CURRICULUM
VITAE
Born
1934 to U.S. citizens in Rumania. Married to Angèle Kapoïan,
professor of French and research scholar in Armenian and Islamic
studies.
EDUCATION
1952-57 B.S. University of Wisconsin, Madison; European cultural
history.
1958-61 M.A. American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Arabic studies.
Dissertation: "The Crisis in the Armenian Church."
1961-67 PhD. Columbia University, New York (degree granted 1969);
Near Eastern Languages and Civilization; major: Armenian studies,
minors: Turkic and Arabic studies. Dissertation: "A Numismatic
History of Southeastern Caucasia and Adharbayjan Based on the Islamic
Coinage of the 5th/11th to the 7th/13th Centuries."
1962 Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; intensive Turkish
1965 American Numismatic Society, New York; Numismatic seminar (summer).
1968-71 American University in Cairo, Egypt; Islamic art and architecture.
1975-6, 8 Ecole pratiques des hautes études, Paris; Byzantine
illumination.
CAREER
1977-present Haig & Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies;
Director, Center for Armenian Studies; Coordinator, Armenian Studies
Program, School of Arts and Humanities, California State University,
Fresno.
1996-97 William Saroyan Visiting Professor of Armenian Studies,
University of California, Berkeley.
1988-91 Professor and Chairholder of Armenian, Director, Armenian
Department, Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales
(INALCO), University of Paris III.
1987 Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Department of Foreign Languages
and Literature, Erevan State University, Armenia.
1976-78 Professor, Near Eastern and Classical history and art, American
University in Paris.
1971-76 Associate Professor, Armenian and Near Eastern history and
art, History and Religious Studies Department, Coordinator, B.A.
Program in Art History (1974-5), American University of Beirut,
Lebanon.
1971-72 Professor, Armenian history and civilization; Chairman,
Department of Armenian Studies, Haigazian College, Beirut, Lebanon.
1967-71 Assistant Professor, Middle Eastern history and civilization,
Assistant Director, Center.for Arabic Studies, American University
in Cairo, Egypt,
1965-67 Director, American Authors, Inc. Literary Agency, 342 Madison
Ave., N.Y.
1961-64 Lecturer, Oriental and Western humanities, English Department,
Columbia University, N.Y.
1959-61 Instructor, Western Humanities and European History, General
Education Department, American University of Beirut
CONSULTANT
1976 UNESCO, Paris, Section for the Preservation of Sites and Monuments,
Consultant to the Libyan Arab Republic, Department of Antiquities
on the conservation, classification, and display of ancient coins
and metalwork. See UNESCO Technical Report RP/1975-76/3.421.5.
MEMBERSHIP
IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
American Historical Association (1971-86)
American
Numismatic Society (1965-), elected Fellow 1986
American
Oriental Society (1966-90)
Armenian
Numismatic Society (1973-)
Association
internationale des études arméniennes (1982-) founding
member, Executive Committee, 1990-1993
College
Arts Association (1973-)
International
Association of Iranian Art & Archaeology (1972-1979)
Medieval
Academy of America (1969-1976)
Middle
East Medievalists (1989), founding member
Middle
East Studies Association (1969-), founding member
Phi
Kappa Phi honor society, (1995-)
Oriental
Numismatic Society (1975-78)
Société
asiatique, Paris (1978-)
Société
de la Revue des études arméniennes, Paris (1978-)
Society
for Armenian Studies (1974-) founding member, administrative Council
(1974-5, 1980-1, 1984-86, 1992-95, 1998-2000), President (1984-86,
1992-94).
FELLOWSHIPS
AND HONORS
1964 Carnegie Endowment Fellowship in Oriental Humanities, Columbia
University, N.Y.
1969 & 1970 Outstanding Professor Award, Student Council, American
University in Cairo, two successive years.
1977- Board of Advisors Armenian Architectural Archive, Troy, N.Y.
1979 Hagop Kevorkian Distinguished Lectureship in Near Eastern Art
and Civilization, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, New York University.
Lecture Series Topic: "The Iconography of Armenian Pentecost."
1980-81 Board of Directors, William Saroyan Foundation, San Francisco.
1981-2 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to inventory
and move William Saroyan's archives from Paris to Fresno and Berkeley,
California.
1982 Appointed by the William Saroyan Foundation to take the writer's
ashes to Soviet Armenia for burial.
1984-86 Elected President, Society for Armenian Studies, two successive
terms.
1985- Board of Scholars, Zoryan Institute for Contemporary Armenian
Research and Documentation Cambridge, MA.
1986- Board of Directors, Armenian Film Foundation, Los Angeles.
1986 Chosen Outstanding Professor of the Year by the Faculty Senate,
California State University, Fresno.
1987- Elected Fellow, American Numismatic Society.
1987 Fulbright Senior Lecturer, Erevan State University, Erevan,
Armenia.
1988- Chosen first incumbent of the Haig & Isabel Berberian
Endowed Chair of Armenian Studies, California State University,
Fresno.
1990-1993 Executive Committee of the Association Internationale
des Etudes Arméniennes.
1991- Academic Advisory Board of the National Association for Armenian
Studies and Research.
1991- Appointed first Director of the Center for Armenian Studies,
California State University, Fresno.
1992 Technology Research Grant for the computerization of the Index
of Armenian Art, California State University, Fresno.
1992-94 Elected President, Society for Armenian Studies.
1993-99 Successive research grants from the Bertha & John Garabedian
Charitable Foundation.
1995 Elected Honorary Life Member for Outstanding Service in the
Advancement of Armenian Studies in America, National Association
for Armenian Studies and Research,
1995 NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) Grant for research
on a pre-seventh century Armeno-Greek papyrus,
1996 Received encyclicals from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of
the Great House of Cilicia and Karekin I, Catholicos of the Armenian
Church in Holy Etchmiadzin for service to Armenian Studies.
1996 Decorated with the medal of St. Sahak and St. Mesrop by His
Holiness Karekin I, Catholicos of the Armenian Church, for service
to Armenian Studies.
1996 Elected to Phi Kappa Phi honor society with special recognition
1997 Invited to Armenia by the Ministry of Culture to conduct a
two week film festival on the occasion of the 100th anniversary
of the birth of director Rouben Mamoulian.
1998 Official nominee of the Fresno State chapter of Phi Kappa Phi
in the triennial national competition for the outstanding scholar
of the U.S.; ranked among the top five nation-wide
1999 Chosen "University Scholar of the Year" by Phi Kappa
Phi honor society at Fresno State.
1999 Recipient of the Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching
in the newly established category of "Outstanding Achievements
in Research."
2000 Chosen "Man of the Year," by the Armenian National
Committee Central Valley.
2003 Arthur H. Dadian Armenian Heritage Award, Armenian Students
Association of American.
EDITORIAL
BOARDS
1977 Armenian Review, Boston
1978 Revue des Etudes Arméniennes, Paris
1978 Ararat Literary Quarterly, New York
1986 Journal of Armenian Studies, Cambridge, MA
1986-96 Documents of Armenian Architecture/Documenti di Architettura
Armena, Milan, English editor
1992 Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Armenian Studies Program
