Humanities Giving Spotlight:

Bridging the Gap

On the other side of the world, a distinguished Ohio State engineering alumnus decides to support a new initiative in the Department of History: the creation of an endowed professorship. Just as Istanbul native Halim Agaoglu played a major role in the construction of two famous bridges in Turkey, he is now helping the College to bridge the gap between one of its most promising programs and its full potential.

A 1958 graduate of civil engineering, Agaoglu recently made a leading gift to the newly established Professorship in Ottoman and Turkish History Fund, a fund generously launched by an anonymous donor.

Since the teaching of Ottoman History began at Ohio State in 1935, many factors have made it uniquely qualified to promote knowledge of Turkey and its importance in today's world; namely its recruitment of top graduate students from the United States and Turkey, production of many masters and doctoral theses on Turkish subjects, and exceptional placement for its doctoral program graduates. Although it is already recognized internationally as a leading program, the addition of the professorship will consolidate the program for the future and will make it possible to attract and retain the very best in the field.

In making his gift to the professorship and through his distinguished career, Agaolgu has demonstrated that he is a person with vision. After graduating with his master's degree from Ohio State he was employed by the Turkish Highway Department and was appointed its Deputy General Director in 1965. In this role, he became involved with one of the most important engineering projects at that time, the construction of a suspension bridge across the Bosphorus Strait to connect the continents of Europe and Asia. Agaoglu was among the first to begin the feasibility studies for this project—a dream of engineers for centuries. Later, he was invited to work on a second Bosphorus bridge, serving as General Secretary and representative to the Turkish Government for the consortium of contracting companies selected to construct it. Today, the two bridges allow nearly one million people to move from one continent to the other each day.

We are grateful that Mr. Agaoglu has chosen to partner with the College to build an endowment to support the Professorship in Ottoman and Turkish History. Mrs. Adalet Agaoglu, one of Turkey's leading novelists and holder of an honorary OSU doctorate, joins her husband in supporting this initiative, which will enhance the reputation of the department, college, and university as a whole.