In Iran, Age Doesn’t Matter?

Despite continued political and social strife in Iran, the university entrance exams – better known as ‘concour’ – were held 25 – 27 June 2009. Like in previous years, the nation-wide standardized exams were held in 5 fields: Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Humanities, Arts, and Foreign Languages.

According to Iran’s Education Measurement and Evaluation Office, via Tehran Times, a 74 years old woman was the oldest participant in the exam. She took the exam in the field of Humanities. The 2nd oldest participant was not much younger; a man of 73, who took the exam in Natural Sciences.

In Iran there are no age limitations for starting university education even if studies at public universities are subsidized by the state.

On the other edge, 22 young candidates of 13 years old participated in the exam.

It is unknown whether these candidates, old or young, succeeded passing the exam as the results will not be announced before September.

US Rutgers University to Offer Course on Karabakh

Armenian Reporter, a U.S.-based Diaspora publication, reports that Artsakh (de facto independent republic of Nagorno-Karabakh) will soon have its debut as subject of university level course.

"Conflicts in the Caucasus: Ethnic Separatist Movements in Comparative Perspective" is the title of a course to be offered this coming fall at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. The course will provide an overview of ethnic and separatist conflicts over Abkhazia, Chechnya, Ossetia, and Artsakh, with Artsakh used as a case study and the primary focus of the course.

The course will be taught by Professor John A. Kasbarian, who holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the same university. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the geography of nationalism during the recent war in Artsakh. The dissertation titled "We Are Our Mountains: The Geography of Nationalism in the Armenian Self-Determination Movement, Nagorno-Karabakh, 1988-1998" was informed by his own experiences on the ground.

Mr. Kasbarian has published widely on Artsakh in both academic journals and the press, both in the United States and in former Soviet countries. A former editor of the Armenian Weekly, he is active in Armenian affairs and works as development director for the New York-based Tufenkian Foundation, supervising activities in Artsakh that focus on small-business development, economic recovery programs, and refugee resettlement.

This course is being sponsored by the Rutgers University Armenian Studies Program, through the generous support of benefactors G. Haig and Nadine Ariyan. Their donation was given in memory of their childhood friend, Peter E Mardikian, who died in the September 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. Mr. Mardikian was getting ready to present at a technology and financial trade show on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center.

16 Years in Armenia: US Funded Muskie Fellowship

According to an U.S. Embassy in Armenia press release, via Siam Daily News online edition, Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program commemorated its 16 years of operations in Armenia.

The anniversary ceremony was attended by the U.S. Ambassador Ms. Yovanovitch, a number of Armenian ministers including Minister of Economy Mr. Nerses Yeritsian, IREX Armenia, and a great number of Muskie alumni.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and democratic growth in former Soviet Union countries, the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, and administered by IREX.

The program provides opportunities for graduate students and professionals from Armenia and other CIS countries for 1-year non-degree, 1-year degree, or 2-year degree study in the United States.

Eligible fields of study for the Muskie Program include: Business Administration, Economics, Education, Environmental Management, International Affairs, Journalism and Mass Communication, Law, Library and Information Science, Public Administration, Public Health, and Public Policy.

To date, more than 360 Armenians have been awarded Muskie fellowships from which more than 60 attended the reception ceremony to learn about various career opportunities available to them within Armenia’s ministries and to network with Armenia’s state officials.

Fifteen newly selected Muskie finalists who will embark for their U.S. studies in August 2009 were also in attendance.