News

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 ...

Staff Report Treasures of Faith : Sacred Relics and Artifacts from the Armenian Orthodox Churches of Istanbul Co-authored with Marlene Breu (2015)   Ronald Thomas Marchese, 74, of Forest Lake, formerly of Duluth, MN and Fresno, CA, after an unexpected cancer diagnosis passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 3, 2021 after spending his last day with his son and daughter ...

Violeta Agabekyan Recreation Administration Minor in Armenian Studies   What encouraged you to take an Armenian Studies course? My strong interest in my culture encouraged me. I wanted to learn more about the Armenian culture, and in doing so I learned about the history of Armenia, the meaning of being Armenian, and the importance of keeping my culture alive. What ...

Staff Report The Zvartnots Cultural Committee of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church marked its 10th Anniversary Celebration with a cultural program on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, in Pasadena. The keynote speaker for the evening was Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Berberian Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State. Zvartnots Cultural ...

Andrew Hagopian Editor As I sat in Dr. Amila Becirbegovic’s Humanities 120 “Genocide, Memory, Media” class at Fresno State, there was a familiarity about the topic which was being taught. The more I listened to what the professor had to say and what my peers said in response, the more I appreciated the importance of the class. The Armenian Genocide ...