2004_12 Hye Sharzhoom Newspaper December 2004

              December 2004
Hye Sharzhoom
3
International Education Week Features Presentation on Projects in Armenia
L. to R.: Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Bill Erysian, Tom Burns,
Sasan Fayazmanesh.
Staff Report
As part of International Education Week at Fresno State, the Armenian Studies Program organized
a presentation on Wednesday, November 17 on "Armenia Today:
Fresno State Projects in Armenia
and Opportunities for Study
Abroad." Participating were three
Fresno State faculty who have traveled to Armenia during the past
several years: Dr. Sasan
Fayazmanesh, Professor of Economics, Tom Burns of the Management Department and Barlow
Der Mugrdechian of the Armenian
Studies Program.
Bill Erysian, director of grants
and international projects and coordinator of International Education Week for the Division of Continuing and Global Education,
opened the program and welcomed
the audience. He then introduced
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, who is
the project coordinator for the partnership project between Yerevan
State University and Fresno State.
The project, called "A Faculty
and Development Program in Busi -
ness and Economics," matched the
YSU Faculty of Economics and the
Fresno State Craig School of Business. In 1999 this project was given
a $100,000 grant from the Newly
Independent States College and
University Partnership Program of
the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the United States
State Department, and was subsequently renewed for three more
years with an additional $300,000.
The grant is scheduled to conclude
in December of this year.
Yerevan State University is the
largest university in Armenia, with
a student population of about
10,000. Some 1,200 of these study
in the Faculty of Economics, including more that one third of the
top high school seniors inthe country.
The project's main means of
implementing its goals was through
the planned exchange of faculty
from both universities for periods
of from two to three weeks. During
the past five years more than 10
faculty from Fresno State have traveled to Armenia, and some 18 faculty and administrators have visited from Armenia. Faculty have
worked with their counterparts in
discussing curriculum and learning about possibilities to modify or
change courses. Faculty on both
sides have learned a great deal in
the interchange, which has been a
valuable part of the experience.
Der Mugrdechian explained that
higher education in the former Soviet Union was supported entirely
by the state and students enjoyed a
free education.
With the collapse of the Soviet
Union, and Armenia's subsequent
independence on September 21,
1991, responsibility for funding of
the higher education system fell
entirely to the government of Armenia. The entire education system had to face what the rest of the
country faced, a dramatic decrease
of funding due to the economic
collapse in Armenia.
The financial problems were the
main but not the only issues to be
faced by the university. Among the
non-financial issues faced were the
ability of the university to attract
students, competition from newer
private universities, andthe need to
completely reform curriculum, a
curriculum that was thoroughly
imbued with communist ideology.
The Armenian educational system was traditionally very strong in
many areas, thus the proj ect did not
aim to replace the old curriculum
completely, but rather to present
faculty with choices based on what
could be best applied for Armenia.
The proj ect provided three fully
equipped computer laboratories
plus computers and printers for each
department office. In addition,
internet access, which also was
lacking, was provided for the students. The entire building where
the Faculty is housed has recently
been wired for internet access.
Der Mugrdechian then intro-
Karanian and Kurkjian Present New Travel Book
Alex Bunch
Staff Writer
For the everyday person, there
has never been a comprehensive
travel guide to Armenia and
Karabagh. Well, now there is. In
Matthew Karanian's and Robert
Kurkjian's book, The Stone Garden Guide: ArmeniaandKarabagh,
anyone traveling to Armenia or
Karabagh can find exactly what
they need. Armenia and Karabagh
is very comprehensive and you can
find just about any piece of information you are looking for. If you
are planning a trip to Armenia or
Karabagh, this is an essential book
to read.
When you look in the table of
contents, you can clearly see this
book is indeed as comprehensive
as the authors' claim. Armenia and
Karabagh includes sections such
as geography, population, language, sites to see, transportation,
exchanging money, customs regulations, foreign embassies in
Yerevan, and even a very comprehensive section on ecology.
