The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a
highly selective,
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
,
co-educational
Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
in Turkey.
[The ]Turkish education system
Education in Turkey is governed by a national system which was established in accordance with the Atatürk's Reforms. It is a state-supervised system designed to produce a skillful professional class for the social and economic institutes of the ...
divides schools into two classes: public or private. According to this classification, Robert College is a private school. The school is situated in a wooded campus on the European side of
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
in the
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
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
The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...
Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lan ...
and philanthropist
Osman Kavala
Osman Kavala (born 2 October 1957) is a businessman, activist and philanthropist who has supported numerous civil society organizations in Turkey since the early 1990s. Kavala is the founder and chair of the board of Anadolu Kültür, an Istanbu ...
.
Robert College is a member of the
G30 Schools
G30 Schools, formerly known as G20 Schools, is an informal association of secondary schools initiated by David Wylde of St. Andrew's College, Grahamstown, South Africa and Anthony Seldon of Wellington College, Berkshire, United Kingdom in 2006.
A ...
group, and is accredited by the
New York State Association of Independent Schools
The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) is an association of 201 independent schools and organizations, ranging from nurseries to high schools, in New York (state), New York State. Founded in 1947, NYSAIS is the second la ...
.
History
![Bosphorus University](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Bosphorus_University.jpg)
In 1863, Robert College was founded in
Bebek by
Christopher Robert
Christopher Rhinelander Robert (March 23, 1802 – October 28, 1878) was an American philanthropist from New York City, who founded Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1863, arguably the oldest American school outside the United States.
Bio ...
, a wealthy American philanthropist, and
Cyrus Hamlin
Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyru ...
, a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
devoted to education. Six years after its foundation, with the permission () of the
Ottoman Sultan
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...
, the first campus (currently housing
Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
) was built in
Bebek at the ridge of the
Rumeli Castle, very close to a
Bektashi
The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
tekke, whose leaders maintained an excellent relationship with the
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
and
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
founders of Robert College, according to
Friedrich Schrader
Friedrich Schrader (19 November 1865 – 28 August 1922) was a German philologist of oriental languages, orientalist, art historian, writer, social democrat, translator and journalist. He also used the pseudonym Ischtiraki (Arabic/ Ottoman fo ...
, 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
Christopher Rhinelander Robert (March 23, 1802 – October 28, 1878) was an American philanthropist from New York City, who founded Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1863, arguably the oldest American school outside the United States.
Bio ...
died in 1878. According to the article "A Millionaire's Will" published in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' 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
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
as an institution of higher learning serving the Christian minorities of the Empire as well as foreigners living in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, 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
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...
,
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, and
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
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
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
for use as a public university named
Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
, the renamed continuation of Robert College's university section.
Major events
* 1863, September 16: Robert College opened with 31 students at Bebek Seminary School.
* 1922: President Caleb Gates and
Hüseyin Pektaş (the first Muslim graduate and then vice-president of the college) attended the
Conference of Lausanne representing foreign educational institutions in the Ottoman Empire.
* 1932: With
Paul Monroe
Paul Monroe, Ph.D., LL.D. (1869–1947) was an American educator.
Biography
He was born at North Madison, Indiana. He graduated at Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana in 1890, studied at the University of Heidelberg and took his Ph.D. from the ...
, the joint presidency system was adopted by ''Robert College'' (RC) and the ''American College for Girls'' (ACG). Robert Academy was the preparatory school for Robert College, which had a reputable engineering school. Instruction was bilingual, in Turkish and English.
* 1957: Robert College was granted permission to become an institution of higher learning by the
Republic of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
; Robert College Yüksek provided university-level instruction and is the precursor of the current Boğaziçi University. Robert Academy remained on the Bebek campus as a private high school.
* 1971: Robert College Yüksek officially closed on 18 May and was renamed Boğaziçi University. The merger of the American College for Girls and Robert Academy as a co-educational private institution with junior high and high schools, on the Arnavutköy campus was officially confirmed in September 1971. Robert College's Bebek campus was donated to the
Republic of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
was established as a public university on this land.
* 1998: With the adoption of a law calling for eight years of uninterrupted primary education in Turkey (junior high school would now be a part of primary education), the school stopped accepting students to its junior high school section.
* 2004: The last junior high school students graduated and the school's junior high school section was officially closed. Now, Robert College has Prep, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grades, and accepts students who have finished compulsory primary education of eight years.
