Dear Turkish American community:
Join us for an engaging webinar on the current state of Turkish Language Institutes in the United States on Sunday, July 20 at 1pm ET.
This important discussion will highlight the status of Turkish language programs, the challenges they face—particularly in the wake of education department closures—and explore potential strategies for revitalization and sustainability.
Whether you’re an educator, student, community leader, or advocate for language and cultural preservation, your voice matters in shaping the future of these programs.
Looking forward to see you at the webinar!
Challenges Confronting Turkish Studies Programs:
Impacts and Proactive Solutions
Sunday, July 20, 2025, 1pm ET
Register via https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_g1u1jBr7QKqd9gl8aWh_SQ
or scan QR code below.
Guest Speakers
Prof. Slyvia Wing Önder
Head of Turkish Program
Georgetown University
Saadet Ebru Ergül
President
American Association of Teachers of Turkish Languages
Feride Hatiboğlu
Coordinator
Turkish Language Program, University of Pennsylvania
Moderator
Nilüfer Esen-Bilgin
Past President, ATAA
Biographies
Slyvia Wing Önder , Ph.D. has taught Turkish Language and Culture at Georgetown University since 1998, where she developed Turkish language courses from beginning to advanced levels. Her research focuses on Turkish TV, music videos, disability studies, and childbirth practices. She is active in Medical Humanities and Disability Studies groups and serves as Coordinator of Small Program Languages, supporting faculty in ten languages. Dr. Önder has directed State Department and Fulbright-Hays programs and currently leads the ARIT Summer Fellowships for Advanced Turkish at Boğaziçi University.
Feride Hatiboğlu is a lecturer teaching Turkish and Ottoman language and culture courses under the Middle Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Turkish Culture and Cinema under Penn Language Center at the University of Pennsylvania since 2005. She served as the President of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT) and Immediate Past President of National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages. She is a member of the American Research Institute in Turkey and American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Saadet Ebru Ergül , M.A. serves as the Special Language Program Coordinator at Stanford University Language Center where more than 25 LCTL (Less Commonly Taught Languages) are offered. Besides her administrative work, she also teaches both graduate and undergraduate Turkish courses in various levels. Ms. Ergul is a writing proficiency rater (WPT) and oral proficiency tester (OPI) for the Turkish Language and takes part in various academic, non-academic projects as a Turkish language expert. Her research interests include oral proficiency assessment, teaching Turkish through interculturality and social justice, curriculum development, and national language standards for Turkish. She is also the co-author of advanced level Turkish language textbook ‘KonuşanParagraflar’. Currently, she is serving as the president of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT) and an active member of NCOLCTL (National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages).