Hartford Seminary has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Faith Sultan Mehmet Vakif University Alliance of Civilizations Institute in Istanbul, Turkey. The MOU establishes a collaborative academic relationship between the two institutions.

It says, in part: “Representatives of both institutions, in the course of their mutual discussions, recognized their common interest in developing closer academic and cultural exchanges in the areas of education, research, and other activities. They have agreed hereby to cooperate and work together toward the shared goal of internationalization of higher education.”

To achieve these objectives, the two institutions have agreed to cooperate in areas such as:

• Exchange of faculty
• Exchange of students
• Joint research projects
• Join seminars and conferences
• Exchange of research materials and resources

The agreement will go into effect in October 2015 and last for a period of five years. It was signed by Dr. Recep Senturk, Director of the institute in Istanbul, and Dr. Heidi Hadsell, President of Hartford Seminary.