia ad Cragum archaeological dig in southern Turkey led by Michael Hoff, professor of classics and religious studies and art and art history. Ece Erdoğmuş, associate professor of architectural engineering who is from Turkey, is helping with the project. Read more at http://go.unl.edu/b6ty.

UNL has agreements with eight Turkish universities. They include Ataturk, Bilkent, Hacettepe, Koc, Kocaeli, Mugala, Sabanci and Yeditepe universities. In the last three years, 30 UNL students have study abroad in Turkey through the agreements.

“We should all be proud of our university’s history in terms of working with Turkey,” Chancellor Harvey Perlman said. “Our relationships with Turkish universities have become increasingly important. They should remain a priority to all of UNL.”

After meeting with university officials, Sen spent time talking in the Nebraska Union talking with UNL faculty and students from Turkey. Suat Irmak, professor of biological systems engineering and agronomy and horticulture and a native of Turkey, organized the meeting.

Sen said he looks forward to future visits to UNL and helping with partnerships between universities in the two nations.

“This was a good day learning about the University of Nebraska and its willingness to continue working with universities in Turkey,” Sen said. “I was especially pleased to learn about the continued projects with colleagues from Turkey. There are some very strong relationships that I hope we can continue and strengthen going forward.”