Armenian Studies 33rd Annual Banquet Held Virtually May 2

Staff Report

The Armenian Studies Program held its 33rd Annual Banquet on Sunday, May 2. The Banquet was held virtually and a special video to mark the occasion was prepared.
The link is here: https://bit.ly/armenianstudies33rdbanquet

“Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program has a very special place in my heart. I have always said this-that the Armenian Studies sets the gold standard for the field the world over,” stated Fresno State Interim President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval in a video address as part of the Armenian Studies Program 33rd Annual Banquet held on Sunday, May 2.

This year’s Banquet featured a virtual program and a drive-through dinner at Ft. Washington Country Club for more than 200 guests. A special video presentation took the place of the usual in-person Banquet program. Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian hosted the presentation which recognized the lifetime support of the Leon S. Peters Foundation and Dr. Arnold H. and Dianne Gazarian, who have made a significant and long-lasting contribution to the Program and to the University. The Armenian Studies Program expressed its deep appreciation and thanks to the Peters Foundation and to the Gazarians for their years of support.

Prof. Der Mugrdechian then introduced Dr. Sergio La Porta, Interim Associate Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities. “We are so proud of you [scholarship recipients] and your hard work and dedication to Armenian Studies,” affirmed Dr. La Porta. “The Armenian Studies Program has been a shining example of how to adapt to a new environment. Our classes, that serve a wide array of Fresno State students, makes sure that the future leaders of this region are educated in Armenian affairs. Our activities are possible because of you [the community] who support us.”

A retrospective on the Hye Sharzhoom newspaper was then featured, presenting highlights from the more than forty years of the newspaper.

Armenian Studies Program Lecturer Dr. Hagop Ohanessian introduced Dr. Honora Chapman, Interim Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities. Dr. Chapman offered a congratulatory message to the student recipients of Armenian Studies scholarships. She then thanked the community members who have supported the Program for many decades. She also expressed her appreciation to the faculty of the Armenian Studies Program for their ability to connect with the students and the community.

Forty-seven students were awarded more than $67,000 in scholarship in the 2020-2021 academic year and photos of each of the recipients were shown along with the scholarship fund from which they had been awarded.

Each year, graduating seniors with a Minor in Armenian Studies are asked to speak at the Banquet. This year Dikran Dzhezyan, Garo Minasian, and Dustin Vartanian spoke about their experiences in the Armenian Studies Program and expressed how the Program had impacted their careers at Fresno State.

Prof. Der Mugrdechian then introduced the keynote speaker, Fresno State Interim President Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, who for more than twenty years has been a professor, department chair, Dean, and Provost at Fresno State, before being named as Interim President in January of 2021.

“Based on my many friends, I have developed a deep appreciation of the Armenian-American community,” stated Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval. “My appreciation for Armenia, its culture and history, deepened with a trip to Armenia with my family in 2019. We visited the most sacred sites in Armenia with Dr. La Porta. It was there that I understood the Armenians’ love for their alphabet, which enshrines their history, their spiritual beliefs as a people and their ethos.”

Dr. Jiménez-Sandoval spoke about the Armenian Studies Program scholarship program. “Giving scholarships has two meaningful outcomes: the first is to help deserving students with an education and the second is to keep the memory of an ancestor alive. A scholarship translates into a meaningful way of showing respect, love, and remembrance to those special people in your life.” He thanked the community by “keeping the flame alive” through their philanthropy.

The special video presentation was a celebration of the Armenian Studies Program and the students involved in the Program.