1997_03 The Daily Collegian March 1997

              U'
Hye Sharzhoom
March 1997
.
Agricultural Exchange between Fresno and Armenia
Staff Report
CSU Fresno1 President Dr.
John Welty hosted a reception for a
group of academics and professors
from .Armenia at the University
Home on Wednesday. January -2
As pan oi die United States
Department oi Agriculture. Agri¬
cultural Marketing Assistance
CSU Fresno, a visit to the Kearney
Agricultural Station, a visit to San
Francisco State University, and a
visit lothecanipusolUC Berkeley.
The group oi administrators will
•eiurn to Armenia to continue the
process back in Armenia.
The StrategicvPlanmng
Group included Sanivel Avetisyan.
Head of the Department of Science
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The Agricultural Marketing Assistance Project Team
and Education oi the Ministry of
Agriculture; Vardan Haikazyan.
Director of Extension Service.
Project, a ll I teen person group from
Armenia arrived January lb for a
two week program at California
Slate University. Fresno. The group
was divided into two: a Strategic
Planning Group and a "Train-thc-
Tratners""Group.
The Strategic Planning
Group was designed for adminis¬
trators for ihe purpose of illustrat¬
ing and applying the concepts oi
strategic planning at Armenia's
Agricultural Academy (AAA).
Acuvities for the group included
lectures and laboratory exercises at
Armen Khachairyan. Rector. Ar¬
menian Agricultural Academy;
Sergey Ghazaryan. President.
Academy of Agricultural Sctences;
Levon Aghamyan. Project Direc¬
tor. World Bank's Agricultural
Reform and Restructuring Project
and Gayane Mkrtehian. Assistant
for Public Relations for the USDA.
From the United States were John
Shields. Professor of Agricultural
Economics at California State.Uni-
Armenians in America display in the Special Collections Depart¬
ment at the Henry Madden Library, Fresno State.
Display, from p.2
family and discover the intertwining involvement of Armenians.
This eloquent display at Fresno State offers an insight into the
interrelationships of one of Fresno's oldest communities.
Armenians in America: Fresno as "Refuge'
Special Collections of the
Henry Madden Library
CSU Fresno
M-F 10 AM - 4:30 PM   ,
The exhibit will be open through the summer.
icrsity. Fresno and leader oi the
Strategic Planning Group; Donald
Pritchard. and David Nelson, con¬
sultant for strategic planning and
curriculunvdevelopnieni.
The "Train-theTrainers Pro¬
gram" was designed for faculty
-from die Agricultural Academy.
The goal of the program was to
provide a general overview, of im¬
portant aspects ol conducting agri¬
cultural business. Mini-courses in
finance, management, marketing,
and computer applications were
presented over the two week pe¬
riod. The participants were able to
take away from the course enough
knowledge and material to enable
them lo incorporate all or parts of
the course into their classes at die
Agricultural Academy.
The "Train-the-Traincrs"
group included from Armenia:
Gerasim Davtyan. Dean of the De¬
partment oi Agncultural Econom¬
ics at the Armenian Agricultural
Academy; Sergey Meloyan. Deputy
Dean. Department of Agricultural
Economics at the Ar¬
menian Agricultural
Academy; Varduhi
Khachairyan. Assis¬
tant lo the Rector for
Foreign Relations at
the Armenian Agri¬
cultural Academy;
Youn Marmaryan,
Deputy Rector of the
Armenian Agricul¬
tural Ac'adetny;
Tsolak Galstyan,
Head. Department of
Academic Mediodol-
Visiting the Armenian Community School of Fresno
ogy at (he Armenian Agncultural
Academy; Ashot Aghababyan.
Head. Department of Scientilics at
ihe Armenian Agricultural Aca¬
demics; Armen Aivazyan. Assis¬
tant to ihe Rector at the Armenian
Agricultural Academy ol Arme¬
nia; Ashot Bayadyan. Professor and
Chair oi the Department of Ac¬
counting and Audit at the Arme¬
nian Agricultural Academy and
Gayane Petrosyati. of the USDA.
Juan Batista. Prolessor ol
Agricultural Economics at Califor¬
nia State University was the leader
of the "Train-dic-Trainers" group.
Elizabeth Shields. Victor Panico.
James Cothern. and William Rice,
all of California Slate University.
Fresno implemented the mini-
courses.
Barlow Der
Mugrdechian oi the
Armenian Studies
Program coordinated
translation services
for the two-week pro¬
gram. Translators
were Arevig
Hagopian.     Ashot
Hagopian. and
VikioriyaYcrkanyaii
In front of Valley Lahvosh.
CD
Review
By Barlow Der Mugrdechian
The Music nl Armenia: Vol¬
ume Five: Folk Music/
Shoghaken Ensemble. Disk I
(75*12") and Disk 2(73*58")
Celestial Harmonies. P.O. Box
30122. Tuscon. Arizona 85751
Volume five of the six volume
serias The Music of Armenia has
recently been released by Celestial
Harmonies. Composer David Par¬
sons has continued his exploration
into the sacred and folk traditions
of Eastern Armenians with this
double CD devoted to the folk music
of Armenia. In this latest pnxluc- •
tion. listeners enjoy the traditional
music of Armenia: rural work
songs, urban folk songs, contem¬
porary protest songs from the dis¬
puted Karabagh region, laments,
songs of emigration, and'the uni¬
versal topic of love. Unlike the
earlier volumes in this series, which
have featured a single ensemble or
soloist, the folk songs and dances
in this collection are performed by
no fewer than two ensembles and a
number of vocal soloists.
Western Armenian music,
from the region of Vaspourakan
(Van), is also included on both CDs.
Longing for the lost Western Ar¬
menian  provinces runs deep
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through the music on the CDs.
The music represent
Armenia's unique geographical
position as a crossroads between
Asia and Europe. Many of the
performers of diese pieces also per¬
formed in the earlier CDs of the
series. Again, such instruments as
die duduk. kanon. kamanclia, dhol.
zurna. and shevi are used. The
duduk and the kamanclia have the
most important role in the music
since they are best suited to per¬
forming the intricately ornamented
Armenian songs.
The Shoghaken Folk Ensemble
and the Sasun Folk Group perform
many of the pieces. The Shoghaken
Folk Ensemble was founded in 19*J1
byCevorg Dabaghian and usesonly
traditional instruments. Its aim is
to recreate the authentic sound ol
Armenian music without outside
influences.
The Sasun Folk Group was
founded in 1^88 in the village of
Nerkin Bazmaberd by Andranik
Manukian. The group specializes
in the folk songs and dances of
Mush and Sasun in Western Arme¬
nia.
Recorded in the Ardzakank
Recording Studio in Yerevan, this
CD set reveals the rich cultural
history of Armenia through music.
Volume is highly recommended for
its authentic sound and highly
evocative music.