Read the previous chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
2007-2016
In 2007, the American University of Armenia (AUA) was entering a new chapter, one that would reshape the University and expand its place in Armenia’s educational landscape. Over the next decade, AUA would grow in size and ambition, strengthen its international standing, expand its academic and research activities, and lay the foundation for undergraduate education. It was a period of transformation that would redefine what AUA could offer its students and how deeply it could contribute to Armenia’s future.
Building on a Strong Foundation
The University’s journey reached a significant milestone in 2007, when AUA received U.S. accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (now WASC Senior College and University Commission), following its 2002 recognition as a Candidate for Accreditation. The accreditation affirmed AUA’s commitment to internationally recognized standards of academic quality and marked an important step in strengthening the University’s standing as an American-accredited institution in Armenia. The milestone was marked by an official statement from AUA President Dr. Haroutune Armenian, alongside representatives of Armenia’s higher education community and government, reflecting the significance of the achievement for both the University and the country’s evolving higher education landscape.
That recognition came as AUA’s reach was expanding in other ways. The Turpanjian Rural Development Program extended its presence into Armenia’s regions, opening field offices in Shirak and Tavush and in Nagorno-Karabakh, while AUA Extension broadened its educational offerings and partnerships. The University was also investing in expanding access to knowledge, launching the Armenian Virtual Science Library Project to provide digital library services to Armenia’s scientific community.
Creating Space for a Growing Vision
AUA’s growing ambitions required more than new programs and partnerships; they also required space to match them. In 2008, the University opened the Paramaz Avedisian Building (PAB), marking one of the most significant milestones in AUA’s physical development. The fully equipped, state-of-the-art facility was designed to provide a superior learning environment and significantly expand the University’s capacity.
Made possible through the generosity of AUA benefactor Edward Avedisian, the building was named in honor of his brother, Paramaz Avedisian. Edward Avedisian was the principal donor of the 100,000-square-foot facility and served as chair of its Construction Committee from 2005 to 2009.
The grand opening brought together members of AUA’s leadership and Board of Trustees, along with those who had helped bring the project to life, including members of the Building Committee, design and construction teams, and University community and supporters. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting marked the occasion, celebrating the completion of a major undertaking and the beginning of a new chapter for AUA.
The PAB was more than a new building. It was a visible expression of confidence in AUA’s future and a foundation for the University’s next stage of growth. With expanded space for teaching, learning, and academic activities, AUA was better positioned to broaden its programs, strengthen its research, and serve a growing community.
That growth was already taking shape both within and beyond the campus. The University deepened its research collaborations and invested in initiatives that extended its impact, including a three-year collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Institute for Global Tobacco Control on tobacco-control research in Armenia and the continued development of the AUA Digital Library of Armenian Classics. AUA Extension expanded its reach to Gyumri and Stepanakert, bringing its educational programs to new communities. By 2009, AUA was increasingly connected to a wider network of institutions in Armenia and abroad, with new collaborations, professional programs and research initiatives reflecting the University’s growing reach and setting the stage for an even more consequential transformation in the years ahead.
Preparing for a New Academic Chapter
The beginning of the new decade brought changes that would help shape AUA’s next phase. In 2010, the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Bruce Boghosian as the University’s third president and named Dr. Haroutune Armenian president emeritus. Under new leadership, AUA continued strengthening its academic programs, research activities, and institutional infrastructure, including major renovations to the Main Building. With support from the USAID American Schools and Hospitals Abroad program (AHSA) grant, the University also expanded the AGBU Papazian Library and modernized the cafeteria, further improving the campus environment for its growing community.
AUA’s 20th anniversary in 2011 provided an opportunity to celebrate two decades of achievement while looking ahead to the University’s future. The anniversary was marked by a weeklong “Celebration of Education” in Yerevan and a gathering in Silicon Valley, while AUA launched its 2011-2017 Strategic Plan to guide its next stage of development.
By 2012, that next stage was taking clearer shape. AUA received preliminary approval from WASC for its reaccreditation Capacity Preparatory Review and for the introduction of undergraduate programs beginning in fall 2013. The University strengthened partnerships with Armenian government institutions, expanded its academic offerings and facilities, and launched initiatives to support Syrian-Armenian students following the outbreak of the Syrian conflict.
The groundwork had been laid. AUA was preparing to make one of the most consequential changes in its history: expanding its mission from graduate education to undergraduate education.
