Universities & Enterprise Culture: Challenges & Opportunities

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YEREVAN, Armenia—On February 14, the Zaven & Sonia Akian College of Science & Engineering (CSE) of the American University of Armenia (AUA) organized an open discussion with Richard Berg Rust, Development Director and Fellow at Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. Mr. Rust presented Hughes Hall, a progressive and innovative college of the University of Cambridge with a vibrant research and entrepreneurial culture. The College accepts graduate students and mature undergraduates in all areas of study and research and offers a generous range of scholarships and bursaries targeted at new and continuing students.

Mr. Rust joined Cambridge University’s oldest and most cosmopolitan graduate college, Hughes Hall, in 2013. Working in partnership with an alumni network, which ranges over 117 countries worldwide, his remit covers a portfolio of projects including major scholarship programs and capital development, most recently delivering a £12m new accommodation building for students at the College (2016). In 2014, he established the Hughes Hall Enterprise Society, which works to encourage enterprising students to establish start-up businesses.

The event was moderated by Dr. Aram Hajian, Dean of CSE, who received a Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, as well as M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University․ Mrs. Amalya Kostanyan, a Luys Scholar at Cambridge University, was also present during the discussion and shared her personal experience with the attendees in a very motivational speech.  

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality, graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values.