Every year the Community College League of California honors the enduring dedication and service of California’s community college trustees with the ‘Fulfilling the Trust’ Award, for having persevered continuously in serving students.
This year, Dr. Armine Hacopian, the President of the Glendale Community College Board was recognized with this prestigious award for having achieved more than two decades of dedicated service and enduring commitment to Glendale Community College.
CCLC membership is comprised of all 116 California Community Colleges and the elected trustees from each community college district who serve their respective communities.
In an interview, Dr. Hacopian expressed her appreciation to the CCLC Board for this award and to all those registered voters in Glendale who have voted for her during the past five elections.
“This recognition is significant because I was recognized by my peers who are very closely involved in higher education, and understand the challenges they must overcome as leaders, in order to serve our students and the internal and external constituencies,” said Hacopian.
Dr. Hacopian is a life-long educator with extensive background in education, serving students in pre-k to graduate schools in a-variety of capacities. Her background includes earning many degrees and credentials and serving as a board member to numerous community based organizations. She has been honored by multiple organizations and elected officials as well.
“Serving on the Western Prelacy Board of Regents of Armenian Schools for many years, was one of my most fulfilling leadership roles,” Dr. Hacopian recalled fondly.
Her years of board leadership as GCC Trustee include many successful benchmarks. She was unanimously elected by her co-trustees to be the Board President at GCC for five (one-year) terms.
In addition, she helped pass two bond measures (in 2002, for $98,000,000, and in 2016, for $325,000,000) for construction and capital improvements of old buildings which has brought assurances to students that they would be learning and studying in facilities that were geared towards careers for the 21st century.
The raised funds from the sales of the bonds also would be earmarked for the state-of-the-art science center (being build now), with technology focus, new performing arts center, and an up-to-date athletic facilities as students compete with other community college students to transfer to four year universities.
Along with her co-trustees, Dr. Hacopian worked closely with State Senator Anthony Portantino for GCC to be closed on April 24th (without loosing any State funding) so that students and employees would have the opportunity to participate in April 24th, Genocide Commemoration activities.
According to Dr. Hacopian, “this action was very important and timely for GCC as 40 percent of the student population is of Armenian background.”
She considers herself to be a bridge-builder who connects ‘social bridges’ between GCC and various organizations.
As the current GCC Board President, Dr. Hacopian encourages students to consider attending GCC while they are still in high school as GCC and GUSD have many dual enrollment programs where students can complete college coursework while still in high school.
She said that her motto has always been “to lead with service in my heart and student access and success in my mind.”