Agbu Armenia Newsletter Issue 20, May-June, 2012
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ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION AGBUAGBU ARMENIAARMENIA NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER Yerevan, Armenia IN THIS ISSUE ISSUE 20, MAY-JUNE, 2012 AGBU President Berge Se- trakian visits Armenia (p. 1, 2) AGBU PRESIDENT BERGE SETRAKIAN VISITS ARMENIA Trip builds anticipation for AGBU’s 87th General Assembly AGBU’s 87th General Assem- bly to be held in Armenia in to convene in Armenia in October October (p. 2) 20th jubilee graduation and AGBU President Berge Setrakian visited Armenia from June 16-19, 2012. During his commencement ceremony at visit, he had the opportunity to meet with RA President HE Serge Sargsyan, HH Ka- AUA (p. 3) rekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians and RA Diaspora Minister Hranoush Hakob- yan. Mr. Setrakian also had the opportunity to visit the site in construction of the fu- AGBU YPs finance the ACM ture AGBU Center in digital library subscription of AUA (p. 4) Yerevan. AGBU Armenian Representa- Mr. Setrakian paid a tion Interim Director Hovig courtesy visit to RA Eordekian travels to South President HE Serge America (p. 4, 5) Sargsyan, during which “Armenians and Pantomime”: time he reported on the AVC’s new online initiative various activities of the (p. 5) Union around the world AGBU AVC hosts “Ari Tun” and had the opportu- participants (p. 5) nity to discuss various issues of national con- Final round of the 6th Repub- cern both in the diasp- lican Chess Olympiad (p. 6) ora and Armenia. They AGBU Yerevan Summer also addressed issues Intern Program - 2012 (p. 7) of interest to be consid- AGBU Moscow Summer ered during the upcom- Intern Program - 2012 (p. 7) AGBU President paid a courtesy visit to RA President Serge Sargsyan ing meeting of the committee of the Cen- Summer activities of AGBU tennial of the Genocide to be held in September. Mr. Setrakian then informed the Yerevan Scouts (p. 8, 9) President of AGBU Central Board’s decision to hold its 87th worldwide General As- AGBU “Vatche and Tamar sembly in Armenia in October this year. He invited the President and his representa- Manoukian” and “Manoogian- tives to attend the many events to be held and organized on this occasion. The Demirdjian” schools’ students President gracefully accepted the invitation. visit Armenia (p. 9, 10) The new address of AGBU In his meeting with His Holiness, Setrakian addressed national and church-related Artsakh (p. 10) issues as well as the upcoming September meeting in Yerevan of the National Coor- dinating Committee to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Geno- AGBU announces “Sayat Nove” 2nd international com- cide. AGBU’s many global and homeland activities were also discussed, as well as position competition (p. 11) its joint programs with the Holy See. Vahe Vahian’s “Poet’s Heart” compilation of letters (p. 12) Welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Berge and Vera Setra- kian to Holy Etchmia- dzin, His Holiness ex- pressed his appreciation for AGBU’s and its members’ continued commitment to, and support of, the spiritual epicenter of all Armenians. During the visit, Mr. and Mrs. Setrakian were offered a tour of the several ongoing con- struction projects in Holy Etchmiadzin, inclu- ding the old quarters of the Veharan, which is undergoing major renovations through their generous donation. Mr. Setrakian was received by His Holiness Karekin II (Continued on page 2) Page 1 AGBU ARMENIA NEWSLETTER ISSUE 20, MAY-JUNE, 2012 AGBU PRESIDENT BERGE SETRAKIAN... (see page 1) On June 18, Mr. Setrakian met with American University of Armenia (AUA) president Dr. Bruce Boghossian; academic dean Armen Der Gureghian; vice president of operations Ashot Ghazarian; and vice president of finance Gevorg Goyounyan. Their discussions focused on various expansion plans and activities of the University, and the potential development programs to attract students from abroad, especially with the launch of the new undergraduate program at AUA. Mr. Setrakian reiterated AGBU’s continued sponsorship and support for AUA, which has been ongoing since its inception, through the contribu- tions of its benefactors, fundraising efforts and general assis- tance. That same day, Mr. Setrakian also met with the RA Diaspora Minister Hranoush Hakobyan, accompanied by Mr. Ghazarian and Mr. Hovig Eordekian, the interim director of AGBU’s Armenia Representation. During the meeting, MP Hakobyan briefed the president on the Ministry’s various activities that aim to strengthen awareness of heritage and preserve identity in the diaspora. Mr. Setrakian stressed the importance of developing programs to reach out to the second and third generations of young talented Armenians of the diaspora, who are drifting away from community life due to the challenges of the cultural and pro- fessional environments they are living in. Emphasizing the importance of close and productive cooperation between Armenia and its diaspora, Mr. Setrakian shared his thoughts and outlook on the many challenges facing the latter group. He highlighted the different programs