• Job hunting• Job in acrisis • Cambodia travels • Campusnews SPRING/SUMMER 2009 - ISSUE 36 of music on on music of The sound campus Cift Sayfa 42x28 Ofset 4/15/09 11:08 AM Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Composite ABOUT THE RC QUARTERLY s students count down to the end of the academic year, the campus is alive with rehearsals for end-of-the-year concerts, performances Aof the musical Aida and numerous spring festivals. In this issue, we showcase the thriving music scene on campus. From a sophisticated school orchestra to clubs for every imaginable instrument, the school is helping to nurture a diverse range of new musical talent. This year, several seniors have won scholarships to study music at the undergraduate level at prestigious schools in the US. You can catch some of these budding talents around town, as they perform at venues like Nardis jazz club and Studio Live. Please do keep your news coming. We love hearing about what you’re up to in your corner of the world. Happy reading! The RCQ Editorial Board The Editorial Board. Clockwise from left: Sedat Ergin RC 75, Elçin Yahşi RC 79, Nuri Çolakoğlu RA 62, Leyla Aktay RC 72, Nükhet Sirman RC 72, Zeynep Kayhan RC 2000, Mehveş Dramur Yardımcı RC 96, Çiğdem Yazıcıoğlu, Pelin Turgut RC 92, Deniz Alphan ACG 67. 4 UE 36 ISS - 2009 R The sound UMME S of music on SPRING/ campus RCQ CONTENTS Spring/Summer 2009 • Campus news Cover Photo by Mahmut Yıldırım • Cambodia travels Scene from AIDA • Job hunting in a crisis RC NEWS 8 History teacher Candan Basat retires 10 Turkish lit teacher publishes two books › Chess champion 12 RC launches resident artist program with US printmaker 14 Sezen Ertürk retires after 22 years › Teacher receives tribute from Stanford student 16 Professor Seyhan Nurettin Ege Alumni Journal published quarterly Excellence in Science Award for girls by the RC Alumni & Development 18 Tennis team serves a winner 19 Boarding students will miss their Cahit “abi” Office for 8000 members of the 20 A new literary tradition takes root RC community: graduates, students, faculty, COMMUNITY administration, parents and friends. InVOLVEMENT Robert Lisesi tarafından dört ayda PROJECTS (CIP) bir yayımlanır. Sayı 36 22 Rize 23 Tunceli GRADUATES IN THE NEWS 24 ‘Esquire’ rug by Esti Barnes ACG 71 triumphs as British Design of the Year › Author makes debut with book on pop culture Robert College phenomenon ‘Lost’ 26 Maverick banker turned novelist Hakan Kuruçeşme Cad. 87 Karahan moves to film Arnavutköy-İstanbul › Metin Ergin RC 46, continues personal account Tel: (0212) 359 22 22/289 of Turkey’s recent history e-mail: [email protected] 27 İpek Ongun ACG 61: Inspiring young readers › The man with the bowtie: Arman Manukyan www.robcol.k12.tr 28 100 birthday candles, interview with Editor-in-Chief: Berceste Anter ACG 31 Leyla Aktay ’72 30 Q & A with Hadi Özbal RA 63, RC Yük 67 Turkey’s Editors: only official international marathon course measurer Pelin Turgut ’92, ONES TO WATCH Çiğdem Yazıcıoğlu 32 Soaking in conceptual music Mehveş Dramur Yardımcı '96 33 Taking a stand, artistically Reporting: Matt Mossman VIEWPOINT 34 Brighter spots: A Headhunter’s take on the Editorial Board: current job market Deniz Alphan ’67, AROUND THE WORLD Nuri Çolakoğlu ’62, Sedat Ergin ‘75, 36 A dreamer in Cambodia Nükhet Sirman ’72, COVER STORY Elçin Yahşi ’79, 38 The sound of music at RC Zeynep Kayhan RC 2000 44 Karlıbel writes Yahya Kemal oratorio Advertising Manager: 45 Evin İlyasoğlu ACG 66 pens history of music reference book Çiğdem Yazıcıoğlu Tel: (0212) 359 22 89 VENUES WE RUN [email protected] 46 Klinilk: Changing healthcare for children Design: Murat Kars REUNIONS 47 Class of RA 69 remembers their PE teacher Printing: Abbas Sakarya Ünal Ofset 48 ACG 63 Explores Eskişehir Basım yeri ve tarihi: İstanbul, Mayıs 2009 50 ALUMNI NEWS Yayın türü: Süreli 54 OBITUARIES Yayın periyodu: 4 Aylık 6 RC NEWS Candan Basat, seated second from left, with her colleagues. History teacher Candan Basat retires uch-loved Turkish history teacher Candan Basat retires is an unforgettable fact about Mrs. Basat for me personally. in June 2009 after 30 years at Robert College. It’s When at last, I reached the honor of being her student in Mhard to count how many students this respected, loved, class, I realized that if I know anything about history the most determined, calm, helpful and sensitive teacher graduated. significant contribution certainly belongs to her. Basat is known for her dedication to Atatürk’s legacy and her Mrs. Basat, I hope I was able to have enough virtue in attention to keeping alive it's linkages to the present day, even comparison to your great character. I would like to thank you beyond the school. Her