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DIASPORA LAUNCHES YEREVAN POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE’S 75th ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATIONS

By Harutiun Surmenian

On March 1, 2008, the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute (renamed State
Engineering University of Armenia (Polytechnic) since 1991), the leader
in technological education in Armenia, will turn 75. On the eve of this
commemorative date the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America,
Inc., jointly with their affiliates –

Polytechnic’s Alumni and Friends of Los Angeles – are organizing a
jubilee evening for November 3, 2007. The honorary guest at the event
will be the University’s President, Professor Vostanik Marukhyan. Once
more, the event will reflect the Diaspora’s indisputable bond with
Armenia.

Yerevan Polytechnic’s 75th anniversary coincides with its Los Angeles
Alumni Association’s 15 years of existence. YPI Alumni was founded in
1992. Its first President was Professor Harut Barsamian of UC Irvine.
During the past 15 years, the Alumni and its Friends (
info@seuaalumni.org or 818-841-0333) have provided their contribution
to helping Polytechnic surmount difficulties in post-independence
Armenia by providing scholarships and faculty assistance, furnishing
technologically equipped classrooms, assisting in the repair of
buildings, and financing the publication of textbooks. Polytechnic’s Los
Angeles Alumni are proud to have been the first organization to
establish an alumni association among all Universities of Armenia.

About Yerevan Polytechnic Institute (YerPI)

The Yerevan Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1933 with only two
departments: Construction and Chemical Technology. Previously, both were
part of the Yerevan State University. In its first year, Polytechnic had
only 107 students . Despite this unimpressive number, the faculty of the
newly established school was remarkable, with many of them having
graduated from distinguished European universities.

Polytechnic grew at the same pace as then-Soviet Armenia’s
industrialization. During the period from 1933-1941, the new departments
of Transportation and Hydrotechnology were opened and the number of
students increased almost seven fold.

The onset of WWII reduced the number of students, faculty, and staff
significantly. The militarized industry demanded engineers of various
specialties and backgrounds, and establishing new engineering
departments became a priority. In 1942 the department of
Electrotechnology admitted new students, followed in 1943 and 1944 by
the department of Mechanical Engineering and the reorganized department
of Hydro Engineering, respectively.

During the four decades following WWII, Armenia’s population tripled,
and industrialization grew rapidly, including diverse spheres . Some of
these areas of industrialization originated from Armenia’s conditions
and natural resources, some – in grandiloquent Soviet style called "the
great chemical"- originated baselessly, in detriment to Armenia’s
environment and the public’s health.

It was Polytechnic’s responsibility to educate and train new generations
of Armenian engineers. The institute expanded in both size and
substance, opening new departments and laboratories, building new
campuses, and founding scientific research centers. New branches were
opened in the country’s second and third largest – and extensively
industrialized – cities of Leninakan and Kirovakan (presently Gyumry and
Vanadzor).

To Armenia’s pride , Polytechnic’s growth in quality surpassed even its
growth in size. It became one of the most reputable engineering schools
in the former Soviet Union. Many of its talented graduates won awards
and prestigious titles at international scientific competitions, ranking
Armenia’s engineering education equal to the very best in the world.
YerPI’s most distinguished graduates were selected to become members of
the Soviet Union’s and Armenia’s Science Academies.

Even in sports, culture, and the arts, Polytechnic’s students
distinguished themselves. We can find the names of "polytechnictsi"
champions in the rosters of European and World competitions, as well as
World Student Universiadas. It should also be noted that during the Cold
War’s most heated period, Polytechnic’s Student Chamber Orchestra
traveled abroad and performed in the Unites States.

During the mid 1980s, Polytechnic reached its peak with about 25,000
students involved in more than 66 major engineering disciplines.
Gradually, after reaching its climax in the 1980s, the incompatibility
between the planned quantity and de-facto quality of Soviet realities
fully surfaced. To make things worse, the 1988 Spitak earthquake,
followed by well-known historical events and economic hardship during
the first years of Armenia’s independence, also took a heavy toll on
Polytechnic.

Only those individuals with a deep sense of commitment to their ideals,
those who, for hardline realists may appear to have utopian thoughts,
were able to visualize, plan and realize their beloved Polytechnic’s
revival. Fortunately, Polytechnic’s stewardship possessed these
abilities. Through their leadership and perseverance, then-Polytechnic
President, Academician Yuri Sargsyan, and his colleagues overcame
Polytechnic’s struggle to exist. To our joy and pride, it is on its way
to returning to its best days.

Presently, SEUA (Polytechnic) has 11 engineering departments and, with
its Gyumri, Vanadzor and Kapan branches, over 10,000 students, among
them 500 foreign students studying in the English language. The number
of academic staff exceeds 1,000. The University spans four programs of
study, conferring the degrees of junior engineer, bachelor, master and
researcher. The engineering discipline includes 39 Bachelor’s and 23
Master’s specializations in Engineering, Industrial Economics,
Engineering Management, Applied Mathematics, and Sociology.

SEUA pioneered the two and three level higher education systems in
Armenia, and experimentally implemented the European Credit Transfer
System (ECTS) in harmony with the developments of the Bologna Process.
During the last decade, the University developed world-wide cooperation
with many leading universities, research centers and renowned
engineering corporations of the world. SEUA is a member of the European
University Association (EUA), and is involved in many European and other
international academic and research programs (TEMPUS, TACIS, USAID,
INTAS, NATO, NISCUPP, others).

During its 75 years of existence, Polytechnic Institute (SEUA) has
produced over 100,00 graduates, among them over 1,000 Diasporan
Armenians. Polytechnic’s graduates have contributed greatly to the
development of Armenia’s economy; many of them have also become major
figures in the country’s political life. Thousands of Polytechnic
graduates have successfully parlayed their engineering education and
talents in other countries, including the US.

For every nation, its educational and technological advancement is of
strategic importance to its survival and progress. This vital truth is
most evident in the case of Armenia. Its Engineering University –
Polytechnic – is thereby indispensible. As it ascends toward being its
best, Polytechnic deserves the attention and support of all Armenians.

We are certain that Professor Vostanik Marukhyan, SEUA President since
2006, and his team of talented educators will live up to the nation’s
confidence and expectations.

Happy anniversary Polytechnic!