Dear Friends of Armenian Studies
I am writing to you as the director of the Center for Armenian Studies (CAS) at the University of Michigan. Trained as a historian of the Ottoman Empire, I am proud to head one of the premier institutions of Armenian Studies in the US.
Our strength rests on a thriving academic community of faculty, undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars, flanked by many cultural and academic events focused on Armenia and Armenians, centered around the two endowed chairs in Armenian History and Armenian Language and Literature, respectively. I invite you to see our annual newsletter for more details: ii.umich.edu/armenian/about-us/newsletter. None of it would be possible without the support of the Armenian community, our friends, and alumni over many decades.
This past year, Armenian Studies at U-M added another essential faculty member: Sosy Mishoyan joined the Department of Middle East Studies in January as Lecturer I in Armenian. No serious program in Armenian Studies can exist without rigorous language instruction. Sosy grew up in Aleppo, where she earned a BA in English, and taught Western Armenian there at various institutions. She then obtained an MA in Pedagogy from the Armenian State Pedagogical University. Sosy brings a unique level of training and teaching experience in Western and Eastern Armenian, and we are proud to have her.
This fall, Lilit Gizhlaryan came from Armenia to begin her studies in the Master's program in International and Regional Studies. Her degree will allow her to take her work in international education and conflict resolution in the South Caucasus to the next level. CAS is proud to contribute crucial funding, based on your support, to make her training in the US possible.
Today, I am writing to you to ask for a contribution to the Graduate Student Fellowship Fund of the Center for Armenian Studies at Michigan, so that we may continue this support for the next generation of students of Armenian culture and history. As we seek to recruit the best and brightest students, graduate student support is an essential factor. Fellowships that pay tuition, stipend, and/or support summer research make Michigan more attractive to outstanding young scholars and help them to realize their potential. Every donation, large or small, has a direct impact on the study of future leaders of Armenian communities, Armenian programs, and Armenian Studies. We are grateful that we are able to facilitate this work.
We also have the Armenian Endowment Fund & Center for Armenian Studies Strategic Fund to accept donations. These funds seek to increase the depth of resources devoted to Armenian studies to provide permanent support for the center.
This year, we want to express our thanks for your support in a new way. 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 and select your fund;
- Proceed to Checkout, and under Gift Options, select “I would like to add a comment,” and enter your T-shirt size here (1 per $65 increment);
- Enter your contact information on the following page with the best email & mailing address the t-shirt would be sent to.
With the warmest wishes from Ann Arbor,
Gottfried Hagen
Director, Center for Armenian Studies
Professor of Turkish Studies