List of presidents and heads
*
Cyrus Hamlin
Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyru ...
, 1863–1877
*
George Washburn, 1877–1903
* Caleb Frank Gates, 1903–1932
*
Paul Monroe
Paul Monroe, Ph.D., LL.D. (1869–1947) was an American educator.
Biography
He was born at North Madison, Indiana. He graduated at Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana in 1890, studied at the University of Heidelberg and took his Ph.D. from the ...
, 1932–1935
* Walter Livingston Wright, 1935–1943
* Harold Lorain Scott (acting president), 1943–1944
* Floyd Henson Black, 1944–1955
* Duncan Smith Ballantine, 1955–1961
*
Harold Locke Hazen
Harold Locke Hazen (August 1, 1901 – February 21, 1980) was an American electrical engineer. He contributed to the theory of servomechanisms and feedback control systems. In 1924 under the lead of Vannevar Bush, Hazen and his fellow underg ...
(acting president), 1961
* Patrick Murphy Malin, 1962–1964
* James L. Brainerd (acting president), 1965
* Dwight James Simpson, 1965–1967
* Howard P. Hall (Acting President), 1967–1968
*
John Scott Everton John Scott Everton (March 7, 1908 – January 23, 2003) was an American college president and diplomat.
He was educated at Colgate University Divinity School, Cambridge, and Yale. He worked on the research staff at the Ford Foundation.
He ser ...
, 1968–1971
* John Clay Chalfant, 1971–1977
* James Richard Maggart, 1977–1981
* Elizabeth Dabanovitch (acting head), 1981–1982
* Alan Donn Kesselheim, 1982–1984
* Margaret A. Johnson (Interim Head), 1984–1988
* Harry A. Dawe, 1988–1992
* Benjamin D. Williams III (interim head), 1992–1993
* Christopher Wadsworth, 1993–2001
* Livingston Merchant, 2001–2005
* John Russell Chandler, 2005–2012
* Anthony Jones, 2012–2015
* Charles H. Skipper, 2015–2019
* Adam Oliver, 2019–present
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
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
) after they complete their
primary education
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
. 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
Lucy Mary Jane Garnett (1849–1934) was a folklorist and traveller. She is best known for her work in Turkey. She also translated Greek folk poetry.
See also
*''Turkey of the Ottomans
''Turkey of the Ottomans'' is an anthropological boo ...
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.
[ Garnett, Lucy Mary Jane. ''Turkish Life in Town and Country''. ]G.P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons is an American book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.
History
The company began as Wiley & Putnam with the 1838 partnership between George Palmer Putnam and ...
, 1904. p
204205
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.
there were 102 teachers, with 45% being Turkish and 32% being American. Of the teachers, eight were part-time.
[ The school's guidance counselors, as of that year, were English-speaking Turkish citizens.][
, 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
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
, 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
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
, 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
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
colleges. In 2011, Robert College placed 123 graduates in Turkish universities, 21 of them, 40%, in Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
. 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
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in 1907. The first Student Council
A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
in Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
was also formed in 1908 in Robert College.
Student Council
Student Council
A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
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
A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
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.
Publications
English
* ''Bosphorus Chronicle'': The school's newspaper published quarterly (first published in 1959).
* ''Record'': The Yearbook.
* ''Kaleidoscope'': The English literature magazine.
Turkish
* ''Köprü'' (''The Bridge''): The school's Turkish newspaper, published bimonthly (first published in January 2009).
* ''Martı'' (''Seagull''): Turkish literature journal.
* ''Oda'' (''Room''): Turkish literature journal publishing poems, stories and photos submitted by students.
* ''Tarih'' (''History''): The History Club's annual publication.
* ''Sinek'' (''Fly''): The Film Review Club's annual publication.
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
Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...
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
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
of UN, an Advisory Panel, ECOSOC
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...
, 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
The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...
. 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
Suna Koç Kıraç (born Suna Koç; June 3, 1941 – September 15, 2020) was a Turkish businesswoman and a billionaire.
Early years
Suna Koç was born to Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), the wealthiest businessman of Turkey, and his wife Sadberk (1908 ...
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
The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
is home to five neoclassical buildings as well as three brutalist
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
ones, centennial trees and a rich fauna, among which the Bosphorus Beetle, an endemic species to this campus, could be counted.
