Alumni, faculty, staff, and friends attended a memorial service for AUA founder Dr. Theony Condos on Thursday, June 28, at AUA's Akian Gallery. Theony, who also served as Board Secretary to the AUA Corporation from its inception until about one year ago, passed away on May 16, 2012, after a long illness. President Bruce Boghosian, Interim Provost Armen Der Kiureghian, and Associate Registrar Chaghig Arzrouni offered personal remarks while the Sanctus Vocal Ensemble performed a brief interlude of acapella music. President Boghosian remarked that although "there is a natural tendency for these kinds of events to be sad, because we will all miss Theony very much…I think that it is also appropriate for this event to be, in many ways, a celebration of Theony's life, her accomplishments, her intellect, and her remarkable generosity." And, it was. Arzrouni remembered Dr. Condos as "a role model" and spoke fondly of her "wiseness, calmness, fairness, the justness of her advice and the shine in her eyes."
MA TEFL student Ryan McGohon was selected as the 2012 Balian Award recipient. The announcement came at this year's commencement exercises. Ryan initially came to Armenia from the USA as a Peace Corps volunteer and dedicated two years to teaching English and various other community projects in Shamshadin in the Tavush region. Established in 1995 by Vartkes and Rita Balian, the Balian award recognizes the best overall performance of a first-year student. The award is equivalent to the tuition for the recipient's second year of study.
20 years of Advancement was the fitting theme as AUA celebrated its 20th graduation and commencement ceremonies on June 23. The Class of 2012 added 170 graduates, bringing the total number of alumni to 2,300. Commencement addresses were delivered by Mr. Ralph Yirikian, General Manager, VivaCell-MTS, and Dr. Dennis Leavens, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, United Arab Emirates University. Interim Provost Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, and AUA Trustee, read greetings on behalf of the University of California. And, valedictorians Edita Gzoyan (LL.M.) and Hayk Mamajanyan (LL.M.) spoke on behalf of the Class 2012. The graduation ceremony was followed by the traditional Alumni Dinner, which brought together graduates, faculty and staff to celebrate the Class of 2012.
