GRADUATES
IN T H E NEWS
Kenan Şahin, RA 60, Honored
For Contributions to US
E
ducator, e n t r e p r e n e u r and business leader Kenan E. Şahin, RA 6 0 , was honored by the International Institute of Boston
recently as the recipient of its 2 0 0 6 Golden Door Award for his " o u t s t a n d i n g contribution to A m e r i c a n s o c i e t y " . Dr. Şahin
is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of TIAX L L C , a leading collaborative product and technology development firm that
accelerates innovation to help clients achieve growth and create an impact in the market—and in people's lives. TIAX was
f o r m e d in April 2 0 0 2 from the Technology and Innovation business of A r t h u r D. Little, Inc. and continues to operate at A c o r n
Park in C a m b r i d g e , Mass., with over 50 laboratories and more than 2 0 0 engineers and scientists.
Interviewed for a c o m m e m o r a t i v e film s h o w n at the Golden Door award c e r e m o n y this year, Şahin s u m s up his life
lessons. " E v e r y t h i n g is possible", he learned at MIT. He urges the audience to " L e a d a life of inquiry" . Referring to his own
father who was a great story teller, he stresses the importance of good c o m m u n i c a t i o n , a skill that requires empathy with
others.
Şahin first went to the US as a student in 1961 to attend MIT, with just $ 5 0 in his pocket. He worked on developing and
patenting a format which would anticipate the Internet, allowing c o m p u t e r s to c o m m u n i c a t e with each other. He
s u b s e q u e n t l y carved out an extraordinary career in technology d e v e l o p m e n t . In 1999, he sold his c o m p a n y Kenan S y s t e m s to
Lucent Technologies and b e c a m e vice-president at Bell Laboratories, its software division. In 2 0 0 3 , he was c h o s e n one of 40
worldwide technological pioneers by the World E c o n o m i c F o r u m .
The first Golden Door Award event was held in 1971 and has since b e c o m e a unique tradition to honor a U.S. citizen of
foreign birth who has made an outstanding contribution to A m e r i c a n society.
Şahin has been an RC Trustee since 1999. He lives in Boston with his wife A n d r e a .
Boğaziçi Educator Honored
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n honor of his 50 years of service, Vedat Yerlici RC Eng 51, a long-time professor of
engineering and senior administrator at Boğaziçi University, was singled out for his
contributions to the s c h o o l by having a conference hall dedicated to his name.
Vedat Yerlici graduated from RC Eng in 1951 and began teaching at the s c h o o l in
February 1956. In his 50 years of service, he played a key role both as an e d u c a t o r and
an administrator during m o m e n t o u s c h a n g e s , including the transition from Robert
College to Boğaziçi University.
In 1969, Prof. Yerlici b e c a m e the first Turkish dean of Robert College Engineering
S c h o o l , a position he held until 1982. Under his leadership, the s c h o o l expanded its
undergraduate and graduate programs and introduced two new d e p a r t m e n t s , Industrial
Engineering and Nuclear E n g i n e e r i n g . Prof Yerlici also contributed to the founding of
the S e i s m i c E n g i n e e r i n g Research Institute, The Environmental Engineering Research
Institute and the B i o m e d i c a l Engineering Research Institute at B U .
A well-loved teacher in the C o n s t r u c t i o n Engineering department, Prof. Yerlici was
an inspiration to many students over his 5 0 - y e a r teaching career. In the 1 9 6 8 - 6 9
a c a d e m i c years, he was nominated by students for the M c N e a l Award for 'Best
P r o f e s s o r ' .
The Vedat Yerlici C o n f e r e n c e Hall was officially dedicated on J u n e 27, 2 0 0 6 , at a
c e r e m o n y c o m m e m o r a t i n g Prof. Yerlici's 50 years of service, led by BU rector Prof.
Ayşe S o y s a l , A C G 67. The building on the main BU c a m p u s includes several seminar
r o o m s and two conference halls and hosts graduate s e m i n a r s and scientific conferences.
Vedat Yerlici RC Eng 51
Burhan Karaçam RA 68
Leading Turkish
Banker Karaçam
Publishes Yapı
Kredi Memoirs
M
any a Turkish journalist has d e s c r i b e d Burhan
Karaçam RA 68 as the prince of Turkey's
banking sector. Karaçam is probably best known for
his 12-year tenure at the helm of Yapı Kredi, one of
Turkey's largest banks. The period was an eventful
one in the bank's life, c o m i n g as it did in the midst of
1980s e c o n o m i c expansion, and then continuing
through the entry of its o w n e r Çukurova into mobile
phone c o m p a n y Turkcell - a move that would have
profound impact on the bank's position.
Karaçam has collected his impressions of this
fascinating period in Orası Yapı Kredi Fark Oradaydı
(That Was Yapı Kredi, That Was the Difference),
published by Yapı Kredi Yayınları. In his foreword,
Karaçam explains that he wrote the book because he
wanted "to leave a r e c o r d " . He gives his readers
access to the ins and outs of one of Turkey's most
successful banking stories, charting both its
successes and failures.
Burhan Karaçam describes his tenure as general
manager as follows: "In the 12 years that I was
general m a n a g e r (from 1987-1999) Yapı Kredi grew
organically and was always first in the sector in
many respects....During this period, because the
bank was unable to s t r e n g t h e n its own resources by
cash capital injection, it grew through the resources
created by its human capital."
Karaçam stresses that it was a strong s e n s e of
teamwork that made Yapı Kredi the formidable
institution it is today. He also discusses the bank's
forward-looking policy of investing in the arts and
culture, including setting up a s u c c e s s f u l publishing
arm.
Karaçam's analysis provides valuable insight into
Turkey's banking s e c t o r during a rollercoaster
decade and makes for a fascinating read. It will be as
much of interest to the general reader, as to those
interested in the financial world.
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