Major buildings
*Gould Hall: The oldest educational building on the campus, Gould Hall () is a gift from Helen Gould Shepard, daughter of the famous 19th century Wall Street financier Jay Gould
Jason Gould (; May 27, 1836 – December 2, 1892) was an American railroad magnate and financial speculator who is generally identified as one of the robber barons of the Gilded Age. His sharp and often unscrupulous business practices made hi ...
. She donated US$150,000 for the construction, which began in 1911 and was completed in 1914. The front and back entrances to the building lead to Marble Hall, named such due to the abundant usage of marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
in its decor. Marble Hall acts as a lobby for the building, and also houses part of the school's archeological collection. The Faculty Parlor, formerly used as the teachers’ room, and the Conference Room, are both adjacent to and accessible from Marble Hall. Gould Hall also houses administrative offices, classrooms, the İbrahim Bodur library, the Heritage Room, and the RC Commons area, as well as the Turkish Literature and Social Sciences Departments, and the English Department Heads office. The building, particularly with its large ionic columns
The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite or ...
, is the de facto symbol of the school. Ivies and wisteria plants surround the building's walls. On its front entablature, the words "American College for Girls" and "Gould Hall" are visible. The cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
of the building, set on November 9, 1911, by then-United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
The United States has maintained many high level contacts with Turkey since the 19th century.
Ottoman Empire
Chargé d'Affaires
* George W. Erving (before 1831)
* David Porter (September 13, 1831 – May 23, 1840)
Minister Resident
* David Por ...
, William Woodville Rockhill
William Woodville Rockhill (April 1, 1854 – December 8, 1914) was a United States diplomat, best known as the author of the U.S.'s Open Door Policy for China, the first American to learn to speak Tibetan, and one of the West's leading exper ...
, contains a time capsule
A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ba ...
. The inscription “AD MDCCCCXI”, denoting the year of the capsule's burial in Roman numerals
Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, eac ...
, is displayed on the South Wing of the front façade.
*Mitchell Hall: Originally home to the school kitchens and dining room, the building was a gift from Miss Olivia E. Phelps Stokes, who donated US$100,000. A modest woman, she asked for the building to be named in memory of her friend, Sarah Lindlay Mitchell. Today, the building houses classrooms used primarily for mathematics lessons, the Math Department, the Sait Halman Computer Center, the teachers’ room, the audio-visual center, two Multimedia Rooms (MMRs), and a small English department office. The top floor, M400, is used for examinations, minor conferences, and weekly club sessions.
*Woods Hall: Completed in 1914, the building was a partial gift from Mrs. Henry Woods of Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, who donated US$58,000, with Helen Gould Shepard supplying the remaining US$25,000 required. It was used as a Science Building until 1990, and today is home to classrooms used primarily for English lessons, two English department offices, and two college counselling offices.
*Sage Hall: A gift from Mrs. Margaret Olivia Sage, widow of Russell Sage
Russell Risley Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906) was an American financier, railroad executive and Whig politician from New York. As a frequent partner of Jay Gould in various transactions, he amassed a fortune. Olivia Slocum Sage, his s ...
, a famous 19th century financier and associate of Jay Gould, Sage Hall is one of the few buildings still used for its original purpose. A philanthropist, she donated US$100,000 for the building, built as a dormitory. Today, the building houses the girls' dormitories, infirmary, art studios and a darkroom
A darkroom is used to process photographic film, to make prints and to carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of the light-sensitive photographic materials, including film and ph ...
.
*Bingham Hall: Originally built as a medical school building, financed by William Bingham in memory of his mother, Mary Payne Bingham, the building housed the junior high school section from 1925 to 1992. Today, it is home to the boys' dormitories, as well as a secondary theater room, and business and administrative offices. A plaque commemorating the construction of the building, which reads “Mary Payne Bingham Hall, erected in honor of Mary Payne Bingham by her son William Bingham 2nd”, is visible above the front entrance.
*Feyyaz Berker Hall: Feyyaz Berker Hall, colloquially referred to as "Feyyaz", today houses the science labs and classrooms, as well as the Science Department. The building was completed in 1990, and named after its largest donor, leading Turkish businessman and Robert College trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...
, Feyyaz Berker (Robert College Eng '46 alumnus). The front of the building has arched windows, which mimic the façade of Gould Hall. Contents of the Biology Museum, which has one of the rarest collections in Turkey, are scattered across the second and third floors of the building.
