News

Barlow Der Mugrdechian Advisor For a scholar from India, coming to Fresno to study was a natural choice, especially when the focus of the research was on the works of William Saroyan. Kolkata, India native Debashis Bandopadhyay arrived at Fresno State in November of 2007 to begin a nine-month stay on a Fulbright Fellowship. He was granted a sabbatical by ...

Staff Report A generous contribution of $40,000 was made to the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State from the estate of the late John and Lucile Melkonian. The bequest will be in a permanent endowment to benefit the Armenian Studies Program, for scholarships to deserving students and for special programs. John and Lucile Melkonian were life-long residents of Fresno. Mr. ...

Svetlana Bagdasarov Staff Writer On Saturday, February 9, I had the pleasure of dining at Bedrosian’s Armenian Deli in Fresno. I was enrolled in a weekend course on the Armenian Church offered by the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno. After a morning of lectures and a visit to an Armenian church, Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian suggested that ...

Staff Report The Armenian Bible: A Symposium Celebrating the 1600th Anniversary of the Discovery of the Armenian Alphabet and the Translation of the Bible into Armenian. Barlow Der Mugrdechian, editor (Burbank, CA: Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, 2007), 130.pp The Armenian Bible has been the topic of much study since it was originally translated into Armenian in ...

Pateel Mehitarian Editor There are many organizations, such as Orran and the Nork Childrens’ Center in Armenia, that seek to help children from unprivileged families. Another group that assists young women in achieving their aspirations is Mer Doon. Mer Doon, meaning “Our Home” in Armenian, takes in young women whom have outgrown their childhood homes in Armenian orphanages. Mer Doon ...

Staff Report Over thirty-five San Joaquin Valley and State organizations are cooperating to celebrate the William Saroyan Centennial (the 100th anniversary of his birth) in 2008. They will present a series of exhibitions, musical performances, lectures, school activities, theatrical productions and readings, historical discussions, and literary events focusing on Saroyan’s work and his life in the San Joaquin Valley. Events ...

Staff Report The Republic of Armenia held Presidential elections on Tuesday, February 19 and Serge Sarkisian was elected as the third President of Armenia, garnering 52.8% of the popular vote. His main opponent Levon Ter-Petrosian won an estimated 21.5%, according to the Central Election Commission. 1.6 million voters cast their ballots- about 70% of the eligible voters. Sarkisian was Prime ...

Staff Report William Saroyan: Views on Identity and Ethnicity,” was the focus of a course taught by Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program, on two consecutive Thursday afternoons, February 21 and February 28, as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Fresno State. Der Mugrdechian discussed the early influences on Saroyan, those that had a life long ...

Gina Jelladian Staff Reporter What are the major feast days celebrated in the Armenian Church? What are the four true marks of the Orthodox Church? How often is the Holy Oil (Muron) prepared? What is it used for? These were some of the questions faced by students on a quiz taken during the first session of a weekend class, Armenian ...

Staff Report On Tuesday evening, February 26, the Shoghaken Armenian Folk Ensemble of Armenia performed in concert to an audience of more than 400 in the Satellite Student Union at Fresno State. The eight-member ensemble was on an international concert tour, which began in Paris, and continued in twenty-one cities in the United States, ending March 7 in Los Angeles. ...