Dr. Syuzanna Vasilyan, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, recently published “The External Legitimacy of the European Union in the South Caucasus” in the 2011 European Foreign Affairs Review. The article analyzes perceptions about the EU’s image and role by Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian governments, the public, and political parties. Dr.

Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, Visiting Lecturer in Political Science and International Affairs, was recently awarded “The Best Academic Research” in the field of Oriental Studies for the monograph “Islam in the Social and Political Life of Turkey (1970-2001), Yerevan, 2008, 249 p.” The awarded was granted by the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, the Union of Armenians of Russia and the World Armenian Congress.

On Saturday October 15, 2011, AUA expanded its offerings to the community at-large by launching the AUA Extension’s Cisco Networking Academy Learning Center in Gyumri. The Center is located at the Gyumri offices of the Turpanjian Rural Development Program (TRDP). The Los Angeles-based Focus on Children Now (FCN) provided the necessary Cisco hardware for the trainings. And, AUA Extension provides free Cisco CCNA (Certified Network Associate Routing & Switching) training to young professionals in the Shirak region. This new collaboration adds to the diversity of offerings through AUA Extension which plans, designs, develops and delivers courses to diverse sectors of government, academia, and private organizations and individuals to fulfill professional, personal and/or career goals through flexible and innovative adult and continuing education training programs.

AUA library staff and community members welcomed Bibliobus (library on wheels) to campus on Friday, October 29, as part of the celebration of UN Day in Yerevan. The UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI) and the National Library of Armenia organized Bibliobus visits to several universities offering students and community members the unique opportunity to peruse UN materials on subjects such as children and their rights, women and their rights, human rights, development, industrial and economic issues, environmental and labor.

This fall the Law Department launched a seminar series exploring issues of public concern in Armenia. The Tuesday night series organized by Assistant Professor Armen Mazmanyan and hosted by the Law Department’s Legal Resource Center is free and open to experts, practitioners, and academics from law, government and related disciplines. Topics this fall have thus far included Armenia’s Position along the Trajectory Toward Greater Transparency and Rule of Law, How to Have a (Liberal) Constitutional Democracy, and What do Human Rights Mean to Us. The series attracted broad attendance and will continue throughout November.

Rethinking Values, Norms and Institutions in Armenia

Alen Amirkhanian, Lecturer at the College of Engineering, and Dr. Karen Aghababyan, Director of the Agopian Center for the Environment participated in the SunChild Environmental Conference held during the 3rd International SunChild Festival in Yerevan October 14-18, 2011.  Amirkhanian led a workshop on waste reduction, recycling, and reuse. He covered cradle-to-cradle design, zero-waste contracting and supplier management, effective waste sorting, construction waste reduction, and treatments of organic and technical waste. Aghababyan presented on education and research in the field of sustainable management of biodiversity and conducted a workshop examining the benefits of rich biodiversity and constant monitoring to local communities and countries. Aghababyan also demonstrated approaches and methods used to reveal species and indicators of environmental conditions in various ecosystems.
In addition to the presentations, the College of Engineering hosted a series of environmental films at AUA during the Festival.

This fall the Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR) organized two events to promote tobacco control in Armenia. As a founding member of the Coalition for Tobacco Free Armenia and in cooperation with the Boghossian Gardens, CHSR participated in National No Tobacco Day on October 12 by organizing an interactive educational session during which students of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program talked with primary school children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the hazards of tobacco smoke.  While MPH students talked with children, CHSR staff distributed informational leaflets on the health hazards of smoking and secondhand smoke to visitors at Lovers’ Park where the event was held.  CHSR also organized an antismoking exhibition in the National Assembly (NA) on October 24. The Speaker of the NA Hovik Abrahamyan and the Chair of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care, Maternity and Childhood Ara Babloyan opened the event.

11 October 2011

The 4th annual ArmTech’11 Congresswas held October 10-11, 2011 under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Armenia.  The Congress aims to attract high-tech industry professionals and interested parties to gather together to boost communication and cooperation among Armenian high-tech executives worldwide.  Two AUA leaders were invited to speak at this year’s Congress.  President Bruce Boghosian’s presentation about the future of AUA was given by Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Aram Hajian.  In addition, Dr. Ken Touryan presented the concept behind Armenia’s renewal energy roadmap.  At the closing Gala Dinner of the Congress, two longtime AUA leaders were bestowed medals for their contribution to the university as well as for their participation in all four ArmTech Congresses to date.  Dr. Touryan, who recently retired from the positions of VP of Research & Development and Director of the Engineering Research Center (ERC), and Dr. Artak Hambarian, Associate Director of the ERC, were awarded the ArmTech Medal and are pictured below.

