News — #NAASR
Treasures of NAASR's Mardigian Library ~ NAASR and the Establishment of the Mashtots Chair at Harvard, 1954-1969
In conjunction with the celebratory event NAASR held on May 6, 2023, marking the appointment of Christina Maranci as the third holder of the Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies at Harvard University, we are devoting this Library Treasures installment to materials from NAASR’s own organizational archives pertaining to this organization’s pioneering effort to establish the first chair in Armenian Studies in the U.S.—or, indeed, anywhere in the Armenian diaspora in North America—focusing on the years from 1954 to the appointment of the first chairholder in 1969.
NAASR awarded $150,000 Cummings Foundation Grant
The Cummings Foundation grant will be used to create an online curated genocide resource center featuring leading documentary resources suitable for users at a high school level education and to promote the new online genocide resource center to librarians and schoolteachers within the communities of Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk counties.
Honoring Christina Maranci, Mashtots Chair in Armenian Studies, Harvard ~ Saturday, May 6, 2023 ~ In-Person Ticketed Event
NAASR was launched in March 1955 to pursue a bold vision of promoting Armenian Studies by establishing endowed chairs at foremost universities in the United States. NAASR achieved this ambitious goal by establishing the first chair in Armenian Studies, at Harvard University. In 1959 we marked the successful conclusion of our Harvard Chair campaign at a gala in Memorial Hall. The Mashtots Chair was the first at Harvard to be endowed by a community organization.
In Memoriam: Dennis Papazian (1931-2023)
The NAASR Board of Directors and staff join with many worldwide in mourning Dr. Dennis Papazian (1931-2023), a friend and colleague and contributor to multiple aspects of academia, Armenian-American life, and Armenian Studies for decades. He was a Charter Member of NAASR, having joined in 1955, and a NAASR Life Member. He served as a NAASR Regional Director for Michigan from 1967-71, on the NAASR Board of Directors from 1973-1990, and for decades as a member of the NAASR Academic Advisory Committee.
NAASR TO HOLD “EXPANDING HORIZONS ~ WEST COAST” EVENT at JONATHAN CLUB in LOS ANGELES ~ January 29, 2023
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will host a special event, “Expanding Horizons—West Coast,” on Sunday, January 29, 2023, to welcome Dr. Taner Akçam to the Los Angeles area and to connect with members and supporters. This evening get together will be held in downtown Los Angeles at the historic Jonathan Club, 545 South Figueroa Street. There will be a cocktail reception at 5:00 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m
NAASR ANNOUNCES WINNERS of 2022 DR. SONA ARONIAN ARMENIAN STUDIES BOOK PRIZES
NAASR’s Aronian Book Prizes were established in 2014 by the late Dr. Sona Aronian and Dr. Geoffrey Gibbs, to be awarded annually to outstanding scholarly works in the English language in the field of Armenian Studies and translations from Armenian into English.
ANNUAL APPEAL ~ Tis the Season of Giving
Over the past 67 years and with the generosity of committed people like you, NAASR has been shaping how scholars and the world understand the Armenian experience.
In Memoriam: Edward Avedisian (1937-2022) ~ NAASR Board Member and Philanthropist
With great sadness, NAASR joins with family and friends and the Armenian community worldwide in mourning the passing of Edward Avedisian on December 7, 2022. Avedisian, a world-class clarinetist who performed with the Boston Pops for 35 years and the Boston Ballet Orchestra for 43 seasons, among other orchestras, served on the NAASR Board of Directors since 2016 and was principal benefactor for NAASR’s Vartan Gregorian Building which opened in 2019. Click here for a video honoring Ed Avedisian (2021).
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE at NAASR ~ Thursday, December 15, 2022
All are welcome to join the Board and staff at NAASR in celebrating the holiday season!
NAASR Holds 68th Annual Assembly and Welcomes Distinguished New Board Members
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) welcomes four highly accomplished new members to its 27-person Board of Directors.