Istanbul, April 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of the late Sakıp Sabancı (1933-2004), a philanthropist and businessman who transformed family business into one of the largest conglomerates in the region and Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, the “Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards” presented at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at Istanbul.
Sabancı University Founding Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı delivered introductory remarks to the commemoration and award ceremony.
Turkey's first international award in social sciences
Güler Sabancı said that the awards were world-class in every way from jury panel to processes and participants, which confirmed her belief that the awards lived up to the memory of Sakıp Sabancı, and expressed her hope that the Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards would continue to expand the horizons of researchers in the future. Sabancı declared the theme for the 2020 international research awards to be “Economics and the Future of Turkey: Sustainable Environment, Transportation and Energy”.
“The Sakıp Sabancı Turkish Studies Center at Columbia University is a great symbol of Sakıp Sabancı’s vision and the values he held"
Güler Sabancı said: “The Sakıp Sabancı Turkish Studies Center at Columbia University is a great symbol of Sakıp Sabancı’s vision and the values he held.” Güler Sabancı added that the Turkish Studies Center was especially meaningful when considering Sakıp Sabancı’s dedication to world-class studies in social sciences and working with the best. Sabancı said, “We are confident that Sakıp Sabancı’s memory will live on at Columbia University under a program that accurately reflects his viewpoint."
“We aimed to raise well-educated students, true global citizens liberated of their prejudices and free in mind, thought and conscience"
Güler Sabancı said that while designing Sabancı University together with Sakıp Sabancı, they aimed to raise well-educated students, true global citizens liberated of their prejudices and free in mind, thought and conscience. She said that they always believed such individuals would make a contribution to humanity, science and society while generating value for life. Sabancı added “We are proud that, towards the 20th anniversary of our foundation, Sabancı University represents Turkey on international academic rankings through great achievements. We wanted Sabancı University to be among the best not just in Turkey, but also across the world.”
"Soft power, which is the ability to get what you want through attraction, can come from a country's culture, ideals or policies"
Prof. Joseph S. Nye, Jr. who is one of the leading international relations theorists of the world and a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, awarded as Special Jury Prize due to his distinguished contributions to the 2019 theme, “Future Of Multilateralism In Global Turmoil: Rethinking Security, Economy, Democracy”. He has also served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Chair of the National Intelligence Council under the Clinton Administration.
At the award ceremony, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., in his acceptance speech, said: “When we talk about power, we expect others to do what we want them to do. I thought that it was more important to achieve this by making our idea more attractive, by developing a mutual relationship with others. Most of us do this already. So I named it soft power. Soft power is what one needs to make an effective foreign policy. The art of diplomacy is to get agreements. It is underpinned by the idea to sway the preferences of others rather than using force and sanctions to be influential in world politics. Soft power, which is the ability to get what you want through attraction, rather than coercion or payment, can come from a country's culture, ideals or policies."
Nye continued, “I believe that soft power will play a great role in Turkey's future. It is important that Turkey goes back to the soft power approach, and the use of soft power when planning its future. I think that the culture and universities in Turkey will contribute greatly to the country's soft power. Sabancı University and others make great efforts to preserve academic freedom and intellectual integrity that is why it’s an honor for me to accept this special jury award. These will add to Turkey's soft power in the future and by utilizing its soft power, Turkey can achieve great things and create tremendous impact. I am confident that the future holds great things for Turkey."
Essay Awards to three young social scientists
The three equally-weighted Essay Awards were given to:
- Cosette D. Creamer from University of Minnesota with "Judicial Responsiveness in the World Trade Organization"
- Kerim Can Kavaklı from Bocconi University with "Does the Rise of China Weaken Global Governance? Evidence from the Anti-Trafficking Regime"
- Moria Paz from Georgetown University with "A World of Walls".
More than 390 submissions from 31 countries over 14 years
Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards were established 14 years ago to honor the will of the late Sakıp Sabancı, and are given by Sabancı University and covers the field of history, economy and sociology and art. The award program is led by the Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Istanbul Policy Center. Submissions are reviewed by an international panel of independent jury members. In the last 14 years, Sakıp Sabancı International Research Awards have been given in subjects ranging from Turkey's economy to foreign policy, history, and social dynamics in related to international aspects. More than 390 submissions were received from 31 countries for the 14 award themes given so far.
About Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, and earned a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard. He has served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and a Deputy Under Secretary of State. His most recent books include The Powers to Lead, The Future of Power, and Presidential Leadership and the Creation of the American Era. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the American Academy of Diplomacy. In a recent survey of international relations scholars, he was ranked as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy, and in 2011, Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 Global Thinkers. In 2014, Japan awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun.
For further details: award.sabanciuniv.edu
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