By The Keystone Newspaper KU business professor was on sabbatical, researching sustainable food supply chains
By Allison Vacha
Dr. M. Halim Dalgin, associate professor of business administration, died late July after separating from his group during a climbing trip at Mount Ararat in Turkey.
Photo Credit: University Relations
KU released a statement that read, “While Dr. Dalgin was on sabbatical this past year researching sustainable food supply chains, he had the opportunity to travel widely, which was one of his passions.”
The statement continued, “Dr. Dalgin embraced recent accreditation standards focusing on societal impact, which he included in his economics courses and in his research as well; evidence that he continued to explore at the intellectual level, as well as in his life as an outdoorsman.”
Dr. Dalgin graduated from Middle East Technical University, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics. He went on to study at Syracuse University, earning a master’s degree in mathematics and a doctoral degree in economics.
Dr. Dalgin joined KU in 2008 and participated on several of the major committees within the business department.
Anthropology and sociology professor Kim Shively took a similar journey at Mount Ararat recently. “We were guided by a mountain climber who had ascended before and led groups up to Mount Ararat, so he knew the terrain very well,” Shively said.
“People are often very fascinated by this mountain. It’s also the tallest peak in Turkey, right on the border with Iran and Azerbaijan and Armenia” she said.
“Weather patterns are unpredictable at high altitudes,” said Shively, “Dr. Dalgin and his group were coming down from the peak, when they were hit by a sudden storm, which does happen when mountain climbing. So, visibility dropped almost to zero.”
The university community expresses its condolences to Dr. Dalgin’s friends, family and colleagues.