YEREVAN, Armenia — After nearly 16 years of service on the American University of Armenia (AUA) Board of Trustees, including 13 as chair, Dr. Lawrence H. Pitts has officially retired from the chairmanship. While he continues to serve as a member of the Board, Dr. Pitts will be succeeded as chair by Zaven Paul Akian, long-time AUA benefactor, for whom the University’s Zaven P. and Sonia Akian College of Science and Engineering is named.
Dr. Pitts assumed the chairmanship of the University’s Board of Trustees in 2012, shortly after retiring from his position as provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs at the University of California (UC) and three years after joining the Board. Prior to becoming UC provost, Dr. Pitts served as a professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine.
Dr. Pitts spent 17 years as chief of neurosurgery at the San Francisco General Hospital, where he conducted and published numerous studies related to neurotrauma and was appointed chairman of the Joint Section on Neurotrauma of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. Dr. Pitts was elected into the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and subsequently as chairman of the American Brain Injury Consortium, an organization of 50 neurotrauma centers in the United States, Canada, and Israel. He also served on the Medical Advisory Board of the Acoustic Neuroma Association and participated in lectures of both practical courses in acoustic neuroma and skull base surgery at national and international meetings.
He was introduced to AUA during his tenure as UC provost, in light of AUA’s close affiliation with UC since its establishment in 1991. Under this affiliation agreement, UC has provided academic and administrative guidance to AUA, with several current or former UC administrators and academic leaders serving on AUA’s Board of Trustees. This inspired Dr. Pitts to become a trustee, until his eventual appointment to the chairman position.
The role of Board chair, previously occupied by the sitting or former provost of UC, will now be assumed by Akian, who brings with him new perspectives shaped by his professional and philanthropic experience.Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Akian earned a baccalaureate degree from the International College of the American University of Beirut before emigrating to the United States in 1960 to study at NYU’s School of Engineering. He later transferred to Adelphi University, where he majored in mathematics and physics and played in the 1963 NCAA soccer semifinals. After graduating in 1964, he pursued graduate studies in applied mathematics and business at UCLA while serving six years in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Akian built a successful career in technology-based ventures, partnering with U.S. Armed Forces agencies, NASA, and aerospace companies. He led Western Filter and Puroflow Corporations — both aerospace filtration manufacturers — for over 25 years before selling them in 2008. He currently chairs Integra Technologies, a semiconductor company he has funded since 1998, with research centers in California, Arizona, and Armenia. Integra leads in high-power RF solutions for avionics, air traffic control, and defense. In 1999, he also acquired FluiDyne Fluid Power in Michigan and remains active in real estate through Akian Capital, LLC.
Akian served six years on Adelphi University’s Board of Trustees and currently sits on the boards of Golden State Bank and the Western Diocese Armenian Church Endowment Fund. His contributions to Armenia and the Diaspora have earned him honors including the Medal of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Medal of Gratitude from the President of Armenia, and the ARPA Institute’s Eternal Flame Award. In 2016, AUA named its College of Science and Engineering after Zaven and his late wife, Sonia, in recognition of their significant endowment and support.
To honor the transition of the Chair of the AUA Board of Trustees, an appreciation dinner was held on June 6, during which Dr. Pitts was celebrated for his years of dedicated service, while Akian was welcomed as the incoming Chair. The event brought together the University’s executive team, deans, members of the Board of Trustees, deputy minister of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, Arthur Martirosyan, and other distinguished guests. During the evening, the outgoing Chair Dr. Pitts was awarded the highest medal of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports for his significant contributions to education and his long-standing service and remarkable impact in the field of educational development.
AUA President Dr. Bruce Boghosian thanked Dr. Pitt’s for his commitment and longtime service to the AUA Board of Trustees. He praised Dr. Pitts’ leadership, stating: “Dr. Pitts’ chairmanship was marked by his high level of engagement, extreme generosity with his time and resources, and invaluable contributions to the growth and success of the University. He served as a source of constant inspiration to us all, seeing the University through critical stages of expansion, such as the launch of our undergraduate program in 2013.”
Dr. Pitts reflected on his journey from a fulfilling academic career at UCSF to his role at AUA, emphasizing the value of education and his deep appreciation for the Armenian community. He expressed gratitude for being embraced “as a member of the Armenian family” and highlighted the dedication of AUA’s leadership, faculty, and staff. “Coming to AUA was the perfect project to channel my energy into — an initiative that continues to strike me as meaningful and lasting,” he highlighted. Acknowledging the shared mission of the University, he noted, “At every board meeting, we asked ourselves: How will this help Armenia?” Dr. Pitts concluded by thanking all those who make AUA thrive, including the faculty, staff, executive leadership, Board of Trustees, and the often-unseen supporters — the spouses, partners, and families — whose unwavering encouragement and sacrifices help sustain the University’s mission.
The event also served as an occasion to acknowledge incoming Chair Akian’s exceptional professional achievements, philanthropic contributions, and enduring support for higher education, both in the United States and Armenia, underscoring the Board’s confidence in his leadership for the University’s future.
In his remarks, Akian expressed deep gratitude to Dr. Pitts for his years of dedicated service and conveyed his strong sense of responsibility as he steps into the new role. “I am humbled and deeply grateful to be entrusted by the trustees of our Board with the responsibility of serving as chair for the next two years. To serve alongside a distinguished group of 30 trustees — leaders whose backgrounds span academia, business, law, health, technology and sciences — is both an honor and a privilege. Together, we form a collective group dedicated to ensuring the continued excellence of this institution,” he remarked.
The event concluded with heartfelt conversations and expressions of mutual appreciation, as guests connected over the University’s past achievements and reflections on its continued mission and evolving journey.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
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[Ժողովուրդ] ԿԳՄՍՆ-ն մեդալով է պարգևատրել Հայաստանի ամերիկյան համալսարանի հոգաբարձուների խորհրդի նախագահին
[MassisPost] Zaven P. Akian Succeeds Dr. Lawrence Pitts as Chair of AUA Board of Trustees
