Who are the graduate students of AUA? They are the sons and daughters of retired engineers, financially-strapped government workers and teachers, underemployed doctors, nouveau riche traders and shop owners, and of just ordinary people who are still trying to adjust to the newly-independent status of their ancient nation. They are young men and women who are optimistic about Armenia's national treasure: the children. Finally, AUA students are local Armenians who are very open to learning Western theories and practices—in spite of the generally "conservative" nature of their culture.
What are AUA students like? The academic behavior and attitudes of AUA students are generally similar to U.S. graduate students, except for some major differences apparently caused by the collective-like culture that characterizes Armenian society. For example public display of "competitiveness" is generally frowned upon. Along these lines, fellow students (especially the high-performing ones) are "expected" to help students who are doing poorly. Another difference is that all students here meticulously compare their examinations and term- papers— and grades received—for even the smallest of discrepancies. Also, an interesting phenomenon occurs when AUA professors and administrators make "exceptions", even justified ones, in decisions concerning students: the exception immediately becomes known to all who then seek to turn it into a "rule" that applies to everyone. A final example is when a student or small number of class members are unhappy about a professor, a policy, or administrative decision: a letter, signed by virtually all program members, is sometimes sent to a Dean "in support of the classmate(s). However, such "protests" are not carried out with malevolence. They are done with extreme politeness—another striking feature of AUA student behavior.
When I came to AUA at the beginning of the academic year in March of 1993, it was obvious that a number of new students had a difficult time adjusting. This may have been partly due to unclear or unrealistic expectations that some students had about studying here— as AUA was still in the process of fine-tuning its academic policies and procedures. Another potential contributing factor was that the education then was, by necessity, free—which meant that students, especially those who had unclear career goals, had no financial commitment to motivate them. A final factor— possibly the most powerful—was the grim state of the students' personal lives then. They were starting graduate work after a devastating winter had left them visibly undernourished and emotionally burned-out. With almost no electricity in Armenia that year, doing homework assignments in cold apartments under candlelight could do nothing but negatively affect AUA's attempt to socialize them. Despite the trying times, AUA students persevered and the academic year ended on a high note—with graduation of the first class of students (who entered AUA in 1991). Being the first formal graduation ceremony in the history of Armenia, it was the highlight of the students'— and my—academic career.
What a difference four years makes! With a thorough student orientation program to promote accurate expectations and time-tested academic procedures/ policies to guide student behavior, their adjustment to AUA has drastically improved. Students now pay $100 per quarter, with tuition waivers and scholarships awarded to high-performers. Today's AUA students are truly committed to their graduate work. This is partially due to the fact that AUA has established a solid reputation in the community as a merit-based and corruption-free institution. Furthermore, the improved living conditions in the country have allowed the students, many of whom work part-time, to better concentrate on their studies. Most students enjoy the informal, friendly atmosphere that exists at the University. For some students, AUA has become a "second home" as they meet their friends here on weekends to study or to spend free time "surfing" the Internet. A small number of students have recently formed a Toastmasters Club which holds weekly speaker meetings. Also, a growing number of students are participating in organized sports and exercise programs. But, some lingering student-related challenges and issues remain. For example, it has been difficult to maintain a highly active Student Government, possibly due to the fact that student councils did not exist in local institutions (and thus their democratic value has not been fully appreciated yet). Also, since all current AUA students are commuters, many of whom travel great distances by public transport, it remains an elusive dream to build a true "campus atmosphere".
Another compelling reason why today's AUA students are dedicated to their education is the growing opportunities for employment that now exist for AUA graduates. While most factory-related jobs of this once highly-industrialized country have vanished, new career opportunities have arisen in recent years. For example, a number of AUA graduates from the 1993 and 1994 classes went to work for technical assistance and humanitarian aid organizations, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Technical Assistance for CIS (TACIS), and the United Nations. In fact, only 17 percent of employed AUA 1993 and 1994 graduates went to work for local State and private organizations. However, 43 percent of employed graduates from the 1995 and 1996 classes are working for local State and private firms. Thus, many of AUA's early graduates have been helping indirectly to reform the country and its economy through foreign organizations, while a significant number of recent graduates are helping to put Armenia "back to work" from front-line positions.
