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Mary Papazian inaugurated as Southern Connecticut State University president
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-10-05-mary-papazian-inaugurated-as-southern-connecticut-state-university-president-
Published: Friday October 05, 2012
Papazian receives the president's medal from Michael Meotti, executive
vice president for the state Board of Regents for Higher Education
(left), and Robert Kennedy, board president.
New Haven, Conn. - Mary A. Papazian will seek to ensure that her
university is a highly significant player in the higher education
landscape of Connecticut and will prepare students for a
knowledge-based economy in the years ahead.
"Public universities like Southern (Connecticut State University) must
lead the way in showing that what we can accomplish here is vitally
important to the future of our society," Papazian said.
"We must make it clear to the public, to the business community, and
to the political establishment that investing in an institution like
Southern is not only an investment in the students who attend the
university, but also by extension, it is an investment in the whole
community and - and this isn't overstating it -- in the very future of
America."
Papazian outlined her vision for SCSU during her inauguration on
September 28, held at the university's Lyman Center for the Performing
Arts. She is the 11th president of the school in its storied 119-year
history. She is the second woman to become president at Southern,
following Cheryl J. Norton, who served from 2004 to 2010. She is also
believed to be the first Armenian-American woman to lead a U.S.
university, according to the Armenian Weekly.
Lewis J. Robinson Jr., chairman of the state Board of Regents for
Higher Education, presided over the ceremony and administered the
investiture charge to Papazian. Other speakers included Lt. Gov. Nancy
Wyman, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3), New Haven Mayor John DeStefano
Jr. and Hamden Mayor Scott P. Jackson.
Guests also included the Rev. Khajag Barsamian, archbishop of the
Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and Rouben
Mirzakhanian, rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University in
Yerevan, Armenia.
Papazian, 53, is an accomplished scholar, particularly with regard to
British literature. She has studied and written about John Donne, a
metaphysical English poet from the late 16th and early 17th century.
Among her other interests are Armenian history and culture. She and
her husband, Dennis Papazian, have two daughters, Ani and Marie. They
reside in Woodbridge.
"Together, we will work to ensure that Southern continues to develop
into an outstanding, comprehensive, public university of significant
value to the local community, the state that supports us, and indeed,
our nation at large," Papazian said. "This is a university where we
strive to give the students every opportunity to acquire a first-class
education with a global vision in an enlightened, compassionate,
supportive and diverse environment. And we intend to do more in the
future...Together we will work to make Southern the most successful
university in its class."
She also expressed her desire for Southern to reach out even more to
attract out-of-state and international students. She said not only
does that help the university financially, but it enriches the social
and education experiences of Connecticut students.
Wyman expressed confidence in Papazian's ability to lead the
university, calling her dedicated, hardworking and innovative. "I have
no doubt this is just the beginning of a great era for Southern
Connecticut State University," Wyman said.
She also tipped her hat to her Armenian heritage. "In the United
States, the Armenians form a small, tightly-knit community, primarily
born out of the tragic genocide of the early 20th century in which
three quarters of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire were
annihilated," Papazian said.
"Our roots as Armenians lie in a society and rich culture that span
thousands of years. The King James Bible says that the Ark of Noah
landed on the mountains of Armenia (Genesis 8:4), and I might suppose
that in one sense all of us are Armenian. Because of our shared past,
we all of Armenian ancestry have common interests and a strong
connection to each other."
From: A. Papazian
http://www.reporter.am/go/article/2012-10-05-mary-papazian-inaugurated-as-southern-connecticut-state-university-president-
Published: Friday October 05, 2012
Papazian receives the president's medal from Michael Meotti, executive
vice president for the state Board of Regents for Higher Education
(left), and Robert Kennedy, board president.
New Haven, Conn. - Mary A. Papazian will seek to ensure that her
university is a highly significant player in the higher education
landscape of Connecticut and will prepare students for a
knowledge-based economy in the years ahead.
"Public universities like Southern (Connecticut State University) must
lead the way in showing that what we can accomplish here is vitally
important to the future of our society," Papazian said.
"We must make it clear to the public, to the business community, and
to the political establishment that investing in an institution like
Southern is not only an investment in the students who attend the
university, but also by extension, it is an investment in the whole
community and - and this isn't overstating it -- in the very future of
America."
Papazian outlined her vision for SCSU during her inauguration on
September 28, held at the university's Lyman Center for the Performing
Arts. She is the 11th president of the school in its storied 119-year
history. She is the second woman to become president at Southern,
following Cheryl J. Norton, who served from 2004 to 2010. She is also
believed to be the first Armenian-American woman to lead a U.S.
university, according to the Armenian Weekly.
Lewis J. Robinson Jr., chairman of the state Board of Regents for
Higher Education, presided over the ceremony and administered the
investiture charge to Papazian. Other speakers included Lt. Gov. Nancy
Wyman, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3), New Haven Mayor John DeStefano
Jr. and Hamden Mayor Scott P. Jackson.
Guests also included the Rev. Khajag Barsamian, archbishop of the
Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and Rouben
Mirzakhanian, rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University in
Yerevan, Armenia.
Papazian, 53, is an accomplished scholar, particularly with regard to
British literature. She has studied and written about John Donne, a
metaphysical English poet from the late 16th and early 17th century.
Among her other interests are Armenian history and culture. She and
her husband, Dennis Papazian, have two daughters, Ani and Marie. They
reside in Woodbridge.
"Together, we will work to ensure that Southern continues to develop
into an outstanding, comprehensive, public university of significant
value to the local community, the state that supports us, and indeed,
our nation at large," Papazian said. "This is a university where we
strive to give the students every opportunity to acquire a first-class
education with a global vision in an enlightened, compassionate,
supportive and diverse environment. And we intend to do more in the
future...Together we will work to make Southern the most successful
university in its class."
She also expressed her desire for Southern to reach out even more to
attract out-of-state and international students. She said not only
does that help the university financially, but it enriches the social
and education experiences of Connecticut students.
Wyman expressed confidence in Papazian's ability to lead the
university, calling her dedicated, hardworking and innovative. "I have
no doubt this is just the beginning of a great era for Southern
Connecticut State University," Wyman said.
She also tipped her hat to her Armenian heritage. "In the United
States, the Armenians form a small, tightly-knit community, primarily
born out of the tragic genocide of the early 20th century in which
three quarters of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire were
annihilated," Papazian said.
"Our roots as Armenians lie in a society and rich culture that span
thousands of years. The King James Bible says that the Ark of Noah
landed on the mountains of Armenia (Genesis 8:4), and I might suppose
that in one sense all of us are Armenian. Because of our shared past,
we all of Armenian ancestry have common interests and a strong
connection to each other."
From: A. Papazian