Turkish American Associations
In Turkey
Turkish-American Association
http://www.taa-ankara.org.tr/
TAA is one of the oldest and most prestigious bi-national centers in Turkey. Over the past half century-plus, TAA has successfully carried out its purpose: "to promote understanding between Turks and Americans [and] to strengthen the friendship and cultural ties between the two countries."
The association does so through a wide range of activities. For example, TAA organizes lectures, panel discussions and conferences with prominent speakers to enrich public understanding on a wide range of issues. Topics range from international relations, economics and business, history and local archeology to American studies and the fine arts. Other activities include exhibits, concerts, dance nights, receptions, special activity groups (ballroom dancing, patchwork, textiles, painting) and, for children, art, guitar, pre-ballet and classical ballet lessons. TAA provides a short summary of the top news from Turkey's leading newspapers to subscribers via e-mail each working day.
TAA provides English and Turkish language classes, as well as test preparation and teacher training courses, and administers international tests. Its English language courses utilize the most modern teaching methods, equipment and materials, and since a minimal amount of Turkish is used in class, rapid success is achieved. Courses are offered both on an individual enrollment basis and on contract: group lessons provided to a particular government office or business, on-site or at TAA. As an official Educational Testing Service center, TAA administers computer-based tests, such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), GRE (Graduate Record Exam), GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), GED (General Education Development) and the USMLE (U.S. Medical Licensing Exam), and the paper-based SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), PRAXIS (teacher certification), GRE Subject and TSE (Test of Spoken English).
AMERICAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN TURKEY (ARIT)
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/ARIT/IstanbulCenter.htm
The ARIT center in Istanbul occupies an attractive four-story house in Arnavutköy, one of the best-preserved villages on the Bosphorus. Arnavutköy is rich in old wooden houses, shops and restaurants, all within a ten-minute walk. The ARIT center, built in the 1920's, is just one door in from the road along the Bosphorus, and less than five minutes' walk from bus and ferry stations. ARIT in Istanbul has hostel facilities with single and double bedrooms, kitchen facilities and dining area. The center has conference rooms and study areas associated with the library. Scholars affiliated with ARIT can make use of computer facilities there to access personal e-mail accounts and web services.
The library at ARIT Istanbul has approximately 11,000 volumes and covers the Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern Turkish periods. The recent gift of the library of Dr. H. Kenneth Snipes has greatly enhanced the ARIT library holdings for the Byzantine era. A catalogue of the holdings of the Istanbul center library is accessible on the web at [http://dante.dartmouth.edu/arit].
TURKISH-AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATION (TAUA)
http://www.turkamerican.org
The Turkish American University Association was founded in 1952 by a group of American visiting professors from Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, and New York Universities and by their Turkish counterparts from Istanbul University, Department of Law, Economics and Business Administration.
The main goals of the Association are to develop cultural, social, educational and intellectual relations between Turkish citizens within Turkey and Americans and other nationalities who reside in Turkey. TAUA organizes lectures panels, symposiums and seminars on national and/or international levels; develops Turkish and English teaching programs for young adult professionals; welcomes visitors from abroad for orientation programs on various aspects of Turkey including history, archeology, education, etc.; sponsors local or foreign cultural and artistic works on history, archeology, arts and education. To be able to materialize the above-mentioned objectives the Association in 1953, has established an academically qualified Language Center, which runs three semesters including conversation classes and TOEFL prep courses.
TURKISH-AMERICAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (TABA)
http://www.amcham.org.tr
Turkish-American Business Association (TABA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1986.TABA Amcham’s mission, with its American Chamber of Commerce in Turkey identity, is to enhance business relations between the U.S. and Turkey, encourage investments to Turkey from the U.S., create value for its members and initiate cultural and promotional activities. The headquarters of TABA Amcham is in Istanbul and it has 5 branches in Turkey, namely Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Denizli and Izmir.TABA Amcham is a member of the European Council of American Chambers of Commerce (ECACC) and a member of the Chamber of Commerce of USA (COCUSA).
AMERICAN BUSINESS FORUM IN TURKEY (ABFT)
http://www.abft.net
The American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT) serves as an American Chamber of Commerce in Turkey and represents approximately 60 prestigious U.S. firms operating in Turkey. ABFT was established in January 2004. US Ambassador Ross C. Wilson serves as Honorary Chairman. Founded with a mission to improve the business and investment environment for U.S. companies in Turkey, ABFT has remained focused on this objective through advocacy and business development initiatives. In the three years since its establishment, ABFT has held a variety of events, hosted numerous U.S. and Turkish government officials, and conducted research on behalf of its members and to develop the bilateral commercial relationship. As an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, ABFT is in a strong position to work with government and private sector leaders in both countries to represent U.S. businesses in Turkey.