The Undergraduate Era Begins
In 2013, AUA entered a new era with the launch of its first undergraduate programs in English and Communications, Business, and Computational Sciences. With 282 students joining the inaugural undergraduate cohort, the University expanded its educational mission and opened its doors to a new generation of students.
The launch of undergraduate programs marked a fundamental transformation in the University’s identity and reach. For more than two decades, AUA had built its reputation through graduate education and professional programs. Now, it was preparing to educate students from the beginning of their university careers and, in doing so, significantly expand its impact on Armenia.
The significance of the moment was captured by President Dr. Bruce Boghosian in remarks at a fundraising event celebrating the launch of AUA’s undergraduate programs, hosted by the University’s longstanding supporters Zaven and Sonia Akian at their home in Brentwood. Reflecting on AUA’s expanding impact, Dr. Boghosian noted, “At this new size, we will create more new graduates in just a few years’ time than we have created in our entire 22-year history — more graduates to start new businesses and spur the Armenian economy, more graduates infused in businesses and government who will introduce transparency and best practices, more graduates who will transform the Armenian economy and the Armenian nation.”
The expansion brought new energy to campus. AUA established the Center for Student Success to support its growing undergraduate community while continuing to strengthen its academic offerings and research capacity through the introduction of a new Master of Science in Quantitative Economics and expanded research in environmental science, responsible mining, and public health.
The year also marked an important moment for the AUA community beyond campus. AUA welcomed back members of its first graduating class for their 20th anniversary reunion, and the class established an Alumni Endowment Fund, strengthening a tradition of alumni engagement and giving back to the University.
With its first undergraduate class enrolled, AUA had entered a fundamentally new chapter. The University was no longer simply preparing for growth; it was beginning to experience it firsthand.
Growing With Purpose
The years that followed brought a period of consolidation, leadership transition and growing institutional maturity, as the University strengthened its academic foundations, expanded its research and partnerships, and deepened its impact.
In 2014, following Dr. Boghosian’s resignation, Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian became AUA’s fourth president. His appointment carried a particular significance for the University’s history. In his book, From Earthquake Tragedy to Beacon of Light: The Story of the American University of Armenia, reflecting on a letter he received from Founding President Dr. Mihran Agbabian, who compared AUA’s three co-founders to the Three Musketeers, Dr. Der Kiureghian recalled Agbabian’s charge that he would now “carry out the work of three persons.”
Under Dr. Der Kiureghian’s leadership, AUA continued to broaden its academic and research impact. In 2014, the School of Public Health received a seed grant from Grand Challenges Canada to implement an innovative approach to tuberculosis care in Armenia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. AUA also launched the Center for Responsible Mining, the first center of its kind in the country and the region, strengthening the University’s role in addressing critical issues surrounding Armenia’s mining sector.
In 2015, AUA’s institutional progress received important external recognition when its accreditation was reaffirmed by the WASC Senior College and University Commission for nine years. The University strengthened its connections with the University of California system as well, launching a summer intensive program in Armenian Studies with UCLA and signing a memorandum of understanding with UC Irvine to promote future educational and scientific cooperation.
AUA was simultaneously expanding its capacity. With support from USAID-ASHA, the University established the Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Center (EPIC) in 2015, creating a dedicated space for entrepreneurship and product development. The ASHA-supported expansion continued in 2016, with the modernization of the Center for Student Services and the completion of new learning, collaboration, and innovation spaces, including the Collaborative Study Area.
The University’s growing capacity was matched by an expanding community of supporters. In 2016, AUA successfully launched the 100 Pillars of AUA campaign, bringing together 100 donors committed to five years of unrestricted support. The initiative reflected the growing commitment of AUA’s supporters to the University’s continued development and future.
That same year, AUA reached a milestone of its own: its 25th anniversary. The University marked the occasion with celebrations in Yerevan and Los Angeles, reflecting on 25 years of education, service, and impact. The anniversary theme, “More than an education — a commitment,” captured something increasingly central to AUA’s identity. What began as a theme for the 25th anniversary resonated so strongly with the University’s vision that it became an unofficial motto, expressing a belief that an AUA education was not simply about what students learned, but about what they would go on to contribute.
By its 25th year, AUA had grown from a pioneering graduate institution into a comprehensive university with an expanding undergraduate community, a growing research profile, and an increasingly broad network of partners and supporters. The years ahead would build on that foundation, as AUA continued to deepen its commitment to education, innovation, and Armenia’s future.
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 (WSCUC) 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.