Prof. Der Mugrdechian Travels Overseas for Projects

Aramayis Orkusyan

Staff Writer

Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian, director of the Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State, is not only active in the Armenian community of Fresno, but also abroad. This past summer, Professor Der Mugrdechian was invited to Beirut by the Tekeyan Cultural Association to give a talk to the Armenian community of Lebanon. In addition to visiting Lebanon, Professor Der Mugrdechian also traveled to Armenia and Turkey, where he is working on several collaborative projects.

In Armenia, Professor Der Mugrdechian visited the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran, a research center and repository of ancient manuscripts located in Yerevan. “We are exploring different ways of assisting each other, including the exchange of scholarly works, publications, and other material,” said Der Mugrdechian. The Matenadaran and the Armenian Studies Program recently formally agreed to cooperate with each other in a variety of fields.

Furthermore, Professor Der Mugrdechian is collaborating with the Matenadaran on a conservation project aimed at restoring the Armenian Gospel of Tsughrut, executed in 974 AD and located in Tsughrut, Georgia. The Gospel was brought to Tsughrut from Erzerum in 1829 by refugees who fled the Russo-Turkish War.

While in Armenia, Professor Der Mugrdechian also attended the graduation ceremony of Mer Hooys-Our Hope, a structured program that provides girls from disadvantaged lifestyles in Armenia with a safe home, educational mentorship, psychological and spiritual support, health education, life skills, and job skills training. Mer Hooys began as a non-profit organization formed by a group of Armenians in California including Professor Der Mugrdechian, who is one of the Vice Presidents of the organization. His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, provided a newly renovated two-story building, called the “Nakashian Children’s Support Center,” to house the Mer Hooys program. After three years of hard work, Mer Hooys opened its doors to disadvantaged girls in 2012. This year, Mer Hooys celebrated the graduation of its first group of six girls from the program.

In Turkey, Professor Der Mugrdechian visited the Ottoman Turkish Archives with former Kazan Visiting Scholar Dr. Ümit Kurt. In addition, Professor Der Mugrdechian visited the headquarters of the Hrant Dink Foundation and the Agos newspaper. There, Der Mugrdechian gained insight on the status of the Armenian community of Turkey.

Agos published an extensive interview with Der Mugrdechian about his work at the Armenian Studies Program and about the Armenian community of Fresno.

Der Mugrdechian met with Delal Dink, director of the Dink Foundation, and daughter of the late Hrant Dink and discussed the various projects of the Foundation. The Foundation has been active in promoting conferences addressing issues facing the Armenian community and they are documenting the voices of Armenians in Turkey through a series of publications.

The Hrant Dink Foundation is currently working on establishing the first Armenian Studies Center in Turkey. “We are working together discussing how they can structure an Armenian Studies center in Turkey. This will be the first time that there is a higher education institution that is Armenian in Turkey,” said Der Mugrdechian. The Armenian Studies Center will bring new researchers and new focus on Armenian Studies to Turkey.