On May 31, 2019, at the historic Middleton Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland, Dr. Bradford Sims, President of Capitol Technology University, signed an MOU with Dr. Mustafa Aydin, President of Istanbul Aydin University. The official signing was held following a meeting with the university presidents, along with Mr. Gunay Evinch, Co-chairman of the Board of the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), and Maryland’s Secretary of State, Mr. John Wobensmith.
The MOU was established to capitalize on areas of mutual benefit between the two universities. The Middleton Tavern has been host to the nation’s founders, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, among other distinguished patrons.
“As a follow-up to the visit of the Maryland delegation to Istanbul, and Istanbul Aydin University in particular, we are delighted to further our collaborations with Maryland universities,” said Dr. Aydin. “As one of the leading universities of Turkey in the fields of cybersecurity and blockchain technology research, we are delighted to sign an MOU with Capitol Technology University to conduct joint summer school, research, conferences, and publications in the following days. We look forward to extending our relations with other Maryland universities and continue to be the proud partner at the Sister State Program between Istanbul and Maryland. We also thank Secretary of State Wobensmith for his support despite his busy schedule,” he added.
The partnership between the universities began in September 2018, when Dr. Sims met Dr. Aydin on a trip to the Republic of Turkey, sponsored by the Turkish American National Steering Committee and Turkish Airlines, where several representatives from Maryland universities came together to discuss opportunities for possible educational collaborations.
“The delegation of Maryland higher education leaders who visited Turkey last September saw that Turkey is a popular destination for thousands of students,” said Mr. Evinch. “It’s a safe and pleasant place for college students, perhaps safer than most American metropolises. The visit reinforced people-to-people diplomacy. And, with regards to Capitol Technology University, the visit resulted in real business in cybersecurity education and training. TASC, in cooperation with the Maryland-Kocaeli Turkey Sister State Committee, will conduct many more visits to explore the complementary industries between Maryland and the Kocaeli Istanbul region,” he added.
Since last year, Capitol and Istanbul Aydin University have been collaborating in the cybersecurity area, a partnership that continues to build. Several weeks ago, Dr. Şamil Erdogan, Director of International Relations at İstanbul Aydin University, and Dr. William Butler, Capitol’s chair of the Department of Cyber and Information Security, presented together at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators National Conference in Washington, D.C. on the importance of protecting private data at universities from cyber-attacks.
“One of our common philosophies is that we both believe in hands-on classes and working closely with industry,” said Dr. Sims. “This is also part of the reason Capitol Tech graduates see such high employment rates upon graduation,” he added.
During the signing ceremony, Dr. Aydin presented a tie to Dr. Sims created by Istanbul Aydin University’s Fashion and Textile Design program.
Istanbul Aydin University is the leading cybersecurity university in the Republic of Turkey. Capitol Technology University was one of the first schools to be designated a National Center of Academic Excellence-Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) in 2003 and has been successfully re-designated two times.
Learn more about Capitol’s undergraduate and graduate programs in cybersecurity.