On January 31, 2007, TUSIAD-US hosted a roundtable discussion titled, "“The Growth of Civil Society Organizations in Turkey: An Opportunity for Consolidation of Democracy?” with Professor Ustun Erguder. Professor Erguder is the Director of the Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University in Istanbul, and chairman of TUSEV, the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey. The presentation and subsequent discussion focused on the function that civil society organizations are playing in Turkish society, the “Vakif” (“Foundation”) heritage in Turkey, and the issues surrounding legal reforms and implementations of the association law changes recently. Professor Erguder’s remarks also made numerous references to the relationship between civil society and education reform. The audience of representatives from various think tanks and policy organizations raised questions to the professor regarding the European and United States as models for civil society development in Turkey.