YEREVAN — The American University of Armenia (AUA) is pleased to announce the establishment of the George and Carol Churukian Endowed Scholarship, a merit-based award given annually to a student of the Graduate Certificate in Translation (CTr) program for outstanding performance in academics and practice. The first recipient of the Churukian Scholarship will be a CTr student from the 2024-25 cohort. The Scholarship will motivate excellence in translation studies at the University for many years to come.
“Because we were both educators, the Scholarship reflects our commitment to young people who are pursuing specific goals in education. George, who died in 2023, was director of teacher education at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he initiated several programs and was recognised for his innovations in teaching. He would have been pleased to know that a scholarship leading to a Graduate Certificate in Translation is being established,” said Carol.
The Churukians visited Armenia in June 2005 and again in September 2006. “The first trip was purely for pleasure (and curiosity),” recalled Carol. “The second trip was for the 160th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian Evangelical movement. We were not delegates, but we knew several of those who were participants, including George’s cousin, Reverend Vahan Tootikian.”
Born to Armenian immigrants George and Elizabeth Jerjisian and hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Carol received dual bachelor’s degrees in music education and piano performance from Oberlin College in Ohio, and her master’s degree in piano performance with emphasis on ensemble work from Illinois State University. She was an organist and choir director for several churches, also working at Illinois Wesleyan University as a staff accompanist, while teaching piano students at home for many years until her retirement.
George, born in Cleveland, Ohio, spent his formative years in Paris, Illinois. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, a master’s degree in education from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and supervision from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. He began his career in education as a middle school science teacher in Patchogue, New York. In 1971, he became the head of the Education Department at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia. After moving to Bloomington, Illinois in 1976, he was named chair of the Teacher Education Department at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he taught courses, supervised student teachers, and initiated several innovative programs. In 1991, he was chosen as a Fulbright Scholar and assigned to Kuwait to assist Kuwait University in rebuilding its education system after the destruction of Desert Storm.
At Syracuse, George held leadership responsibilities in the Urban Teacher Education Program, working with teachers in city schools. In Illinois, he was chair of several state education committees, often hosting meetings and seminars in Bloomington. He was a member of the International Society for Teacher Educators, traveling worldwide giving keynote addresses, writing articles, offering advice to seminar participants, and serving as the first editor of the Society’s Journal. He spent years researching the story of his father’s passage from Kessab, Syria to the United States, an endeavor that culminated in the book Never Settle for Second Best (2007).
The three Churukian daughters have duly followed in their parents’ footsteps, likewise finding professional homes for themselves in the field of education. Ann Churukian is assistant music librarian at Vassar College Libraries of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Martha Churukian is an art teacher in Urbana School District #116 in Urbana, Illinois. Alice Churukian is senior instructor and undergraduate director in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of South Carolina. They were pivotal in the decision to establish the named scholarship.
“We are so fortunate to have this connection with the Churukian family, and we are profoundly grateful for their trust and their belief in the success of the Graduate Certificate in Translation program,” says Dr. Shushan Avagyan, the CTr Coordinator at AUA. “We cherish this connection, and we are humbled by this gift of scholarship to our students who are making a difference both in the local community as well as abroad.”