"Of special interest is Chapter
3, Ecology. We felt this was important because we did not just want to
promote irresponsible travel to the
region," said Robert Kurkjian.
That is exactly why their book is
extremely helpful, because it goes
beyond the basic
information.
The book is
also divided up by
region, so one
would know what
to see with respect
to the area they are
traveling to. These
individual sections are full of information, especially with respect
to places of interest such as museums, churches,
landmarks, and
theaters.
What is also
great about this travel guide is its
structure-all the information is
neatly organized and the index is
very helpful to find information as
well. The entire book, even the
maps, is in color. "It is a unique
travel guide for the quality of the
book, the design, and the number
of color photos," Kurkjian said.
After examining the book, I
agree with his comments. Having
this book as your guide, you cannot
go wrong and you are sure to have
a great trip to Armenia and
Karabagh.
Most of the information was
obtained first-hand by the authors
themselves, who have been travel-
Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian
ing to and from Armenia for several years now, so the information
provided is very reliable. In fact,
this alone makes the book a better
book when compared to other travel
guides to Armenia.
"We consider our book an "Insiders Guide" because both Matthew and I have been living, working, and traveling in Armenia since
1995," said Kurkjian.
If you are planning a trip to
Armenia or Karabagh, then this
book is anecessity. Whenyoulook
at the amount of information available in the guide, you are sure to
have a pleasant trip to Armenia and
Karabagh.
duced Professor Tom Burns, director ofthe Executive MBA program
at Fresno State, who traveled to
Armenia in the summer of 2002.
Burns presented a power-point presentation on his activities in Armenia. In particular he had worked
with a group of five students from
Armenia, who had participated in a
distance learning program, which
also involved five students from
Fresno State. Together they produced an economic report on two
countries-Armenia and Ireland.
Burns gave many interesting
insights into the business environment in Armenia, noting in particular how Armenian society and ways
of doing business were different
from American society.
Der Mugrdechian next introduced Dr. Sasan Fayazmanesh, who
teaches the history of economic
thought and m onetary theory in the
department of economics atFresno
State. Fayazmanesh returned on
November 16 from bis first trip to
Armenia, where he had the oppor
tunity to interact with students and
faculty. He gave a power-point talk
about his experiences in Armenia
emphasizing especially the warm
hospitality of his colleagues. While
at YSU he gave several presentations to students and faculty on a
variety of topics in his field of expertise.
Der Mugrdechian closed the
program with a description of the
Armenian Studies Semester Abroad
program, which will beginin Spring
2005. Initiated by the Armenian
Studies Program at Fresno state,
the Semester Abroad Program gives
students from all over the United
States the opportunity to spend one
semester living and studying in
Armenia. Students will take a variety of Armenian studies related
courses while in Armenia.
The evening was an inspiring
look at the achievements of both
Armenian and American faculty in
working together to assist educational development in Armenia.
California State University, Fresno
Armenian Studies Program
Armenian Studies 120T-
Armenian Dance
(Learn how to dance traditional Armenian dances)
conducted by
Tom Bozigian
The internationally recognized
dance instructor was born in Los
Angeles. Each year Mr. Bozigian
travels to Armenia to continue his
research working with various institutes and dance specialists. He is
particularly sought out for his extensive knowledge of dances from
the pre-1915 period. He also specializes in new Armenian folk-dance as well as choreography. Mr. Bozigian regularly tours the Orient and Europe
teaching Armenian dance.
Friday, February 4, 2004 • 5-10 PM
Saturday, February 5, 2004 • 9 AM-5PM
Meet in the South Gym, Rm. 134-Fresno State
Fresno State students enroll through
web registration.
The course is open to the public
for a fee of $50.
To register for the class contact the
Armenian Studies Program or come
to the first class session.
Contact the Armenian Studies Program, 278-2669,
for more information.
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