Turkish academic honored by New York diplomats

A Turkish academic on Monday was honored by a group of top diplomats in New York to mark March 8, International Women's Day.

Tülin Erdem, who chairs the Marketing Department at New York University's Stern School of Business, was among this year's honorees by the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York, founded in 1925, which represents the world's largest consular corps, according to the group.

"Erdem is one of the prides of U.S.-Turkish society, and we have crowned Professor Tülin Erdem with this award," Ertan Yalçın, the group's vice president and Turkey's consul in New York, told Anadolu Agency.

Accepting the honor at a ceremony, Erdem said it is important to be a role model for young people and women.

Erdem also delivered a message for Women's Day: "Don't give up on your dreams. There are more challenges facing women. This is the truth everywhere, not only in Turkey, but in the U.S., too. When I went into academia, I ran into some challenges that aren't faced by men. The important thing is to be able to overcome these challenges and pursue your dreams."

Erden studied economics at İstanbul's Boğaziçi University and earned her master's and doctorate at the University of Alberta in Canada.

Erdem, who has been at Stern since 2006, also served as associate dean for academic affairs and chaired the marketing group at the University of California in Berkeley, California, and as the PhD director at the university's Haas School of business.

Erdem also served as an expert witness at a case with Apple and Samsung, and as a president of the INFORMS Marketing Society (ISMS).