About ITS
Organization

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About ITS

Founded and incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1982, the Institute of Turkish Studies (ITS) is the only non-profit, private educational foundation in the United States exclusively dedicated to the support and development of Turkish Studies in American higher education. The Institute is an independent, tax exempt organization and does not seek to influence legislation nor advocate particular policies or agendas. ITS currently benefits from the location of its offices at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service on the campus of Georgetown University, the oldest and largest school of international affairs in the country.

The fundamental purposes and objectives of the Institute are:

• To support individual scholars, especially younger members of the academic profession in the United States, for advanced research on Turkish history and culture as well as contemporary political, social, and economic developments in Turkey;

• To assist American universities to develop their library resources, programs of study, scholarly conferences, and outreach activities in the field of Turkish Studies;

• To support the publication of books and journals that contribute to American scholarship on Turkey and broaden the understanding and knowledge of Turkish history, society, politics, and economics in the United States;

• To promote better understanding of Turkish politics, economy, and society through conferences and lecture series.

The Institute's location in one of America's leading universities and in the nation's capital provides it with a unique opportunity to pursue its objectives.  The Institute has full access to a variety of research and information facilities and resources at Georgetown University.  At the same time, the Institute benefits from being located in Washington, DC, where the Library of Congress has the largest collection of books on Turkey in the United States and where there are a number of  educational institutions and international economic organizations actively dealing with Turkey.

In keeping with its charter and tax-exempt status, the Institute does not seek to influence legislation.


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Organization

BOARD OF GOVERNORS
The Board of Governors has full responsibility for the Institute's policies and programs.  The Board is composed of distinguished scholars in the field of Turkish Studies and prominent individuals from the private and public sectors in the United States, including former U.S. ambassadors.  The Board of Governors meets on a regular basis to review and evaluate the Institute's activities and makes all decisions for its grant program.  Appointments to the Board are made for a three year period and may be renewed.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
The Institute has a group of Associate Members selected by the Board of Governors from among scholars in the field of Turkish studies in American higher education.  Associate Members of the Institute serve on its standing committees and provide guidance for the annual grant program.

ADMINISTRATION
An Executive Director chosen by the Board of Governors oversees the implementation of the policies and programs approved by the Board as well as the daily administration of the Institute's work.

OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS:

OFFICERS
Amb. Nabi Şensoy, Honorary Chairman and Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors,
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the US.  
Amb. W. Robert Pearson, ret., Chairman
David C. Cuthell, Executive Director
Walter Denny, Secretary-Treasurer
Professor of Art History, University of Massachusetts.

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Halil Inalcik, Professor of History, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey and Professor Emeritus of History,
The University of Chicago.
Heath W. Lowry, Ataturk Professor of Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies,
Princeton University.
Justin McCarthy, Professor of History,
University of Louisville.
Mike M. Mustafoğlu, Trans Global Financial Corporation.
Dr. Kenan Şahin, TIAX LL Corporation
Jenny B. White, Associate Professor of Anthropology,
Boston University.
Birol Yeşilada, Professor of Political Science,
Portland State Universty.

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:
Sarah G. Moment Atis, Professor of Turkish Language and Literature; Chair, Middle East Studies Program,
University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Carter V. Findley, Professor of History,
Ohio State University.
Fatma Müge Göçek, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan.
Avigdor Levy, Professor of History,
Brandeis University.
Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar, Aga Khan Professor of Islamic Art, Harvard University.
Sylvia Önder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Turkish,
Georgetown University.
Esra Özyurek, Associate Professor of Anthropology,
University of California, San Diego.
Marcie Patton, Associate Professor of Political Science,
Fairfield Universty.
Leslie Peirce, Professor of History,
New York University.
Kemal Silay, Professor of Central Eurasian Studies; Ottoman and Modern Turkish Studies Chair Professor; Director, Turkish Studies Program, Indiana University, Bloomington.


HONORARY FELLOWS:
Recipients of this honor are chosen on the basis of generally recognized scholarly distinction and their long and devoted service to the field of Turkish Studies.
 
Bernard Lewis, Professor Emeritus of History,
Princeton University.
Donald Quataert, Professor of History,
SUNY - Binghamton
Howard Reed, Professor Emeritus of History,
University of Connecticut.
Stanford J. Shaw (Deceased), Professor Emeritus of Turkish and Judeo-Turkish History,
University of California, Los Angeles.
Madeline C. Zilfi, Professor of History,
University of Maryland.