initiated by AGBU that are designed to appeal specifically to diasporan youth and encourage them to connect with their homeland. He underscored With Hranoush Hakobyan, RA Minister of Diaspora the importance of instilling a sense of pride and motivation in youth by sharing with them inspirational stories of Armenians who have achieved great success in fields such as the arts, business, the sciences, and technology. ARMENIAN GENERAL BENEVOLENT UNION’S 87TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ARMENIA (OCTOBER, 2012) The Central Board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union has the pleasure of informing you that the 87th General Assem- bly will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2012 in Yerevan, Ar- menia, as well as the numerous events will be organized sur- rounding the occasion. The program will began with an optional trip to Karabakh from October 14 to 16, and the main activities in Armenia will occur from October 17 to 21, 2012. As always, we ask you distribute it to all interested AGBU dele- gates, members and friends who wish to attend. Forms should be filled and returned to the AGBU Central Board by Monday morning, 18 September 2012. We would like to take your attention to the importance of such an Assembly at which could participate all AGBU members as well as to enriching meetings and activities organized there. For all inquiries, please contact Victoria Grigorian at the AGBU Central Office (+ 1 212 319 6383, ext. 133) or at [email protected] Page 2 AGBU ARMENIA NEWSLETTER ISSUE 20, MAY-JUNE, 2012 20TH JUBILEE GRADUATION CEREMONY AT THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF ARMENIA The 20th jubilee graduation and commencement ceremony took place at the large auditorium of the American Uni- versity of Armenia (AUA) on June 23, 2012, with more than 1000 officials, faculty members, students, alumni, par- ents and guests in attendance, who had come to congratulate and honor this year’s graduates. The Commencement ceremony started with the cere- monial procession of the class of 2012, the President of AUA, the Deans of the Colleges and the faculty, followed by the anthems of the Republic of Armenia and the United States of America. 20th jubilee graduation and commencement ceremony at AUA The Class of 2012 added another 170 graduate alum- ni, bringing the total number to 2,300 graduates, hold- ing various degrees: Master of Arts in Teaching Eng- lish as a Foreign Language, Master of Law, Master of Graduates throwing their caps in the air Political Science and International Affairs, Master of Science in Computer and Information Science, Master of Industrial Engineering and Systems Management, and Master of Business Administration. Many of them now have two master degrees from AUA. After His Grace Bishop Gevorg Saroyan’s invocation, AUA President Bruce Boghosian welcomed the graduating class. After Interim Provost Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, and AUA Trustee, of the University, read greetings on behalf of the University of California. Commencement addresses were delivered by Mr. Ralph Yirikian, General Manager, VivaCell-MTS and Dr. Dennis Leavens, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, United Arab Emirates University. Valedictorians Ms. Edita Gzoyan and Mr. Hayk Mamajan- yan spoke on behalf of the Class 2012. “The founding of the American University of Armenia was a bold move that planned for the development of a brand new university at a difficult time in Armenia’s his- After this, 170 young men and women tory… As the third President of AUA I hope to continue the pursuit of academic ex- were presented by their respective cellence, to provide educational opportunities for all who wish to pursue them, and Deans and called to the stage one by to provide Armenia with graduates who will serve their country with knowledge and one to receive their Master’s Degrees. dignity”, noted Dr. Bruce Boghosian in his address. The graduates concluded the ceremony by throwing their caps in the air. Warm words of congratulations were exchanged during an open reception that fol- lowed. The graduation ceremony was followed by the traditional Alumni Dinner, which brought together 300 gradu- ates, faculty and staff to celebrate American University of Armenia’s Class of 2012. AUA graduates now occupy important leadership posi- tions, such as Deputy Minister of Justice, Deputy Minis- ter of Defense, Ambassador to India, as well as many top management of private corporations and internatio- nal organizations. The American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, non- sectarian, independent university located in Yerevan, Arme- nia. Founded in 1991, AUA is affiliated with the University of California. Through teaching, research, and public service, AUA serves Armenia and the region by supplying high-quality education in seven different major fields, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting democratic values. The American University of Armenia is accredited by the Ac- crediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 985 Atlan- Cutting the jubilee cake tic Avenue, #100, Alameda, CA 94501, 510-748-9001.