News

The following two reports, on Karabagh and Armenia, were submitted as part of an assignment in Barlow Der Mugrdechian’s Armenian Studies 10, Introduction to Armenian Studies course. By Mitch DeFreitas Karabagh is a country located between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Middle Eastern part of Asia. In this paper, I am going to present to you several news stories about ...

By Jack Arikian Staff Writer Armenian culture dates back centuries, but little is mentioned in historical textbooks. Fresno State prides itself in being one of the very few campuses nationwide that has an Armenian Studies Program. Since its inception, the Fresno State program has provided a unique opportunity for college students to enlighten themselves about Armenian language and history and ...

By Barlow Der Mugrdechian Advisor It was a cold and snowy New Year’s Eve in Etchmiadzin as the 1700th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Christianity as the State Religion of Armenia was ushered in with great ceremony. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, sixth from left, Primate of the Diocese of Canada and Executive Director of the Holy Etchmiadzin 1700th Anniversary Committee meeting ...

Staff Report The Society for Armenian Studies announced the results of recently held elections and the new Executive Council includes Fresno State’s very own Barlow Der Mugrdechian, President; Peter Cowe, Vice President; Levon Chorbajian, Treasurer; Houri Berberian, Secretary; along with council members-without-portfolio Robert Hewsen, Richard Hovannisian, and Dickran Kouymjian. Dennis Papazian, as last year’s President, will serve a one year ...

Staff Report A volume of scholarly essays devoted to the father of Armenian history, Movses of Khoren, is the latest contribution to Armenian studies by Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Haig & Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at CSUF. Traditionally, Movses Khorenats’i is considered a fifth century author, part of Armenia’s golden age, though some scholars, mostly in the west, attribute ...

By Sevag Tateosian Staff Writer There has been an Armenian Students Organization in existence at California State University, Fresno for more than 30 years. Year after year the ASO provides students with a place to meet one another and to spend time doing fun and stress-relieving activities. A new executive board welcomes the 2001 spring semester. The group is lead ...

By Arpik Paraghamian Staff Writer Since January 2001, Mikael Halebyan and Vahan Papyan, both juniors and long-time friends from Yerevan, Armenia, have been calling Fresno “home.” The 19-year-old Agricultural Business majors, who attend the Armenian Agriculture Academy, were selected to be part of the Armenian Student Exchange Program with California State University, Fresno, after successfully passing a formal interview and ...

Staff Report By a decision of the Yerevan State University Academic Council, Barlow Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno was awarded the Honorary Doctorate degree from Yerevan State University. Der Mugrdechian was awarded the degree for his achievements in working with Yerevan State University and for his work in the field of Armenian Studies. ...

Staff Report Dr. Dickran Kouymjian, Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno and Director of the Armenian Studies Program, announced the establishment of the Norma and Bob Der Mugrdechian Armenian Studies Endowed Scholarship Fund at Fresno State. Bob Der Mugrdechian of Clovis, California established the Scholarship Fund in memory of his late wife Norma ...

Staff Report Just as Sweden has its Nobel Prizes and the United States its Pulitzer, Belgium has its annual Francqui Scientific Prize given to the outstanding young (under fifty) Belgian scholar. The yearly prize of some four million Belgian francs is the country’s most coveted academic distinction and its most famous award of any kind. It is the only honor ...