Hye Sharzhoom Armenian Action
By Barlow Der Mugrdechian
Hye Sharzhoom Advisor
Professors Anna Sargsyan and Aram Karapetyan of the Yerevan State University (YSU) School of Business were on a working visit to Fresno State for three weeks, from November 12 to December 2 as part of the Faculty Development Program in Business and Economics. The Program was started in 1999, when Fresno State was awarded a grant to work with the Yerevan State University School of Business.
Professor Sargsyan, the newly appointed Associate Dean of the YSU School of Business, worked with administrators in the Craig School of Business, exchanging ideas on university governance and how their respective schools operate their instructional programs.
Professor Karapetyan was also a first time visitor to Fresno State. His interests are in the area of Information Systems and how computers are used in the education process. At YSU, he is responsible for planning in the area of technology and was instrumental in the establishment of an internet link for the YSU School of Business.
Professor Sasan Rahmatian, of the Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences, worked closely with both Karapetyan and Sargsyan to discuss implementation of new courses at Yerevan State University.
Karapetyan and Sargsyan visited with faculty and staff from various departments and areas to observe how distance learning is becoming an integral part of the educational process. They observed first-hand a pilot program in the area of mathematics, which draws students from Japan to a web-site at Fresno State. The program is administered by Dr. Peter Tannenbaum of the Department of Mathematics.
Both guests participated in seminars and workshops which were taking place on campus during this time.
They also had time to visit important Armenian cultural sites in Fresno, including the David of Sasoon monument, the William Saroyan exhibit at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum, local Armenian churches, and general areas of interest in Fresno.
Upon their departure, Karapetyan and Sargsyan loaded their suitcases with books and educational materials to enrich the School of Business in Yerevan
Project director Barlow Der Mugrdechian and Professor Elizabeth Shields of the Department of Finance, worked with the guests on developing their schedule while in Fresno. Ashot Hagopian assisted in logistics and planning of social activities.
Meanwhile, Fresno State professors Gerald Bryan and Mark Keppler returned from separate trips to Armenia.
Dr. Gerald Bryan, Professor of Marketing, conducted an in-depth evaluation of the progress achieved in the first year of the joint Yerevan State University-Fresno State Business Project. He interviewed faculty and administrators from both institutions and completed a report on his findings. His report will provide an important insight as to the future directions for the recently awarded three-year grant between the two institutions
Mark Keppler, head of the Graduate MBA Program at Fresno State, spent a week in Armenia discussing the changes which YSU is instituting in their newly established MBA program. He worked with faculty and students in Armenia and would like to see a graduate student from Yerevan State University enter the Fresno State MBA program. He is encouraged by the high quality of students in Armenia and their knowledge of English.
All of the activities discussed above are part of the first year of the new three-year Faculty Development Project in Business, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States State Department.
The project was assisted financially by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Information Agency under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended.