As a result of Global Extension Program’s new development initiative, Iowa State University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Suleyman Demirel University in Isparta, Turkey. SDU is a state university established in 1992 with 40,000 students located in the area of Central Anatolia adjacent to Mediterranean region of Turkey, in the beautiful plateau of Taurus mountains. The crops that are grown there are oil, or Kazanlik rose and horticulture crops, such as apples and grapes. The university’s mission is to support the growth of Turkish economy and the well-being of the people through broadening their access to education for young people from different social strata and with different means of supporting themselves. The university is dedicated to internationalization of education and to integration into European and global educational systems.
The University in Isparta uses English as a language of instruction in some programs. Currently the university is looking for hiring more English language instructors. The university has exchange programs with several European countries, including Poland and Lithuania, and hopes to establish a student exchange program with Iowa State University. Suleyman Demirel university wants to undertake a major extension development initiative in the region of Isparta with the assistance of Iowa State University’s Global Extension Programs.
Recently, Professor Dr. Ismail Karaca, SDU Vice-President, visited Iowa State University on the invitation of Dr. G. Geoffroy, ISU President. Dr. I. Karaca was accompanied by his daughter, Miss Gulcin Karaca, who is a university student from Turkey. Dr. I. Karaca’s goal was to familiarize himself with Cooperative Extension System in Iowa and identify possible ways for cooperation among ISU Extension and Suleyman Demirel University to establish a university-centered extension education program in Isparta region of Turkey. Currently, Suleyman Demirel University offers courses and programs for farmers and their families in Isparta region. However, there is a lack of system that allows identification of farmers’ needs and meeting them with adequate programs and services that Extension can offer. The courses that SDU teaches are usually offered at the requests of farmers’ cooperatives which do not have effective means of identifying farmers’ needs. Turkey does not have a federal structure as a country: she has provinces, or regions, and the central governing body, and the extension system in Turkey is one of the functions of Turkish Ministry of Agriculture. It is the vision of Dr. Karaca to make the Turkish extension system more effective in the region by finding better means of employing university resources and more efficient ways of finding out and responding to farmers’ needs. Dr. Karaca visited Iowa State University Extension for four days, from April 13 through April 16. The key points of his program were learning about the role of Iowa State University’s role in extension system in the State of Iowa and learning about the programs and services offered at the country level. He was invited to attend a monthly Extension Administration meeting and spent a whole day visiting Hardin County Extension office in Iowa Falls. He had an opportunity to visit with Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and to find out about the role of Iowa Department of Agriculture in supporting farmers’ initiatives and programs in the State of Iowa. He also visited “Pioneer Hi-Bred International” company in Johnston, Iowa, which allowed him to see the American business that develops its products based on the farmers’ needs.
During a meeting with ISU Vice-President for Extension and Outreach, Dr. Jack Payne and Associate Vice-President Mary Holz-Clause, the key strategies for future cooperation in extension development projects in Turkey were identified and potential funding sources were discussed. Everybody agreed that Turkey is important country geopolitically, and that US is interested in strengthening its economy and agriculture, in particular, through developing appropriate educational programs for farmers. Iowa State University has an exemplary extension system; some components of which can be offered to Turkish farmers as products, through cooperation with Suleyman Demirel University. Iowa State University can benefit from it, in its turn, though grantsmantship efforts involving the European Union and Turkish systems of project funding.
The visit of SDU Vice-President Dr. Karaca put a cornerstone for years ahead of cooperation. The Global Extension Programs group at Iowa State University particularly credits efforts of all faculty and staff involved for helping Dr. I. Karaca to make the most of his visit. We appreciate the time and specific attention to this new initiative that we received from Dr. Jack Payne and Mary Holz-Clause.