*Suna Kıraç Hall: A state-of-the-art theater building completed in 1990, including a large stage, make-up rooms, modern sound and lighting system and seating for 512 people, was named after its largest donor Suna Kıraç
Suna Koç Kıraç (born Suna Koç; June 3, 1941 – September 15, 2020) was a Turkish businesswoman and a billionaire.
Early years
Suna Koç was born to Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), the wealthiest businessman of Turkey, and his wife Sadberk (1908 ...
(American College for Girls '60 alumnus), a leading Turkish businesswoman and Robert College Trustee. Its basement houses the music department and several music rooms.
*Nejat Eczacıbaşı Hall: The modern school gymnasium was opened in 1990 and named after its largest donor, prominent Turkish bio-chemist and businessman Dr. Nejat Eczacıbaşı
Mehmet Nejat Ferit Eczacıbaşı (; January 5, 1913–October 6, 1993) was a chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, and a second-generation member of the notable Turkish Eczacıbaşı family.
He was the founder of Eczacı ...
(Robert College '32 alumnus). Its basement houses the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR), P.E. department offices, and the Cep (Turkish for “Pocket”), a student lounge area.
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
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
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
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
, 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
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of 290 people on the second and third floors of Gould Hall.
Other buildings and facilities
* The Rodney B. Wagner Memorial Maze
The Legend of Maze
-->
* Murat Karamancı Student Center (MKSC)
* Dave Phillips Field
* Konak Terrace
* Tennis courts
* Basketball courts
* Faculty housing (Barton House, White House, Blue House, Yalı, Guest House, and numerous other houses dispersed on campus)
* Green Tower
* The Bridge and Security
* Forum
''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
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
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
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
through two separate 501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
tax-exempt
Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...
non-profit organizations
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
: th
Trustees of Robert College of Istanbul
tax-exempt since December 1947, and th
Robert College Foundation
tax-exempt since May 2000. The data is publicly available on ProPublica
ProPublica (), legally Pro Publica, Inc., is a nonprofit organization based in New York City. In 2010, it became the first online news source to win a Pulitzer Prize, for a piece written by one of its journalists''The Guardian'', April 13, 2010P ...
. As of Fiscal Year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...
2017, the two organizations reported a combined revenue of 28.7 million USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
.
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
Pan-Turkism is a political movement that emerged during the 1880s among Turkic intellectuals who lived in the Russian region of Kazan (Tatarstan), Caucasus (modern-day Azerbaijan) and the Ottoman Empire (modern-day Turkey), with its aim bei ...
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" ( tr, Bizans Kolej), 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
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
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... t was
T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
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
''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is one of the major Turkish newspapers, founded in 1948.
, it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' has a mainstream, liberal and conservative outlook. ''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 he MEB rulingby 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
''Yeni Akit'' (literally "New Agreement") is an Islamic-conservative Turkish daily newspaper. ''Yeni Akit'' is aligned with Islamism and has been criticised for homophobia and hate against the LGBT, Jews, Christians, and atheists.
History
The ...
'' 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
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
week. Authored by Faruk Arslan, the homophobic
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...
article characterized homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
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 illionCome 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)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...
tax-exempt
Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, Robert College files its taxes in New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 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."[ Three Robert College graduates were the representatives of their countries in the founding meeting of the ]United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
held in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in March 1945: Nur al-Din Kahala
Nur al-Din Kahala ( ar, نور الدين كحالة; also known as Nureddin Kahalle; 1908–1965) was a Syrian politician during the United Arab Republic (UAR) period (1958–1961). Prior to the UAR period, he served as a minor government burea ...
for Syria, Hamiz Atif Kuyucak for Turkey and Dr. Shafaq for Iran.
In 1990, three alumni, Nejat Eczacıbaşı
Mehmet Nejat Ferit Eczacıbaşı (; January 5, 1913–October 6, 1993) was a chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, and a second-generation member of the notable Turkish Eczacıbaşı family.
He was the founder of Eczacı ...
, Suna Kıraç
Suna Koç Kıraç (born Suna Koç; June 3, 1941 – September 15, 2020) was a Turkish businesswoman and a billionaire.
Early years
Suna Koç was born to Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), the wealthiest businessman of Turkey, and his wife Sadberk (1908 ...
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.
