University of Michigan\’s Armenian Studies Program Receives $1 Million Gift

ANN ARBOR. MI — The Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation and the Manoogian Simone Foundation have pledged $1 million to the Armenian Studies Program in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. This transformative gift will build on the program’s reputation as one of the strongest Armenian Studies programs in the country.
U-M’s Armenian Studies began more than 30 years ago because of the generosity of Alex and Marie Manoogian. The Manoogians created a solid foundation by endowing two chairs in Armenian studies: The Alex Manoogian Chair in Modern Armenian History in1981 and in1987, the Marie Manoogian Chair in Armenian Language and Literature.
Today the program offers fellowships, research support, specialized symposia, workshops and conferences, as well as public lectures and outreach programs. These events are designed to encourage the understanding of the history, culture, politics and economy of Armenians in Armenia and in the diaspora.
With the renewed support from the children of Alex and Marie Manoogian, Louise Simone and Richard Manoogian, through the Manoogian Simone Foundation and the Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation, the program will continue to flourish. Its distinguished faculty and the rich resources of a leading research institution position the program to develop and sustain a new generation of scholars.
As Kathryn Babayan, director of the Armenian Studies Program noted, “The gift from the Manoogian Simone Foundation and the Alex and Marie Manoogian Foundation to the Armenian Studies Program at UM will secure our role in the critical training of a new generation of scholars and experts through fellowships that support graduate students, post-doctoral, pre-doctoral and visiting scholars, as well as international workshops, symposium and conferences, all of which will make lasting contributions to the field at large.”