From left to right: Rich Goldman (Synopsys), Ken Touryan (AUA), Tigran Davtyan (Minister of Economy, RoA), Tony Moroyan (Viasphere Technopark).

From left to right: Rich Goldman (Synopsys), Artak Hambarian (AUA), Tigran Davtyan (Minister of Economy, RoA), Tony Moroyan (Viasphere Technopark).

21 October 2011 

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the American University of Armenia (AUA), the Synopsys Corporation hosted a very special evening in Sunnyvale, California, bringing together AUA’s leadership and many of the dedicated supporters who have helped AUA to flourish. The event highlighted the role of higher education and technology in securing Armenia’s future. It was a very informative and enjoyable evening that witnessed the exchange of many valuable ideas. The attendees had the opportunity to meet the AUA President, members of its Board of Trustees and other officials from AUA and Synopsys.

Bruce Janigian, AUA Vice President of Development and Government Relations, opened the evening with a heartfelt introduction: “Tonight you will join with the American University of Armenia, a dream which became reality 20 years ago and which is now helping the youth of Armenia to achieve its dreams. Tonight you are standing on the bridge to the future of Armenia”. He emphasized that AUA is helping a new nation to realize a future of progress and achievement that extends all the way to the Silicon Valley, where the intellect and enterprise of young Armenians is helping to design the future of information technology and helping to power the economic future upon which the entire world depends.

Synopsys CEO, Art de Geus, welcomed all the guests, and used the opportunity to highlight his company’s important business relationship with Armenia and the vital access to qualified professionals that the AUA produces.  He noted that being technically strong is not enough.  For a corporation like Synopsys, which employs 550 scientists and engineers in Armenia, the Western-style management skills provided by AUA are essential to its workforce and future.

Dr. Judson King, the Chair of the Board of the American University of Armenia Corporation, former Provost and Senior Vice President of the University of California Office of the President, and currently the Director of UC’s Center for Studies in Higher Education, introduced the Trustees to the guests and highlighted the importance of the relationship between UC and AUA. 

AUA’s President, Dr. Bruce Boghosian, spoke about AUA’s accomplishments, its recent growth and future development. “Looking to the future, AUA is proposing to expand its impact by adding an undergraduate program, with approximately 300 students in each year of a four-year program, beginning in September of 2013 and graduating our first class in June of 2017. At that point, we will have 1200 undergraduate students, along with 400 graduate students, for a total student body of 1600 — four times our current size”, said Dr. Boghosian.

In turn, Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, Founding Dean and currently Interim Provost and Trustee, shared the perspectives of a founder and remarked that the university is a purposeful and mature institution moving ahead with major substantive growth and expansion. 
AUA Trustee, AGBU Central Board Member, and Chief Architect of Synopsys, Yervant Zorian, put AUA into the context of global education for Armenian communities around the world.

The direct participation of AUA’s Dean of the College of Engineering, Dr. Aram Hajian, and Associate Dean of the Department of English Programs, Dr. Catherine Buon, along with highly accomplished graduates and students from the campus via videoconferencing, made the evening very unique.

The event was enriched with the presentation of an Armenian cultural program. The Mazmanian Family quartet performed a series of Armenian musical pieces, followed by the graceful performance of the Bay Area “Arax” dance group. The evening was closed with the “Erebouni Yerevan” song and the warm applause of the grateful audience, who left the reception with eagerness to learn more about AUA and its ongoing and future successes, as well as the remarkable job that the university does to shape the future of Armenia’s youth.

Click on images to enlarge

Posters with AUA pictures from 1991-2011	Synopsys CEO Art de Geus welcoming the guests at Synopsys	AUA Alumni being introduced to the guests
AUA’s Bruce Janigian welcoming campus participants via videoconference (seated L-R: BOT Chair C. Judson King; President Bruce Boghosian; Provost Armen Der Kiureghian;  Trustee and Chief Architect of Synopsys Yervant Zorian)	Provost Armen Der Kiureghian introducing videoconference participants	Dean Aram Hajian, Associate Dean Catherine Buon and AUA students and alumni participating video videoconference
Armen Der Kiureghian, AUA Founding Trustee and interim Provost	Bruce Janigian, AUA VP of Development and Government Relations	Gaiane Khachatrian, AUA Recruitment, Personnel and Public Relations Manager
	The Mazmanian Family performing Armenian musical pieces