Destination Istanbul: Students Flock to Center in 2013

March 29, 2013

If the first three months of 2013 are any indication, Istanbul’s popularity is on the rise as a learning destination of choice for Columbia students. Students and researchers are drawn both to the vast history and cosmopolitan culture of this global city, as well as to the innovations and advances underway in Turkey’s rapidly expanding economy. This backdrop is complemented by thriving academic and business communities which produce a rich setting for learning and for enhancing global perspectives.

Students from a wide range of Columbia programs have been visiting Istanbul in recent months to take advantage of new learning opportunities. In January, Columbia Global Centers | Turkey hosted graduate students from The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) as part of a study visit organized by the Global Leaders in Construction Management Program. While they were in Istanbul, students met with industry leaders and visited a number of major infrastructure projects across the city.  Later that month, Columbia Business School’s Chazen Institute visited Istanbul with a group of MBA students, who interacted with leading Turkish companies and business groups. More recently, E-MBA students were in Istanbul to study the ecosystem of social entrepreneurship, another growing field in Turkey. 

Columbia Global Centers | Turkey is looking forward to welcoming additional students over the coming months.  Along with an E-MBA study visit in May, which has doubled in size in since last year, the second edition of the Design Workshop for School of Architecture students will take place over the summer.  Professor Holger Klein, chair of the Faculty Steering Committee, will be co-teaching a class at Bosphorus University this summer for a group of students from both universities as part of the Istanbul Digital Mapping Project.