News

Eddy Thurber Staff Writer On Thursday, March 31, 2022, the Armenian Studies Program had the honor of hosting Dr. Artyom Tonoyan for a Zoom webinar on “Black Garden Aflame: The Nagorno-Karabagh Conflict in the Soviet and Russian Press.” A sociologist by training, Dr. Tonoyan focuses on researching the intersection between religion and nationalism in Russia and the Caucasus. He received ...

Sosse Baloian Staff Writer The topic of genocide has become more “intercultural,” stated Dr. Suren Manukyan. “Forty years after the appearance of the field of genocide studies, we can appreciate how far it has reached from the interest of a small group of individuals to an academic domain with hundreds of scholars, thousands of students, and one of the most ...

Staff Report Dr. Matthew Jendian, Professor of Sociology at Fresno State, was recognized with the Richard G. Hovannisian Armenian Genocide Higher Education Award by the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region (ANCA-WR). Dr. Jendian was one of eleven educators and supporters honored during a virtual awards ceremony on Saturday, April 9, 2022. The honorees, from various public schools and ...

Christine Pambukyan Staff Writer “We should remember that genocide is, first of all, a man-made event, and genocide is something that people initiate. These are human beings who kill human beings,” emphasized Dr. Suren Manukyan, Kazan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies in Fall 2021 and head of the UNESCO chair on the Prevention of Genocide and other Atrocity Crimes at ...

Staff Report The Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation has made two significant donations in 2022 to benefit the Armenian Studies Program and to enhance the Kooyumjian Endowed Scholar Fund at Fresno State. The Kooyumjian Family Foundation donated $15,000 to the Armenian Studies Program to support special projects, including sponsorship of the “Komitas Trio” concert and an international conference. The Kooyumjian ...

Fresno State News “What inspires me is that we are making a difference in the lives of our students now and for generations to come,” says Deborah Adishian-Astone, the vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Fresno State. Growing up, Adishian-Astone’s family always emphasized the importance of education. She decided she wanted to get her degree from Fresno ...

Michael Mazman Staff Writer On Wednesday, December 22, 2021, the Armenian Students Organization held its biggest fundraiser of the year, the ASO “Christmas Ball.” On this night, members of the Armenian community from all over the Central Valley gathered at Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church to enjoy a full dinner, catered by Ararat Market and Grill. Guests had the pleasure of ...

Christine Pambukyan Staff Writer “My objective wasn’t then just simply to provide more translations of an Armenian writer’s work. I had two ideas in mind. One was to try to reorient Armenian cultural and social concentrations, especially in Armenian-Turkish history and the other was to introduce a new and kind of coherent way of producing translations from Armenian literature,” explained ...

Sara Beberian Staff Writer We often forget how important words are. Our choice of words and the way we use certain words can greatly influence the impact our story has on others. How does one begin to describe a genocide? A completely traumatic event that tears apart homes, families, and everything that is familiar… if the word “genocide” does not ...