ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
E-mail: zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: George Shirinian
DATE: September 15, 2004
Tel: 416-250-9807
Zoryan Institute Publishes Financial Statements for 2002 & 2003
Toronto, Canada – The Corporate Board of Directors of the Zoryan
Institute of Canada, Inc., having approved its financial statements
for 2002 and 2003 at its June meeting in Toronto, has now made them
public. The statements, whose details are appended below, show that
Zoryan had combined revenues for the two years of $817,792 and
disbursements in the amount of $645,844. Net assets at the end of
2003, including capital and equipment, totalled $238,751.
“Now that it is the beginning of the new academic year, we are taking
the opportunity to release our financial report,” announced Barry
Papazian, legal advisor to the institute. “Even though the Zoryan
Institute is a privately funded organization, it must operate
transparently by making its financial statements public. We are
conscious of our responsibility to our constituency, as we consider
Zoryan’s work and mission to be a public trust.”
“The figures in the latest financial statement are generally in line
with the previous year,” noted Mig Migirdicyan, Treasurer of the
institute. “Some line items are higher, some are lower. However,
between 2002 and 2003, we were able to increase our investment in
research by 56%, and I am pleased to see that revenues from book sales
have increased by 33%,” he observed. He went on to explain that Zoryan
is a not-for-profit, registered charity in both the United States and
Canada. “This means that we count the return on our investment not in
terms of dollars, but in terms of the original research, educational
programs, and publications in which we invest,” he continued.
K.M. (Greg) Sarkissian, President of the institute, remarked, “It is
very important to us to encourage as wide a base of support as
possible. An important part of Zoryan’s mission is to develop a forum
within which the community at large can participate in conceptualizing
the critical issues and current and future challenges facing our
nation. Therefore, broad-based, grass roots support has been, and
continues to be the most crucial element for our independence as an
academic institute for the past twenty-two years.”
George Shirinian, Director of the institute, detailed some of the
programs funded by the institute during the fiscal year 2003. He
urged everyone to visit Zoryan’s web site, ,
especially the ‘What’s New ‘ section, to see the kinds of work going
on. This includes the following:
Seminars and Public Lectures in 2003 January 25 – “Ararat Panel
Discussion,” a panel discussion with Taner Akçam, Anny Bakalian, David
R. Baker, George Bournoutian, Louis Najarian, Lisa Siraganian, at the
City University of New York Graduate Center.
August 8 – “Looking Backward, Moving Forward,” with Richard
Hovannisian, at the Armenian Community Centre in Toronto.
August 10 – “The Future of Turkish-Armenian Relations,” a panel
discussion with Rouben Adalian, Taner Akçam, Razmik Panossian and
Roger Smith,” at the Alex Manoogian AGBU Community Centre in Toronto.
November 30-December 6 – “The Banality of Denial,” with Yair Auron, at
the University of Toronto, Rutgers University, the City University of
New York Graduate Center, the Armenian Cultural Foundation, Tufts
University, the University of Montreal, McGill University, and the
AGBU in Montreal.
Research and Publication in 2003 Zoryan provided research and
editorial assistance for, as well as sponsored the publication of The
Banality of Denial: Israel and the Armenian Genocide by Yair Auron,
and produced official offprints of two publications by Prof. Vahakn
Dadrian. In addition, it produced three more issues of Diaspora: A
Journal of Transnational Studies and participated in the editing for
publication of From Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the
Armenian Genocide, by Taner Akçam.
Educational Program in 2003 It ran the Genocide and Human Rights
University Program, which provided an advanced seminar on this subject
to students coming to Toronto from around the world. In December, it
arranged a partnership with the University of Minnesota to run the
program both in Toronto and Minneapolis, and to provide forty students
at both campuses four graduate semester credits.
“I think we have had a terrific, highly productive year at Zoryan,”
concluded Roger Smith, Chairman of the Academic Board, “and I am
looking forward to the coming academic year with great anticipation.”
The Zoryan Institute is an international center devoted to the
research and documentation of contemporary issues related to the
history, politics, society, and culture of Armenia and Armenians
around the world.
Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Assets for the Year Ended
December 31, 2003