AGBU Establishes Education Advisory Committee

AGBU recently formed an Education Advisory Committee to serve as a forum to explore and develop initiatives, programs, and resources to meet the educational needs of diasporan youth in ways that reach large constituencies, align with their lifestyles and aspirations, and enhance AGBU's mission.

The newly created Education Advisory Committee brings together a diverse group of individuals with extensive professional backgrounds in education, including school administration, curriculum development, educational psychology and sociology, college admissions, scholarship management, learning software technologies, and educational television programming.

A scholarship committee was also formed to revise existing policies and offer new strategies that help provide wider outreach and better selection of talented applicants.

The Education Advisory Committee and the Scholarship Committee had a joint meeting on Saturday, January 19, 2008. During the one-day meeting, the committee members were presented with an overview of AGBU's education programs and new initiatives.

Yervant Zorian, who is a member of the committee, made a PowerPoint presentation of the AGBU Virtual College and updated the attendees on the project's progress. The AGBU Virtual College is an accredited distance-learning, Internet-based program that is being developed in six languages on topics in Armenian history, architecture, and language. The program targets high school honors-level and college students. It is capable of reaching a wide base of learners worldwide, and aims at facilitating Armenian studies through new media.

Carol Aslanian, AGBU Central Board Liaison for Education, presented the New Melkonian Center in Armenia project, and the many programs it is designed to enhance and complement. The Center will become a hub for cultural activities and a resource-rich, flexible environment for a variety of events that will help bring hundreds of Diaspora Armenian youth together in Armenia year round. As such, the new Melkonian project corresponds with the belief that by bringing the Armenian youth together from all over the Diaspora, the connectivity between the various communities outside Armenia will be strengthened. In addition, Armenia will become the focal point for the Diaspora's benefit, in helping to maintain and enrich the latter's identity.

AGBU President Berge Setrakian attended the morning session of the joint committees and shared valuable insight regarding AGBU's vision, historic achievements, and the global realities of our evolving Diasporan communities and the challenges they present.

Attending the meeting from France was Mrs. Viviane Muratyan representing the scholarship committee of France.

The AGBU Education Advisory Committee is made up of the following: Co-Chair, Artin Arslanian (Marist College, Professor of History and International Relations, formerly Dean of Faculty, VP for Academic Affairs); Anny Bakalian (Associate Director MEMEAC, CUNY Graduate Center); Nvair Beylerian (Educator, Counselor); Sarine Der Kaloustian (Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Harvard Law School Graduate Program); Deborah Devedjian (Copernicus Learning Ventures Managing Partner); Natalie Gabrelian (Thirteen WNET NY – Celebration of Teaching and Learning Program Manager); Noreen Hajinlian (Principal, George G. White Middle School, Hillsdale, NJ); Maral Hajjar (AGBU-NYSEC, Kirikian School Board); Maral Jebejian (DDS, AGBU-NYSEC); Lilit Kurdiyan (NY School for Strings Faculty); Carmen Mansourian (William Paterson University Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology); Chair, Mary Papazian (Lehman College CUNY Provost, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs); Steve Semerdjian, Esq.; Ruzanna Topchyan (Syracuse University Instructional Design Development and Evaluation); Nicole Vartanian (Hunter College, Senior Advisory Office of the Provost, Ed.D. Sociology of Education); Ani Yazedjian (Texas State University Assistant Professor of Family and Child Development. Ph.D. Human and Community Development); Yervant Zorian (VP/Chief Scientist Virage Logic); Carol Aslanian, Central Board of Directors Liaison; Artoun Hamalian, Director, AGBU Education Department; Hripsime Roupen, Administrator of Scholarships.