Professor Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, Visiting Senior Lecturer in the School of Political Science and International Affairs published, “Republican Origins of Kemalism: The Early Phase of Evolution” in the Winter 2011 issue of International Review of Turkish Studies.

Perouz Taslakian, Director of Admissions, Recruitment and International Student Affairs, and Assistant Research Scientist in the Engineering Research Center, and Anahit Ordyan, Director of Administration, presented at the recent “Girls Can Develop ICT” forum organized by the Ministry of Economy of Republic of Armenia, USAID Enterprise Development and Market Competitiveness Project, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Armenian-Indian Center for Excellence in ICT, mLab ECA, Microsoft Innovation Center Armenia, and American University of Armenia.

The Department of English Programs (DEP) held its first Student Research Conference on June 8, 2012.  The Conference was open to all graduate students in Armenia in the fields of teaching languages and foreign language education.  The event was entirely organized and coordinated by MA TEFL students under the leadership of Meri Nasilyan, 2nd year student in the DEP, with help from a team of current 1st and 2nd year DEP students.  Sixty graduate students from American University of Armenia (AUA), Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, and Yerevan State Linguistic University (after V. Brusov) gave talks and attended presentations on Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, TESOL, TEFL, and TESL.  After this initial success, the DEP hopes to hold this conference on an annual basis every spring.

Prof. Simeon Slovacek	Meri Nasilyan
Manoogian Hall audience	DEP SRC Volunteer Organizers

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, nonsectarian, 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 education in seven different major fields, 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, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001.

On June 4, 2012, the Embassy of the United States in Armenia, Counterpart International, the Embassy of Great Britain in Armenia, OSCE, and the European Union (EU) organized an award ceremony devoted to universal rights in Armenia.

The members of the environmental civil initiative were among the awardees, including Ruzanna Grigoryan (American University of Armenia, Master of Public Health 2007), Apres Zohrabyan, Yeghia Nersesyan, Gor Hakobyan, and Meri Kachatryan. The EU Head of Delegation to Armenia, Traian Hristea, presented the award recognizing that “It is the commitment and perseverance of many civic activists that led to important victories for the environment this year.  With this award, we would like not only to honor their work, but also to promote their future efforts in Armenia.”

Dr. Ruzanna Grigoryan, one of the civil activists receiving the award, is a 2007 Alumna of the Master of Public Health Program (MPH) at the American University of Armenia (AUA). Since 2008 she has been working as a Research Associate/Project Coordinator at the AUA College of Health Sciences. Dr. Grigoryan has been active in civil initiatives as a private citizen.
The US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was present at the ceremony, stated that “the men and women we honor here today have toiled and sacrificed to make human rights a reality for the people of Armenia. Their stories show us that solutions to big problems can start with the actions of one or a few people… Change begins with a group of courageous activists who fight to stop environmental degradation so Armenians can live healthier lives.” Secretary of State Clinton had a separate meeting with the awardees.
Government officials, representatives of diplomatic missions, NGOs, and international organizations and media were present at the ceremony.

Ruzanna Grigoryan, Meri Kachatryan, Gor Hakobyan, Yeghia Nersesyan, and Apres Zohrabyan	Hilary R. Clinton with the award recipients (Photo: U.S. Embassy)

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, nonsectarian, 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 education in seven different major fields, 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, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001.

As part of a week-long trip to Eastern Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus which included one-day in Armenia, United States Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) visited the university on June 1. The Senator toured AUA’s facilities, visited a classroom in progress, and talked with students, faculty and staff about the university’s role in Armenia’s development. The Senator was accompanied to the university by the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John A. Heffern.