Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
Staff Report
The Armenian Agribusiness Education Fund (AAEF), a non-profit, independent, 501(c)(3) foundation, was established in January of this year to serve as a new mechanism for developing long-term financial support for agribusiness education initiatives in Armenia. Housed on the campus of California State University, Fresno, the AAEF is endorsed by the Armenian Studies Program at CSU Fresno, the US Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Assistance Project in Armenia and the Agricultural Economics Department at Texas A&M University.
Agribusiness continues to play a significant role in Armenia’s transition to a market-driven economy and in its drive toward agricultural self-sufficiency, accounting for nearly 40% of the countries national income. According to AAEF Executive Director Bill Erysian, long-term funding for education is critical for Armenia to remain competitive in world food markets.
“Curriculum reform in Armenia’s higher education system now makes it possible for college students to study modern economics, finance and free market principles in preparation for careers in Armenia’s growing agribusiness sector,” explained Erysian. “Our message is that an investment in Armenia’s higher education contributes directly to private enterprise development and the creation of new jobs.” The AAEF has recently targeted its financial efforts to develop long-term support for the Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC) in Yerevan, a unique undergraduate institution that has rapidly gained a reputation as one of the top agribusiness programs in the entire region. The ATC is being featured in the October, 2003 issue of AIM Magazine.
Classes at the ATC are taught in English by qualified U.S. and Armenian professors. Students undergo rigorous and practical training in marketing, finance, accounting, management and entrepreneurship that prepares them for careers in managing firms in Armenia’s food and agricultural sector. At this year’s graduation ceremony for the ATC, Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy in Armenia, Ms. Vivian Walker, acknowledged the class of 2003 as “examples of Armenia’s greatest natural resource for the future.”
The AAEF has drawn upon the expertise of a variety of individuals with experience in higher education, agricultural development and Armenian studies. The current Board of Directors includes Harold H. Haak, Ph.D., Chairman, President Emeritus, California State University, Fresno; John E. Anderson, Vice President, Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch; Kenneth F. Farrell, Ph.D., Vice President Emeritus, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California; Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Lecturer, Armenian Studies, California State University, Fresno; John P. Nichols, Ph.D., Professor & Associate Head, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University; and Paul Sommers, Lecturer, College of Agriculture, California State University, Pomona.
For more information on the AAEF and its higher education programs in Armenia, call 559-278-0317 or email aaef@csufresno.edu. Additional board members are currently being solicited.