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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
AGBU Awards Scholarships to French University of Armenia
On December 4, 2007, AGBU donated 20,000 Euros to the French University
of Armenia, known as UFAR, for scholarships that will be awarded to 23
undergraduate students studying at sophomore, junior or senior levels
and who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement.
The official ceremony to announce the donation took place at UFAR and
was attended by the Minister of Education of the Republic of Armenia
Levon Lazarian, French Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smesoff,
newly-appointed rector of the French University to Armenia Anne-Marie
Schlosser, AGBU Armenian Representation Director Ashot Ghazarian, as
well as a number of local officials and representatives of various
organizations.
"By this agreement AGBU reaffirmed that quality education is a major
priority in its policy in Armenia. This is also a sign by an
authoritative Armenian organization, AGBU, of its confidence in the
University and the quality of education that it offers," said Minister
Lazarian in an interview with the H2 Armenian TV channel.
Ambassador Smessof also spoke at the ceremony and lauded the
organization’s donation. "First of all [AGBU’s donation] will bring
enthusiasm and excitement to the students and encourage their
success…UFAR symbolizes the cooperation of the two countries…[and]
the main goal of the French University is to develop specialists for the
country, who will become representatives of corresponding layers of
society," he explained.
In addition to funds received from AGBU, UFAR receives support from the
Foreign Ministry of France, the Trade & Industry Chamber of the City of
Lyon and Lyon 3 Jean-Mullen University.
Many of UFAR’s best students also participate in AGBU’s Paris Summer
Intern Program, which along with its sister programs in New York and
Yerevan, offers university students of Armenian descent an opportunity
to receive professional hands-on experience in their fields of study.
Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City with an
annual budget of $36 million, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs, annually touching the lives of some 400,000 Armenians on six
continents.