careful attention in preparing the Tarih for all your valuable efforts with me." (History) magazine, her sensitivity in planning her lessons and Another one of her students was Cansu Korzay RC 06: ‘’I’ve her serious but sincere relationship with her students will not be felt it all, each and every day… The warmth and tenderness of forgotten. Her department colleague Hafize Değer contributed my beautiful, inspiring teacher… the following: “My dear friend Candan and I first crossed paths Candan Hanım is an unforgettable memory for many in RC. at RC thirty years ago. Despite our different backgrounds we What she leaves behind are not only foot prints, because she soon realized we had so much in common. Respect towards our has made remarkable differences in our lives. I feel the foot work, admiration for Atatürk, a sensitivity towards country and prints may eventually fade, but the memory remains… Candan world issues, our ability to get things done and so many other Basat is more than a teacher for me; she is a life-long friend, common points. The years made us more like each other. It mentor, companion…’’ always gave me confidence to know that there were people with Of her students, İlgin Özden RC 84, who studied with her in whom I shared common denominators. Thank you for being a 1983-84 and is a university teacher said: “Our bond was never dear friend and like a big sister to me. ‘’ lost. I woud like to mention three aspects of my teacher, which Turkish Literature teacher Ersin Aybars said: “I have always I only fully appreciated after becoming a university teacher respected your professionalism and your heartfelt loyalty to myself. The first was that even though she only taught students your career. You were like a lighthouse to many students in the in their last years, from the start of the school year I realised course of your long career. This isn’t my personal view, its the that she more or less ‘knew’ us. The second is that although sincere belief of those students who were lucky enough to have she encouraged active participation in her classes, she would studied with you.” sometimes become distant. She had no tolerance for rudeness One of her students was Hakan Kızılkum, RC 2010. He said, or disorder in her class, and we were 16-17 years old so we ‘’When I first met her in my prep year her sincere approach sometimes crossed the line. As long as there was no obvious helped me to choose my first club in RC ; the History Club. She problem, she would change the subject, not allow for slacking portrayed my own perception of an ideal teacher: sensitive off but she would also not ‘dominate’ us or cramp our energetic but authoritarian; funny but at the same time has a natural approach. The third is that as much as possible she would track relationship with her students. Her unique way of sharing her students. This was natural in terms of human relations. But information with students and perhaps, most importantly, her in our conversations, she would question her guesses as to the approach to students in general as if they’re her own children people she raised, to see whether she had been a good guide.” 8 RC NEWS Turkish lit teacher publishes two books şk İmiş (Supposedly Love), by Yapı Kredi Yayınları, is first of two books by long-time RC Turkish literature Ateacher Adil İzci to have recently been published. The second is called “Eski bir Niğde” (An Old Niğde) and was published in February by Heyamola Yayınları as a part of their “Turkey’s Cities” series. Adil Bey told the RCQ that he wrote a context and write around that. Whatever comes to his mind “Aşk İmiş” over the course of 2006 where “Eski bir Niğde” during this period of concentration on that focus, is what he took about nine months between the fall of 2007 and summer calls “inspiration”. of 2008. “Eski bir Niğde” required special research, due to its As for his future projects, first in line is the second book in theme. The book begins towards the end of 1950s and ends a series he’s creating, “Evler Sokaklar Kitabı” (The Book of in the fall of 1972. Because it is based on Adil Bey’s memories, Houses and Streets). The first book of this series was “Ağaçlar he needed to make sure that he had really experienced these Kitabı” (The Book of Trees) that came out in 2004. The third events. This was not an easy task as it required deep digging. book “Kuşlar Kitabı” (The Book of Birds) is just finished, and Another obstacle he faced was to align these memories he’s planning “Şarkılar Kitabı” (The Book of Songs) as the fourth chronologically because although remembered he events and link of this chain, however, he does not think he’ll be able to places clearly, they were in a jumbled up order in his mind.