Armenian Studies Program is Celebrating Its 45th Year of Educating College Students at Fresno State

Staff Report

The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State has a long and distinguished history. Armenian and Armenian Studies courses have been taught at Fresno State for more than fifty years.

The Program was established in 1977 and over the years the has developed an international reputation in terms of excellence in teaching, quality of scholarship, and active student and community outreach. In the variety and depth of courses offered, the Program has become the most dynamic undergraduate Armenian Studies Program in the United State (and perhaps anywhere), teaching hundreds of students each semester. Over the past forty-five years more than 8,000 students have taken Armenian and Armenian Studies courses at Fresno State.

The core of the Armenian Studies Program is the study of Armenian history, language, art, literature, and an introductory course on Armenian Studies. Courses on Armenian literature, William Saroyan, Armenian architecture,

The Program has also been recognized for its record of faculty scholarship and for its outreach program bringing the Armenian community of Fresno closer to the University.

Enhancing the mission of the Program was the establishment of the Haig and Isabel Berberian Chair of Armenian Studies in December, 1988. The Berberian Endowed Chair provides financial support for a distinguished Armenologist and honors the philanthropist Haig Berberian and his wife was established by a major gift from their son-in-law and daughter, Dr. Arnold H. and Dianne Gazarian.

The Armenian Studies Program Lecture Series has engaged the community for more than fifty years, offering a variety of public events.

The Fresno State campus has always been an attraction for the numerous guests of the Armenian Studies Program, among them prominent clergymen, scholars, artists, authors, and many more.

Students working toward a minor or simply enrolling in Armenian courses are eligible for scholarships administered by the Program.

The Future

The Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State looks forward to the coming years. The Program will continue to grow and continue in its role as the most active undergraduate Armenian Studies Program in the United States.