From Generation to Generation

With a sustained commitment to giving back, the İnal family has established a range of initiatives at Robert College, from endowments to scholarships, and has most recently established a graduation award, marking a further step in their support across generations.

The İnal family’s relationship with Robert College reflects a continuity of memory, values, and responsibility. Across three generations, Kenan İnal RC 21, Ahmet İnal RC ENG 61, and Oya İnal RC 85, this connection extends beyond a shared education to an enduring bond with the institution that helped shape who they are today.

That connection finds expression in two İnal Family Endowments, a Centennial Scholarship, and the İnal Family Award presented at graduation. Together, these contributions open doors for students to learn, grow, and imagine new possibilities.

Each year, these opportunities take on new life in the students they support. Each path is different, each story unique – yet behind them stands a quiet continuity: a belief that what is received here is meant to be carried forward.

This understanding has shaped the family’s relationship with Robert College over time. For them, this commitment is both collective and deeply personal. Ahmet İnal’s past leadership as RCAAA President reflects a long-standing dedication to the alumni community. Oya İnal, as a Class Agent and member of the RC Community Entrepreneurs Bond Founders Council, continues to strengthen ties between classmates and the school. That sense of engagement traces back to 1921 with Kenan İnal and extends naturally to the fourth generation, with Sinan Gölhan supporting Robert College as a member of the Validators Circle within the same initiative.

These efforts reflect not a single gesture, but a sustained presence, a way of ReConnecting across time. In that continuity lies something enduring: a quiet affirmation of what Robert College makes possible, and of the many ways this legacy continues beyond it.

A Legacy for the Future: RC Alumni Association (RKMD) Launches Its First Endowed Scholarship Fund

On the 162nd anniversary of Robert College, the Robert College Alumni Association (RKMD) marked a historic milestone with the establishment of its first-ever endowed scholarship fund—an initiative designed to provide lasting, sustainable support for students.

Named the “Robert College Alumni Association Endowed Scholarship Fund 1,” the fund represents a significant step forward in strengthening the tradition of alumni giving and institutional continuity. It is also a tangible reflection of the Association’s long-standing mission: to support Robert College and foster solidarity among its graduates.

The creation of the fund, accompanied by an initial financial contribution already transferred to the school, underscores the Association’s commitment to future generations of students. Designed as a perpetual source of support, the fund will provide ongoing educational opportunities for students in need—ensuring that the values and standards of Robert College continue to thrive.

Beyond its financial impact, the initiative carries symbolic weight. It represents the continuation of a culture deeply rooted in the Robert College experience: generosity, responsibility, and a shared sense of stewardship. By institutionalizing alumni support through an endowment model, RKMD is helping secure a more resilient future for the school.

The Association also emphasized that this milestone is a collective achievement—made possible by the trust and support of its members. In a message accompanying the announcement, the Board of Directors expressed gratitude to alumni who have contributed to strengthening the organization and sustaining its mission.

Looking ahead, RKMD is calling on the broader alumni community to build on this momentum. The Association encourages graduates to come together under its 68-year legacy and support the creation of additional endowment funds, expanding the long-term impact on students and the institution.

As the initiative demonstrates, the power to shape the future of Robert College lies not only in its classrooms, but also in the enduring connection of its alumni community.

A Growing Community of RC Entrepreneurs

A new initiative, the RC Community Entrepreneurs Bond (RCCEB), is already generating strong momentum across our community. Introduced and led by Hüseyin Tığlı RA 71, it has sparked significant interest among alumni founders, innovators, and investors, particularly during recent gatherings on both the West and East Coast.

At its core, the idea is simple yet powerful: the RCCEB invites alumni entrepreneurs to give back not only financially, but also through their time, experience, and creativity. It is shaped as a pledge of intent – a promise to support Robert College when the time feels right, and in ways that feel authentic to each individual’s journey.

This collective approach can make a tangible difference. One entrepreneurial success story has the potential to fund scholarships, strengthen the endowment, or sustain programs that meaningfully shape students’ lives.

The initiative has now taken its first concrete steps, marked by energy, curiosity, and a strong sense of ownership from the alumni community. In January 2026, three Zoom meetings brought together alumni and friends from different geographies, generations, sectors, and stages of experience. What stood out was not only the level of participation, but the quality of engagement: participants listened closely, challenged ideas thoughtfully, shared openly, and remained actively invested in the conversation.

The RCCEB is built on a clear premise: a bond to a community shaped by innovation and entrepreneurship; a bond to an ecosystem designed to amplify entrepreneurial impact; and a shared commitment to staying connected with Robert College in ways that feel genuine, timely, and sustainable.

Based on this collective input, several concrete steps have been taken, including the formation of the Founders Council and the Validators Circle, with further initiatives underway. The community is now working to expand its dedicated communications platform for members, alongside the development of a new website to support ongoing exchange and collaboration.

As the project continues to grow, the door remains open. Alumni and friends who wish to learn more or explore membership are warmly invited to contact the RCCEB Team at admin@rcceb.org

Korkut Bardakçı RC ENG 57 Leaves Behind a Legacy of Mind, Character, and Belonging

Robert College has received a significant bequest from the Professor Korkut and Ruth Bardakçı Living Trust – one that will change the lives of many for generations to come and that reflects not only extraordinary generosity, but also a lifelong bond shaped by gratitude, intellectual discipline, and a deep sense of belonging.

Bardakçı, who passed away on March 16, 2024, in Oakland, California, was a distinguished physicist whose life and work exemplified the values Robert College seeks to instill.

After graduating from RC, he earned his PhD from the University of Rochester in 1962, pursued postdoctoral appointments at the University of Minnesota and the Institute for Advanced Study, and joined the UC Berkeley Physics Department in 1966. Over the course of his career, he became a Sloan and Guggenheim Fellow, held visiting fellowships at Cambridge, and published more than 80 influential works in quantum chromodynamics and string theory.

Yet beyond his international standing, those who knew him remember a man of quiet wit, deep curiosity, and an unmistakable RC spirit. His yearbook captured these qualities perfectly, recalling him mid-problem, half-murmuring to himself: “Azizim bu öyle basit değil… Hele şu demaraj bobinindeki gerilim düşünümünü hesaplayayım da…” (“My dear it is not as simple as that... let me first calculate the voltage drop in that starter coil.”) Indeed the habits of mind he carried throughout his life – precision, curiosity, and humility – were already visible during his years at Robert College.

For all his international recognition, Robert College remained central to who Bardakçı was. Together with his beloved wife Ruth Bardakçı, who passed away six years before him, he made a decision that spoke volumes about loyalty and gratitude. In 2001, they designated Robert College as a beneficiary of their estate, ultimately leaving one third of it to the school that had shaped his earliest intellectual foundations.

This bequest cannot be separated from the life that preceded it: a life of depth, intellectual rigor, and integrity, for which Robert College was a formative force.

Korkut Bardakçı RC ENG 57’s legacy lives on where it began: at Robert College, remembered with respect, affection, and enduring pride, especially by those many RC students whose lives this legacy will impact profoundly.