Arthur Lalayan '93, a Senior Specialist in Department of Foreign Relations at the Republic of Armenia's Ministry of Energy, is one of these graduates whose job has a significant impact on the lives and work of Armenians. Arthur, age 31, is responsible for the coordination of and reporting on all United States private-company and government-related activities in the reconstruction of the Republic's energy sector. Working at the Ministry since 1993, he is also Armenia's contact point for the Black Sea Regional Energy Center in Sofia, Bulgaria. Arthur completed an Intensive Learning Program at Bradford University in the UK after graduating from AUA with a M aster's in Industrial Engineering. He comes from an engineering family—his mother's specialty is metallurgy while his father is a mechanical engineer.
Karine Sarkisian '93, is one of the growing number of MBA graduates recently hired by transnational companies which are setting up operations in Armenia. After attending a month-long training program in Switzerland, thirty-one year old Karine became the Country Manager for Johnson & Johnson on February 13, 1997. She is responsible for all aspects of the Johnson & Johnson consumer business from a local market perspective, which includes activities such as strategic analysis of market position, sales forecasting, and insuring achievement of product distribution objectives. After graduating from AUA, Karine attended the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University for a year as a Muskie Program Fellow. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, she worked at the United Nations in Armenia as a field officer. Both of her parents were employed in an agricultural equipment plant.
Tigran Bay- burtski '94 (M.S. Earthquake Engineering) has been working since January 1996 at Midland Armenia Bank as General Services Officer. Tigran, age 29, is responsible for supervising all renovation n /construction and maintenance activities of the bank's buildings and automatic teller machine (ATM) booths in Yerevan. Prior to joining Midland Armenia Bank, he was an administrator on the project to reconstruct the Giumush hydroelectric plant. Tigran has been a student of engineering since his teen years—when he studied engineering at a military school in Riga, Latvia (1984-1986) prior to graduating from the Yerevan State Engineering University in 1992. He is the son of a pediatric anesthesiologist (mother) and a retired construction engineer.
Mariam Sianazova, M.D. "95 (Certificate in Public Health) became the Medical Coordinator for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in August of 1996. Mariam, age 32, is responsible for supervising and reporting on all of the organization's medical programs in Armenia. She also provides managerial and reporting assistance to the Armenia Red Cross Society. Mariam is a general practitioner who came to the Red Cross after working as a medical researcher for the Armenia Research Institute for General Hygiene and Occupational Diseases. Dr. Sianazova is from a family devoted to medicine: her father is psychiatrist and her mother is a retired general practitioner.
Astghik Grigoryan '96, in December of last year, became the Referent Assistant to the Prime Minister of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian. Twenty-five year old Astghik is performing duties related to her Master's Degree in Political Science and International Relations. She is responsible for attending and reporting on ministerial meetings that include dignitaries from foreign governments and international organizations. Astghik is also responsible for writing executing summaries of all incoming correspondence to the Prime M inister's Office. Prior to becoming Referent Assistant, she worked as an interpreter for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Astghik is the daughter of semi-retired civil engineer (father) and a gynecologist.
What do these five AUA graduates have in common? They all love their jobs because they see tangible results of their efforts in the cities and villages of Armenia. To a person, they are very grateful that they had the opportunity to study at AUA. They realize that their educational and work accomplishments—and those of AUA graduates to follow—must continue if AUA is to fulfill its mission in the Caucasus region. As U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said when she visited AUA in 1994: "Education at an institution like this has a long-term payoff..." AUA students have convinced me that they can rise to the long-run challenge that lies ahead in rebuilding Armenia. They will face uncertainty and difficult choices in their careers. But, AUA students will cope better with the stresses of life as long as they keep the newly-found freedom to determine their own fate.