Notable former faculty
* Tevfik Fikret
Tevfik Fikret ( ota, توفیق فكرت) was the pseudonym of Mehmed Tevfik (December 24, 1867 – August 19, 1915), an Ottoman-Turkish educator and poet, who is considered the founder of the modern school of Turkish poetry.
Biography
Fam ...
, Turkish poet, leader of the Servet-i Fünûn movement, founder of the modern school of Turkish poetry
There were a number of poetic trends in the poetry of Turkey in the early years of the Republic of Turkey. Authors such as Ahmed Hâşim and Yahyâ Kemâl Beyatlı (1884–1958) continued to write important formal verse whose language was, to a g ...
* Cahit Arf
Cahit Arf (; 24 October 1910 – 26 December 1997) was a Turkish mathematician. He is known for the Arf invariant of a quadratic form in characteristic 2 (applied in knot theory and surgery theory) in topology, the Hasse–Arf theorem ...
, mathematician
* Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (, Western hy, Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան; 23 March 1869 – 20 July 1955), nicknamed "Mr Five Per Cent", was a British-Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petrole ...
, entrepreneur and art collector
* Behçet Kemal Çağlar, poet
* Paul H. Dike, Professor of Physics
* John Freely
John Freely (26 June 1926 – 20 April 2017) was an American physicist, teacher, and author of popular travel and history books on Istanbul, Athens, Venice, Turkey, Greece, and the Ottoman Empire. He was the father of writer and Turko-English lite ...
, Professor of Physics, author
* Mebrure Gönenç, one of the first female members of the Turkish Parliament
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
(alumna of the American College of Girls)
* Frances Harshbarger, one of the first female American mathematicians to receive a doctorate
* Necip Fazıl Kısakürek
Ahmet Necip Fazıl Kısakürek (May 26, 1904 – May 25, 1983) was a Turkish poet, novelist, playwright, and Islamist ideologue. He is also known simply by his initials NFK. He was noticed by the French philosopher Henri Bergson, who later ...
, poet and author
* Paul Lange, conductor of the Ottoman Empire's Royal Orchestra, musician, father of US conductor Hans Lange
Hans Lange (February 17, 1884 in Istanbul – August 13, 1960 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) was a German-American conductor and musician. He was a son of Paul Lange, who had been a lecturer for music at the American College for Girls and Ger ...
* M. M. Mangasarian
Mangasar Magurditch Mangasarian (December 29, 1859 – June 26, 1943) was an American Rationalism, rationalist and Secularism, secularist of Armenian descent.
Biography
Born in Mashger (now within Turkey) in the Ottoman Empire, he attended Rob ...
, Armenian-American
Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in ...
atheist and secularist intellectual
* Arman Manukyan
Arman Manukyan ( hy, Արման Մանուկյան, 21 March 1931 – 28 December 2012) was a Turkish lecturer, writer, and economist of Armenian descent.
Biography
Arman Manukyan was born in the Tahta Minare neighborhood of Istanbul. His fat ...
, Professor of Economy and Accounting
* Mihri Pektaş, one of the first female members of the Turkish Parliament
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...
(alumna of the American College of Girls)
* Dave Phillips, physical education
Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...
teacher, played professional basketball for Beşiktaş JK
Beşiktaş () is a List of districts in Turkey, district and List of municipalities in Turkey, municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the ...
* Mary Paton Ramsay, literary scholar["University News", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 22 December 1919, p. 4.]
* Friedrich Schrader
Friedrich Schrader (19 November 1865 – 28 August 1922) was a German philologist of oriental languages, orientalist, art historian, writer, social democrat, translator and journalist. He also used the pseudonym Ischtiraki (Arabic/ Ottoman fo ...
, German journalist and author
* Stefan Panaretov
Stefan Panaretov ( bg, Стефан Панаретов) or Stephen Panaretoff or Stephan Panaretoff (October 4, 1853 - October 19, 1931) was a prominent Bulgarian diplomat, academician and professor at Robert College, an independent private high ...
, Bulgarian diplomat, Special Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary
An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under th ...
of Bulgaria to the U.S. (1914-1925), Bulgarian representative to League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
* Karl von Terzaghi
Karl von Terzaghi (October 2, 1883 – October 25, 1963) was an Austrian mechanical engineer, geotechnical engineer, and geologist known as the "father of soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering".
Early life
In 1883, he was born the first c ...
