Tufts Journal
July 15, 2010
Presidential Move
Mathematics professor Bruce Boghosian to head the American University of
Armenia beginning this fall
By Helene Ragovin
Come September, Bruce Boghosian will be trading views of the Boston skyline
for a view of Mount Ararat. The majestic snow-capped mountain, said to be
the landing place for Noah’s Ark, towers over the city of Yerevan, the
capital of Armenia.
“Being able to help Armenia was the most important thing that attracted me
to the position,” says Bruce Boghosian. Photo: Alonso Nichols
Boghosian, professor and chair of mathematics in the School of Arts and
Sciences and adjunct professor of computer science, will begin a leave of
absence from Tufts to head to Yerevan to become president of the American
University of Armenia (AUA). At the completion of his term there, he
intends to return to Tufts, where he has taught since 2000.
>From AUA’s compact city campus, Boghosian will lead the only university in
the region that offers American-style graduate education. With six schools
specializing in fields from engineering to business to public health, AUA’s
goal is to educate the next generation of leaders for an ancient land that
faces many 21st-century challenges.
“As a research scientist, I have lived abroad for periods of time in many
different places, and I’ve always enjoyed travel,” says Boghosian. “But
being able to help Armenia was the most important thing that attracted me to
the position.”
Boghosian was born and raised in Worcester, Mass., the grandchild of
immigrants who came to America following the Armenian genocide of the early
20th century. He grew up active in the Armenian-American community, eating
his grandmother’s stuffed grape leaves and speaking a smattering of
Armenian. Yet it was not until 2008, when he was elected to the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences, that he began to travel to Yerevan and forge a
connection with the scholars there.
Last fall, officials from AUA approached Boghosian about assuming the
presidency. He ultimately accepted, he says, because he believes the school
is serious about creating graduates who will make a difference in Armenia.
“In February, I went out to dinner with four graduates of AUA,” he recounts.
“One of them is now deputy justice minister [of Armenia]; another is a
professor of linguistics in Yerevan; another works for Oxfam; the fourth is
working for a major telecom company. They were, all of them, just bright
young people, passionate about what they are doing in their careers. And all
of them indicated they would not be the person they are now were it not for
the education they received at AUA.
“So, that went a long way toward convincing me that AUA is doing something
right, if it produces
Bringing a New Perspective
The American University of Armenia, which is affiliated with the University
of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges, was born along with the modern-day republic of Armenia. After an
earthquake devastated much of what was then Soviet-controlled Armenia in
1988, a group of Armenian and American academics, brought together by
post-earthquake work, broached the idea of establishing a graduate school in
Yerevan based on the model of other American universities abroad.
AUA taught its first classes on September 21, 1991, the same day Armenia
declared its independence from the Soviet Union. In an interesting twist,
the original AUA building had been constructed as a meeting place for the
Soviet politburo.
Like many other former Soviet republics, Armenia is still wrestling with the
economic and social transition from communism; it has been hard hit by the
worldwide recession. It has also long depended on support from the Armenian
diaspora, mainly people of Armenian heritage living in the U.S., Russia,
Canada, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. Environmental concerns,
including water resources, and rural development remain among the country’s
most pressing issues. Boghosian notes that two of AUA’s cross-disciplinary
centers focus on these areas.
“Students in any of the six majors have to take at least one environmental
course while at AUA, which is good, because environmental issues are
important in Armenia,” he says. The roof of AUA’s newest building, for
example, sports a huge array of solar panels. “Alternative energy is a hot
topic there; water conservation is a hot topic,” he says.
“Since Armenia started running its nuclear reactor in the mid ’90s, it has
been a net energy exporter. But the reactor is aging, and they can’t use it
forever. So energy conservation, solar and hydroelectric power are big areas
of research,” he says.
The Secret Handshake
Boghosian anticipates he will be in the U.S. often during his time as AUA’s
leader.
“Basically, it’s a very international position,” he says. “I will be based
in Yerevan while I’m there, but I will be back in the U.S. very frequently.
AUA has offices in Oakland, Calif., and most of its fundraising is done in
the U.S.”
Still, he is prepared for some degree of culture shock as he and his wife,
Laura, settle into their new quarters in Yerevan, a nearly 3,000-year-old
city with gleaming modern hotels; an imposing opera house; a fountain-filled
city square and numerous monuments, museums and cafes.
“Because of Armenian activities in America, I feel going in as though I know
quite a bit about Armenia, but, of course, this is going to teach me much,
much more,” he says. “It’s one thing to visit a place-one thing to know
about a place-and quite another thing to live there and work there. I’m
under no delusions. I know this is very, very much going to be a learning
process.”
At the moment, Boghosian is focusing much of his learning on his Armenian
language tapes. Armenian consists of two primary dialects, eastern and
western. Boghosian’s family, like most of the Armenian immigrants who came
to the U.S. in the early 20th century, spoke the western dialect; in
contemporary Armenia, the eastern dialect predominates.
While president, Boghosian hopes to continue his research. “I’m sure the
rate at which I publish will be diminished, but I don’t want it to go to
zero. I want some amount of research to continue,” he says. “I hope this
opens new opportunities to collaborate with groups over there, and by that
collaboration, help them make connections with counterparts in the West.”
Boghosian says the administration and board of trustees at AUA have been
active in mentoring him as he prepares for his new position; he also says
he’s grateful to Tufts President Lawrence S. Bacow, who has been especially
supportive. Has Bacow offered any special presidential tips? “Well, there’s
no secret handshake that I know of,” laughs Boghosian.
From: A. Papazian
http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2010/07_1/features/04/