Wednesday, January 21, 1998
Department vote too close for comfort
ENDOWMENT Allowing creation of Turkish studies chair would have
proven disastrous for university
How many faculty members would have voted to establish a 20th
century German history chair fully funded by the German government,
knowing the department could only utilize research materials from
German archives and libraries? It’s
The UCLA history department made a good decision when it
declined the Turkish government’s $1 million offer to establish a
Turkish studies chair. However, the fact that the vote, which
hinged on one person’s decision, was so close is alarming.
The Turkish government proposed to endow a Turkish studies chair
on the grounds that the chair "maintain close and cordial relations
with academic circles in Turkey" and "whose published works are
based upon extensive utilization of archives and libraries in
Turkey." These limitations should have immediately and
overwhelmingly spelled the end of such an agreement.
But apparantly, 17 faculty members did not.
The limitations in the agreement raise interesting
questions.