History

History 

In the late 1980’s, a group of Bay Area Armenian-American visionaries decided to introduce the concept of Armenian Studies to one of the most renowned universities in the world – the University of California, Berkeley. Within a few years, under the leadership of the UC Berkeley Armenian Alumni, the William Saroyan Visiting Professorship in Modern Armenian Studies was established, thanks to the remarkable mobilization of the community and generosity of a number of major donors. The Krouzian Endowment, established in 1996, provided important additional support.

In the fall of 1998, the William Saroyan Visiting Professorship became a full-time position. Professor Stephan Astourian was appointed Executive Director of the Armenian Studies Program and Assistant Adjunct Professor of History in July 2002. The William Saroyan position was no longer dependent on temporary appointments. He eventually became the Director of the Armenian Studies Program and was promoted to Associate Adjunct Professorship and retired from the university in 2022. During his nearly quarter-century tenure at UC Berkeley Professor Astourian built a  full-fledged academic program focused on contemporary Armenian history, politics, language, literature, and culture. Please click here to access a video that Professor Astourian's students created for his retirement.