AGBU CHAPTERS, SCHOOLS, PEOPLE & EVENTS

The Harvard Armenian Society welcomed over 85 undergrads, graduate students and young professionals to the university's Graduate School of Education to participate in its first Intercollegiate Summit on International Development. Schools represented included Bentley, Boston College, Boston University, Brown, Columbia, Duke, MIT, Northeastern, St. Joseph's College, Stanford, Tufts and University of Pennsylvania. Funded by AGBU, the daylong program challenged participants to examine the role of the Diaspora in the development of Armenia, and propose concrete project ideas to build a stronger and more prosperous homeland. Representing various facets of Armenian state of affairs, such as philanthropy, the economy, the environment, politics and culture, the conference featured a diverse panel of guest speakers: Carol Aslanian, AGBU Central Board Member; Noubar Afeyan, Armenia 2020 Founder and CEO; Jason Sohigian, Armenian Tree Project Representative; Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly of America Executive Director; and Tom Samuelian, American University of Armenia Law Department Dean and Arlex International Ltd. Founder. Amidst hundreds of AGBU members and friends were distinguished dignitaries and special guests, including Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America; Berge Setrakian, AGBU President; Sinan Sinanian, AGBU Central Board Member; Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States; Gagik Kirakosian, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia; keynote speaker Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council Member; [Vahe Imasdounian], Southern California District Committee (SCDC) Chairman; Stella Maloyan, SCDC Member and Society Dinner Chairwoman; Toros Yetenekian, SCDC Member and Master of Ceremonies; and Bill Bogaard, Mayor of Pasadena. Serving as the basis for his dissertation, which earned him a PhD in History, Dr. Edward Levoni [EDWARD MELKONIAN] has released The History of AGBU (Moughni Publishing House, 582 pages, 2005, Yerevan, Armenia). At the behest of Honorary Life President [Alex Manoogian] in the early 1990's, Edward Melkonian accepted the task of recording the history of AGBU. The book provides a comprehensive account of the organization from its establishment in 1906 to present times, describing in detail the activities in Soviet Armenia from 1923-1937, and the humanitarian assistance provided to the victims of the 1988 earthquake and to independent Armenia since 199