Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals

Dr. Mustafa Dilber is an alumnus of the Carlson School of Management. He earned his doctorate in Management in 1967. When Dr. Dilber was a student at the University he was involved in the Minnesota International Student Association and the Turkish Student Association.

When Dr. Dilber returned to Turkey he became a professor and dean of students at the Robert College in Istanbul, which is now Bogazici University. He is well known for his leadership during one of the most chaotic decades in Turkish history. During that time there were strikes, violent disturbances, and student unrest throughout the country. Thanks in large part to the efforts of Dr. Dilber, Bogazici University never closed, while other universities lost several semesters as a result of boycotts and violence during the seventies. Beyond holding the campus together during turbulent times, Dr. Dilber pioneered financial aid, student discipline, housing policy, and student activities services.

Dr. Dilber helped establish the Master's of Business Administration program not only in Istanbul but in other countries. He pioneered several courses in organization and marketing disciplines in Turkey. He published two books that are landmark publications in Turkish management. He has also collaborated with local and foreign faculty members on various research studies that have been published in international journals. He has taught in the United States, Saudi Arabia, and a dozen colleges and universities in Turkey.

Dr. Dilber is currently a professor at Bogazici University. Throughout his career he has remained extremely fond and appreciative of the University of Minnesota. He assisted in the exchange program between Bogazici University and the University of Minnesota through which several distinguished faculty from Turkey taught courses at the University of Minnesota. One recommender said, "They were all here sharing their cross-cultural views because of Dr. Dilber's initiative efforts at Bogazici University on behalf of the University of Minnesota."

In naming Dr. Dilber as a recipient the Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals, the committee cited his outstanding reputation at Bogazici University. One recommender cited, "To sum up, Dr. Dilber is probably the first name that comes to mind when Bogazici University is mentioned." The selection committee recognized the impact of his leadership at Bogazici University during the political and social upheaval, where he was at the center of Bogazici University's quest to keep its bearings during a very difficult time in modern Turkish history.