Armenian Studies needs your help. Unlike many academic programs, Armenian Studies at the University of Michigan is almost entirely and exclusively community-funded. This unique distinction underscores the special privilege we have in having an area center wholly dedicated to the exploration and advancement of Armenian education. From enriching courses to engaging events, student funding, and groundbreaking initiatives, small and large gifts from our generous community have been the driving force behind our accomplishments.
But there is always room for growth! We are asking for your help to establish a Graduate Student Fellowship Fund that will offer continuous graduate student tuition, benefits, and summer research funding to incoming and current graduate students associated with our center. While the center has trained a new generation of excellent scholars, the costs for higher education are on the rise and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that our students receive the necessary support while focusing on their studies.
Your confidence in our efforts is deeply appreciated, and we invite you to join us in shaping the future of Armenian Studies. We could not do this without your generous support.
How you can support Armenian Studies this year:
1. Join our emailing list and come to our events!
* Besides the personal fulfillment that comes with participating in academically and culturally rich activities, demonstrating broad participation and interest in our program helps us get support from the college and our community sponsors.
2. Share our center’s mission with your friends & networks.
* Encouraging others to join our emailing list and follow us on Facebook is the best way we can share and expand the study and recognition of Armenian culture & history.
3. Wear our shirts!
* By simply wearing our shirts you would be raising awareness and visibility of Armenian studies and all it has to offer.
4. Consider donating to one of our 3 publicly sourced funds.
* Every gift no matter how small goes directly to funding student education, center administration, or putting on the public events you see regularly from CAS.
5. Consider a larger gift to offer more lasting support to our center.
* Whether that be funding day-to-day administration, outreach to Armenia & abroad, establishing permanent student fellowships, or increasing enriching programming, our larger donations are vital in ensuring a healthy and impactful center.
In recognition of every donation of $65 or higher, we will send you one of our special CAS T-shirts! Our Center T-shirts not only represent your support for Armenian Studies but also help raise awareness of our vibrant community!
Follow these steps to receive your shirt:
Visit the Donation page, select your fund, and proceed to Checkout
Once complete, you will receive an email notification linking to a form, where you can provide your T-shirt size and contact information (1 per $65 increment)
Our Public Funds:
Center for Armenian Studies Strategic Fund
Gifts to this fund immediately support collaborations, initiatives, and center public programming that create opportunities for students and the community to interact with prominent scholars, artists, and experts in the field.
Armenian Studies Graduate Student Fellowship Fund
Gifts to this fund support graduate student tuition, benefits, and summer research funding. After a designated amount is reached, we will have a regular source of funding for incoming students.
Armenian Studies Endowment
Gifts to this fund seek to increase the depth of resources devoted to Armenian studies to provide permanent support for the center.
Hear From Our Students:
Being dyslexic, I realized that heavy amounts of reading were not what I was used to in engineering school. But in the winter ‘23 semester, I seized the rare opportunity to take a course with Professor Ronald Suny, and we tailored the class to lie just outside my comfort zone. Enriching questions, discussions, and debates on the history of Armenia with a world-renowned professor gave me the experience I was looking for at a University like Michigan. Having learned to read and speak Armenian and study Armenian History at U-M, I feel equipped to make a difference and carry what I have learned to friends, colleagues, and future generations.
— Armen Vartanian, B.S. Student, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Class of 2024
Thanks to the fellowship, I was able to complete a full draft of my dissertation, which consists of six chapters. Throughout the semester, I was able to discuss my chapters with different professors and peers, whose feedback and comments on my dissertation helped me reformulate and tighten my chapters.Â
— Dzovinar Derderian, Ph.D. Middle East Studies, 2019. Assistant Adjunct Professor, University of California, Berkeley
As a student affiliated with the center, I have not only benefited from very generous financial and institutional support, but I have had the opportunity to work with exceptional scholars, both the Armenian Studies faculty and my fellow graduate students working in Armenian Studies, many of whom have become close friends. Being part of such a vibrant community and having so many chances to share your work with colleagues and receive their feedback makes all the difference in giving a strong sense of purpose to one’s research project.
— Etienne Charrière, Ph.D. Comparative Literature, 2016. Assistant Professor, Bilkent University
Launching a survey of such scale is very costly, especially for a graduate student, and requires a significant amount of preparation, considering the scope, as well as the sensitive nature of the subject explored. Thanks to the funding from CAS, I was fortunate to have the means to offset the costs pertaining to the design of the questionnaire, pilot testing, as well as the training of the enumerators (to be able to conduct survey interviews competently, especially in the rural setting and when working with vulnerable populations.)
— Jane Kitaevich, Ph.D. Student, Department of Political Science
