Six Visitors from Armenia Will Teach Others What They Learn in Fresno

Bryan Bedrosian, left, with Harutyun Marzpanyan, Ashot Kakosyan, and Dr. Grisha Gharibian at the Bedrosian family vineyard in Fowler, CA.

        Hasmik Hovhanesian traveled thousands of miles to learn how to become a better teacher in her native Armenia. Hovhanesian, a professor of world economics, is one of six professors and administrators at Yerevan State University studying business in Fresno for three weeks.

        They traveled here and are studying at California State University, Fresno through a new exchange program called the Newly Independent States College and University Partnership.

        The group, which included university President Radick Martirossian, also has been visiting businesses, such as National Raisin Co. in Fowler, where Bryan Bedrosian talked about farming practices and raisin packing.

        Standing in a vineyard, Hovhanesian and fellow professor Ashot Kakosyan elaborated on the experience, which ends next week. Hovhanesian has learned a lot about teaching style and curriculum and has had a chance to exchange ideas with her American counterparts. She will relay what she learned to fellow teachers in Yerevan.

        Armenia has an educated populace and Yerevan State University is the main university in that country. Founded in 1919, it has 10,000 students and is strong in physics and math.

        "There are over 150 physics professors there," said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, a professor of Armenian studies at Fresno State and the author of the grant that provided the exchange.

        From 1992 to 1991, Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. "Now they are free and freedom means a lot of things. They have to be independent," said Der Mugrdechian.

        While here, they are learning more about entrepreneurship, business incubators and other programs that are common in the United States. "They are getting the experience of seeing an open society as opposed to closed," said Der Mugrdechian. Der Mugrdechian said he wants to convey the "idea that in an open society you can attempt new things; that you can fail and still keep going."

        For Martirossian, the trip to Fresno State provides him with an opportunity to study administration structure and fund-raising techniques. "There are some very interesting ideas that can be useful," he said.

        But the learning experience goes two ways. A contingent from Fresno State will head to Armenia in June and learn from them, said Kakosyan.