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PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

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.

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. Ed.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.