M E D I A R E L E A S E
VISUALS
January 19, 2003
TURKISH CANADIANS SUPPORT HIGHER EDUCATION IN CALGARY
(Calgary, AB)…A peace bursary for Calgary high school students and establishment of a professorial position to teach courses in Modern Turkish History at the University of Calgary – these two initiatives to foster global peace are being announced this evening at a high profile reception.
The announcements will be made at the Turkish Canadian Cultural Association Reception on Wednesday, January 21 at 7:30 pm, following a concert by Turkish Guitarist Ahmet Kanneci, at the Eckhardt-Gramette Concert Hall, Rosza Centre, University of Calgary. His Excellency Aydemir Erman, the Turkish Ambassador to Canada, and Mrs Erman will attend the event which celebrates the 80th Anniversary of the Republic of Turkey.
The Turkish Canadian Cultural Association of Calgary has donated $6,000 to the Calgary Board of Education to establish the Ataturk Peace Bursary Flow-thru Fund. The association will contribute $2,000 each year over the next three years to help two Calgary high school students pursue higher education.
The Association will also donate $60,000 in total over a three year period to assist with the appointment of a visiting professorship of Modern Turkish History at the University of Calgary. The Faculty of Social Sciences and the Department of History will also contribute a total of $60,000 over three years towards the position.
President of the Turkish Canadian Cultural Association of Calgary, Gokhan Coskuner, explains the significance of the donations. “The foundation of Turkish Republic is based on the concept of peaceful co-existence with neighboring countries, as well as with the rest of the world. This was the leadership provided by the Republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and it is still being pursued,” he says. ”’Peace at Home, Peace in the World’, this concept is as important today as it was 80 years ago when the Turkish Republic was created in the aftermath of World War I. We hope to be able to contribute a small amount towards this cause with the establishment of the peace bursary and courses in modern Turkish history”.
Reception Program
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Eckhardt-Gramette Concert Hall
Rosza Centre, University of Calgary
7:30 pm – Guitar recital by Turkish Guitarist Ahmet Kanneci, Part I
8:30 pm – Intermission. Announcement of Ataturk Peace Bursary and Modern
Turkish History courses at the University of Calgary.
• Gokhan Coskuner, President of the Turkish Canadian Cultural Association
• Dr. Stephen J. Randall, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Calgary
• Sam Aylesworth, Executive Director, Calgary Board of Education Foundation
8:45 – 9:30 pm – Guitar Recital, Part 2
Reception follows. Media are invited to attend both the concert and the reception.
The Calgary Turkish Canadian Cultural Association, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1981. Its main objective is to promote cultural interactions and friendship between Turkish Canadians and other Canadians. In order to achieve its goal, the Society arranges meetings and lectures as well as social, cultural and educational activities to promote Turkish culture and history.
The Calgary Board of Education Foundation is a public, non-profit foundation that is committed to supporting the CBE, the second largest school board in Canada, in its efforts to offer Excellence, Equity, Access and Choice to 95,000 students in 215 schools. The CBEF was founded in April 2003 as a trust with its own Board of Governors.
The CBE Foundation has a dual mandate:
• To promote citizen engagement with and inspire passion for public education.
• To mobilize resources for programs that enhance public education.
One of CBE Foundation's many objectives is to establish student scholarships and bursaries and generate support for programs that promote career planning, life-long learning, responsible citizenship and leadership skills. Student scholarship awards are disbursed annually in all CBE high schools to recognize academic excellence in CBE students and/or to meet financial need.
The University of Calgary has more than 28,000 full time equivalent students from Alberta, Canada and 80 other countries. The University’s 16 faculties offer more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs.
The Faculty of Social Sciences is the largest and most diverse faculty at the University of Calgary, with over 23,000 course enrollees and more than 4000 undergraduate, graduate and specialist students supported by approximately 250 faculty and staff. Social Sciences focus on the human experience, from earliest beginnings to the challenges of contemporary society, and the factors that influence that experience.
The Department of History provides extensive chronological and geographic coverage of the world’s history, and is committed to offering courses in Modern Turkish History.
Contact:
Turgay Ogut
Hon. Consul General for the Republic of Turkey
Tel (403) 241-1272
Or (403) 699-5566
Ronald F. Peters
Director, Development and External Relations
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Calgary
Tel (403) 220-7903
Dr. David Marshall
Department Head, History
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Calgary
Tel (403) 220-6423
Or (403) 220-3837
Jo Moss
Director of Marketing & Communications
Calgary Board of Education Foundation
Tel (403) 294-8239
Cel (403) 560-0137