News

Staff Report The Fresno State Henry Madden Library reopened on Thursday, February 19, after being closed for construction for nearly two and half years. The new north wing of the Madden Library was constructed after the old north wing was demolished in August 2006. Fresno State President Dr. John Welty was on hand to open the library, along with Dean ...

Barlow Der Mugrdechian Advisor The Repatriate: Love, Basketball, and the KGB, by Tom Mooradian. Seattle, WA: Moreradiant Publishing, 2008. 459 pages. Adventure. Danger. Romance. From the very first pages, Tom Mooradian’s newly published The Repatriate attracts the reader’s attention. One is a drawn into Mooradian’s unlikely thirteen years spent in Soviet Armenia, feeling his initial excitement at the move, to ...

Staff Report The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) announces the publication of Volume 17 of its refereed Journal, under the editorship of Dr. Joseph A. Kéchichian, and contains nine original essays as well as eleven book reviews. Two articles focus on the Genocide, one by Steven Leonard Jacobs on “The Journey of Death: Lemkin and the Armenian Genocide” that elucidates ...

By: Marisaa Isquerdo Fresno Gallery 25 welcomed 21-year-old artist Hrach Vardanyan from Gyumri, Armenia and exhibited Vardanyan’s art from December 4-28, 2008, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Vardanyan’s artwork consisted of paintings and drawings that were shipped in from Gyumri. Local Fresno artist Carol Tikijian hosted Vardanyan. Vardanyan is part of an artist exchange between ...

Mari Koshkakaryan Staff Writer How would you describe Armenian music? Ani Grigoryan Freshman Major: Business Administration “Armenian music is very similar to European style music. However, Armenian music uses ancient instruments, which grab my attention.”     Miranda Barile Freshman Major: Undeclared “Armenian music sounds very Middle Eastern, but different from other cultures because of the oud. When I hear ...

Mari Koshkakaryan Staff Writer The Christianization of Armenia in the beginning of the fourth century marked a turning point in the history of Armenia. Armenians take great pride and faith in their churches — and especially in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. On March 3rd in the Peters Auditorium on campus, Dr. George Bournoutian gave a brief, but concise ...

Pateel Mekhitarian Staff Writer One of the Armenian courses offered this semester at Fresno State is Armenian 148, “Masterpieces of Armenian Culture.” This unique offering has attracted a wide range of students who are interested in learning about the Armenian culture. The textbook is The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Volume I, (Wayne State University Press, 2000) written and edited by ...

Hagop Ohanessian Staff Writer As the new semester is quickly moving along, the Armenian Students Organization (ASO) is continuing its full schedule of events. The month of February has been busy for ASO, with guest speaker Dr. Ronald Marchese, who spoke on “Armenian Constantinople/Istanbul: Church, Society, and Culture,” co-sponsored with the Armenian Studies Program. The lecture attracted much interest from ...

Staff Report Prof. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State, and representing the Society for Armenian Studies, participated in a an innovative workshop, “The State of Armenian Studies,” at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, September 18-20, 2008. Over the past forty years there have been several opportunities for gatherings to discuss the state of ...

Staff Report Armenian Studies Program Coordinator Barlow Der Mugrdechian was the guest speaker at the 80th anniversary celebration of the Daron Lodge of the Knights of Vartan. The Banquet took place on Sunday, February 15 in the St. John Armenian Church Paul Fellowship Hall. Special guest at the Banquet was Haig K. Deranian, Grand Commander of the Knights of Vartan. ...