Staff Report The President’s Armenian Leadership Council of Fresno State held its inaugural meeting at 7:30AM on Thursday, March 2, 2017 at the Smittcamp Alumni House on the Fresno State campus. Fresno State President Dr. Joseph I. Castro welcomed the Leadership Council members to the breakfast meeting and emphasized the significance of the Council and its future activities. The purpose ...

Michael Rettig Editor On Monday, January 23, Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian delivered a presentation on Armenian culture to the United States Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service in Parlier. This talk was a part of the USDA-ARS’s effort to educate its employees on the Valley’s diverse cultures by holding four presentations a year with speakers from various ...

Marine Vardanyan Staff Writer The Annual Armenian Studies Program Banquet is a much-anticipated event, held every Spring to recognize the accomplishments of the Program and its students. This year, the Banquet will also celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Armenian Studies Program. Dr. Mary Papazian, President of San Jose State University is the featured guest speaker at the Banquet. A ...

Anto Sakayan Staff Writer Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Coordinator of Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program, was interviewed on KFCF (88.1 FM) radio’s “Valley Views on the Law” on January 5, 2017. The interview, conducted by Justin Atkinson, Academic Dean of the San Joaquin College of Law and Jeffrey G. Purvis, Professor of Constitutional Law, addressed the importance of teaching about ...

Staff Report Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that the Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation Endowed Scholarship was established with a $50,000 gift to Fresno State on January 25, 2017. Thomas A. Kooyumjian passed away in 1985 and his Foundation was established in 1987. The goals of the Foundation are to encourage education, with an emphasis on ...

Diana Gasparyan Staff Writer The Concert Hall at Fresno State was graced by the performance of master cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan on Sunday, January 29. His skill and artistry left the audience in admiration as he played beautiful pieces by composers Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and Harutyunyan. Since winning the Gold Medal in Cello at the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, Hakhnazaryan ...

Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Prof. Sergio La Porta, and the Armenian Studies Program would like to thank the donors, authors, and publishers for the following books, periodicals, videos, and archival gifts, either offered personally, or to the Program.   Donna and Hagop Didizian, London, England, for a copy of Khatchkar, by Hrair Hawk Khatcherian, in English, French and Armenian, 515pp. ...

Michael Rettig Editor Reconstructing historic life in the Ottoman Empire has been difficult for the Armenian people because of the cataclysmic rupture the Genocide engendered between the Armenians and their past. Birth records were destroyed, churches burned, and populations eradicated. This has made it increasingly important for Armenians to utilize the remaining fragments of their past to piece together their ...

Michael Rettig Editor The Ottoman Empire of the 20th century was a complex region; home to a variety of ethnic and religious groups. However, the multifaceted demography of the Empire did not warrant the terminology imposed upon it by European powers. On Friday, February 3, Dr. Laura Robson (Portland State University) delivered a timely presentation on “War, Peace, and the ...

Elina Karapetyan Staff Writer The Armenian people have traveled a long and difficult path throughout history. They have persisted as a people in spite of devastating circumstances and even Genocide. This nationality was founded upon resilience, strength, courage, loyalty and honor. These noble characteristics of the Armenian people are inevitably represented in art. On Tuesday, February 7, Dr. Levon Chookaszian, ...