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American University of Armenia: A Groundbreaking Year in Review
http://asbarez.com/117909/american-university-of-armenia-a-groundbreaking-year-in-review/
Tuesday, December 31st, 2013
The AUA's Avedisian building
For the American University of Armenia, 2013 has been an historic year.
When the university was originally founded in 1991, its leaders were
intellectual and geopolitical pioneers, bringing an American education
to the former Soviet Union, where no American-accredited university
had ever gone.
The American University of Armenia was founded through a unique
partnership with the University of California, the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the Armenian General Benevolent Union and
the Armenian government, and accredited through the prestigious
Western Association of Schools and Colleges.*
Since that time, the American University of Armenia has built and
consistently strengthened academic and cultural bridges between the
United States, Armenia and the broader region, fostering a passion for
intellectual freedom and inquiry, and educating graduate students from
across the world.
Now, the American University of Armenia has broken new ground once again.
AUA students at a lecture hall
Expanding the Scope of a Global Education
This fall, the American University of Armenia has matriculated its
first ever undergraduate class, marking another monumental step
forward for the university and the intellectual discourse between the
United States, Armenia and the culturally diverse region that
surrounds it.
This new undergraduate program will drastically expand the American
University of Armenia's educational scope, allowing the university to
reach an even broader group of ambitious scholars.
University leaders say that the new program will help them instill a
new generation of young people with practical lifelong learning skills
and the knowledge necessary to think critically and creatively about
the challenges of tomorrow's changing world.
`There are more students in our halls and classrooms than ever
before,' said Dr. Bruce M. Boghosian, president of the American
University of Armenia. `This will help us better fulfill our mission,
which is to address the needs of Armenia and the surrounding region
for sustainable development. We want to create an educational setting
that values and develops academic excellence, free inquiry, integrity,
scholarship, leadership and service to society.'
The program will also enhance the university's efforts to connect
young minds from all over the world, and empower them to become the
next generation of leaders in Armenia.
Boghosian says that, after so much hard work by so many university
stakeholders to establish the undergraduate program, watching the
program come to fruition has been hugely rewarding.
`Seeing these young undergraduate students exploring the campus and
attending classes for the first time has been a profoundly moving
experience for all of us,' Boghosian said. `We always strive to
enhance intellectual and cultural bonds between students and faculty
from across the world. We are proud to see that happening on our
campus every day, and we know that our new undergraduate program will
help us make our educational experience even stronger.'
AUA students in a classroom
Bringing Change to Communities Across the Region
The matriculation of its first undergraduate class isn't the only
progress the university has made this year. The American University of
Armenia has continued to engage actively in philanthropic efforts that
provide underserved students access to educational resources; empower
entrepreneurs to start businesses and create jobs; help to protect
endangered regional wildlife habitats; and contribute to many other
critical efforts across the region.
The Turpanjian Rural Development Program hosted by the university, for
example, encourages economic development in rural areas of Armenia by
providing entrepreneurs education, access to funding and support to
start businesses and create jobs. So far, the program has helped 250
entrepreneurs actively operate businesses and contributed to the
creation of more than 500 jobs.
Another of the university's programs provides tuition-free college
preparation and career development courses for Syrian-Armenians whose
access to educational resources has been substantially hindered by the
ongoing crisis in Syria.
In addition, the American University of Armenia's Acopian Center for
the Environment fosters a strong commitment to environmental
protection in Armenia by working to strengthen crucial wildlife
habitats, educating students about biodiversity and collaborating on
conservation initiatives with environmental groups across the region.
A Tradition of Excellence in Graduate Education
The university also continues to provide the top-notch graduate
programs that have made it a unique institution in Armenia for the
last 20 years. Specifically, the university offers programs across a
wide array of academic fields, including in Business and Economics,
Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Public Health
and the Environment.
But most importantly, whether in the context of its new undergraduate
program, its elite graduate courses or its critical philanthropic
work, the American University of Armenia continues to provide a
nurturing environment for a global community of students to learn and
grow.
`Every day when you go out, you're just surrounded by these youthful
people, part of the change in this country,' said Lilit Markosian, an
undergraduate student from California. `I just feel really lucky I get
to witness that.'
The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent
university located in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded in 1991, AUA is
affiliated with the University of California. Through teaching,
research, and public service, AUA serves Armenia and the region by
supplying high-quality, graduate and undergraduate education,
encouraging civic engagement, and promoting democratic values.