, Austrian civil engineer, known as the "father of soil mechanics
Soil mechanics is a branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils. It differs from fluid mechanics and solid mechanics in the sense that soils consist of a heterogeneous mixture of fluids (usually air and wat ...
and geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. It uses the principles of soil mechanics and rock mechanics for the solution of its respective engineering problems. It als ...
"
* Edgar Rose, German-American mechanical engineer, MS from MIT in one year. Designed and produced the first 2=stroke outboard tuned exhaust system at Kiekhaefer Mercury in 1958. Chief of stern drive and snowmobile engineering at Outboard Marine Corporation at different times after 1968, and VP of engineering before his retirement in 1990. Active as chief inspector at APBA OPC outboard races until ca. 2014.
In popular culture
* The novel ''Pervaneler'' depicts “Byzantium College”, a fictionalized version of the American College of Girls, which gradually merged into Robert College, and whose campus Robert College currently occupies.
* In the Orhan Pamuk
Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lan ...
novel ''Silent House'', Metin attends the “American High School”, a fictionalized version of Robert College.
See also
*Boğaziçi University
Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...
* Istanbul International Community School (former sister school)
*Education in the Ottoman Empire
The education
The first stage of elementary education and teaching in the Ottoman Empire has been called as Sibyan Schools (Sibyan Mektepleri). The education system of Ottomans founded on Sıbyan Schools. Sibyan Schools was the first and the las ...
* List of high schools in Turkey
The following is a list of high schools in Turkey, categorised by province:
Adana
* Adana Fen Lisesi
* Seyhan Rotary Anadolu Lisesi
* Hümeyra Ökte Kız Anadolu Lisesi
Ankara
* Ankara Fen Lisesi
* Ankara (Anadolu) Lisesi
* Ankara Atatürk Ana ...
* Koç School
The Koç School ( tr, Koç Okulu) is a private coeducational school in Turkey founded by Vehbi Koç, one of Turkey's wealthiest businessmen. The school comprises a high school that pioneered the IB program in Turkey and an elementary school. Pr ...
* Üsküdar American Academy
Notes
References
Books on Robert College
* Ali Neyzi, ''Alma Mater and the Story of Robert College''
* Asya Orhon, ''Kolejlerin Koleji, Robert Kolej''
* Betty Tank, ''Pushing My Shadow''
* Caleb Frank Gates, ''Not To Me Only'', Princeton, 1940.
* Cyrus Hamlin
Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyru ...
, ''My Life and Times'', Boston, 1893.
* Cyrus Hamlin
Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyru ...
, ''Among the Turks''
* Eren Yanık, ''Akvaryum''
* via Internet Archive
* Hester Donaldson Jenkins, ''An Educational Ambassador to the Middle East''
* John Freely, ''History of Robert College'', Istanbul, YKY, 2000.
* Lynn Scipio, ''My Thirty Years in Turkey'', New Hampshire, Ringde, 1955.
* Mary Mills Patrick, ''A Bosphorus Adventure'', London, 1934.
* Mary Mills Patrick, ''Under Five Sultans''
* May Fincancı, ''The Story of Robert College Old and New''
* Moris Farhi
Musa Moris Farhi MBE (5 July 1935 – 5 March 2019)Tessler, Gloria"Obituary: Musa Moris Farhi MBE" ''Jewish Chronicle'', 2 May 2019. was a Turkish author who was vice-president of International PEN from 2001 to his death in 2019.
Profile
Farhi w ...
, ''Young Turk''
* Orhan Türker, ''Mega Revma'dan Arnavutköy'e'', Istanbul, 2005
* Stevens Marcia & Malcolm, ''Against the Devil's Current: Life & Times of C.H.''
* Talat S. Halman, ''Aklın Yolu Bindir'', Istanbul, 2003.
* Ugur Ersoy, ''1950–55 Erguvan Renkli Yıllar'', Istanbul, 2004.
External links
Finding aid to the Robert College papers at Columbia University
Robert College
Robert College Alumni Association
Robert College Alumni Association of America
The Student Council
Fine Arts Festival
RC Quarterly Robert College Alumni Magazine
Robert College International Model United Nations Website
Robert College EYC Website
RC Quarterly
*
{{Authority control
Educational institutions established in 1863
Turkey–United States relations
High schools in Istanbul
American international schools in Turkey
International Baccalaureate schools in Turkey
Private schools in Turkey
University-preparatory schools
Bosphorus
Beşiktaş
1863 establishments in the Ottoman Empire