*The American University of Armenia is accredited by the Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100,
Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.
http://asbarez.com/117909/american-university-of-armenia-a-groundbreaking-year-in-review/
Tuesday, December 31st, 2013
The AUA's Avedisian building
For the American University of Armenia, 2013 has been an historic year.
When the university was originally founded in 1991, its leaders were
intellectual and geopolitical pioneers, bringing an American education
to the former Soviet Union, where no American-accredited university
had ever gone.
The American University of Armenia was founded through a unique
partnership with the University of California, the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the Armenian General Benevolent Union and
the Armenian government, and accredited through the prestigious
Western Association of Schools and Colleges.*
Since that time, the American University of Armenia has built and
consistently strengthened academic and cultural bridges between the
United States, Armenia and the broader region, fostering a passion for
intellectual freedom and inquiry, and educating graduate students from
across the world.
Now, the American University of Armenia has broken new ground once again.
AUA students at a lecture hall
Expanding the Scope of a Global Education
This fall, the American University of Armenia has matriculated its
first ever undergraduate class, marking another monumental step
forward for the university and the intellectual discourse between the
United States, Armenia and the culturally diverse region that
surrounds it.
This new undergraduate program will drastically expand the American
University of Armenia's educational scope, allowing the university to
reach an even broader group of ambitious scholars.
University leaders say that the new program will help them instill a
new generation of young people with practical lifelong learning skills
and the knowledge necessary to think critically and creatively about
the challenges of tomorrow's changing world.
`There are more students in our halls and classrooms than ever
before,' said Dr. Bruce M. Boghosian, president of the American
University of Armenia. `This will help us better fulfill our mission,
which is to address the needs of Armenia and the surrounding region
for sustainable development. We want to create an educational setting
that values and develops academic excellence, free inquiry, integrity,
scholarship, leadership and service to society.'
The program will also enhance the university's efforts to connect
young minds from all over the world, and empower them to become the
next generation of leaders in Armenia.
Boghosian says that, after so much hard work by so many university
stakeholders to establish the undergraduate program, watching the
program come to fruition has been hugely rewarding.
`Seeing these young undergraduate students exploring the campus and
attending classes for the first time has been a profoundly moving
experience for all of us,' Boghosian said. `We always strive to
enhance intellectual and cultural bonds between students and faculty
from across the world. We are proud to see that happening on our
campus every day, and we know that our new undergraduate program will
help us make our educational experience even stronger.'
AUA students in a classroom
Bringing Change to Communities Across the Region
The matriculation of its first undergraduate class isn't the only
progress the university has made this year. The American University of
Armenia has continued to engage actively in philanthropic efforts that
provide underserved students access to educational resources; empower
entrepreneurs to start businesses and create jobs; help to protect
endangered regional wildlife habitats; and contribute to many other
critical efforts across the region.
The Turpanjian Rural Development Program hosted by the university, for
example, encourages economic development in rural areas of Armenia by
providing entrepreneurs education, access to funding and support to
start businesses and create jobs. So far, the program has helped 250
entrepreneurs actively operate businesses and contributed to the
creation of more than 500 jobs.
Another of the university's programs provides tuition-free college
preparation and career development courses for Syrian-Armenians whose
access to educational resources has been substantially hindered by the
ongoing crisis in Syria.
In addition, the American University of Armenia's Acopian Center for
the Environment fosters a strong commitment to environmental
protection in Armenia by working to strengthen crucial wildlife
habitats, educating students about biodiversity and collaborating on
conservation initiatives with environmental groups across the region.
A Tradition of Excellence in Graduate Education
The university also continues to provide the top-notch graduate
programs that have made it a unique institution in Armenia for the
last 20 years. Specifically, the university offers programs across a
wide array of academic fields, including in Business and Economics,
Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, Public Health
and the Environment.
But most importantly, whether in the context of its new undergraduate
program, its elite graduate courses or its critical philanthropic
work, the American University of Armenia continues to provide a
nurturing environment for a global community of students to learn and
grow.
`Every day when you go out, you're just surrounded by these youthful
people, part of the change in this country,' said Lilit Markosian, an
undergraduate student from California. `I just feel really lucky I get
to witness that.'
The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent
university located in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded in 1991, AUA is
affiliated with the University of California. Through teaching,
research, and public service, AUA serves Armenia and the region by
supplying high-quality, graduate and undergraduate education,
encouraging civic engagement, and promoting democratic values.
*The American University of Armenia is accredited by the Accrediting
Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100,
Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.