KHACHATUR ABOVYAN ARMENIAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY

The Academic Council of Armenian State Pedagogical University held a sitting ahead of the 2016/2017 academic year. ASPU Rector Ruben Mirzakhanyan congratulated all those who are celebrating their birthdays in August, as well as the members of the Academic Council on the occasion of a new academic year, wishing them a year full of success, accomplishments and and productive work.

Ara Yeremyan, ASPU Vice-Rector for Personnel and International Cooperation, proposed the Academic Council members to discuss the introduction of Information Technology (IT) at the University and trends of their application and development. He noted that technical and technological solutions contribute to the introduction of innovative approaches to high-quality education, human resource management and implementation of modern infrastructure purposes.

Ara Yeremyan added that digital technologies are effectively used for the University’s public engagement, social cooperation and other purposes.

“In-depth introduction and application of new Information Technology at the University is in the centre of our attention,” the vice-rector said. He assured everyone that thanks to a variety of programmes and packages already introduced at the University they have been able to ensure transparency, accountability, supervision in financial and economic activities and personnel policies of the University and drastically reduce risks of inaccuracies conditioned by subjective human factors.

Academic Secretary of the University, Hasmik Petrosyan, presented the Council’s programme of activities for the 2016/2017 academic year, which was unanimously adopted by the Academic Council members.

Election of Heads of Chairs and Dean of Faculty of Philology
Two candidates vying for the position of Dean of the Faculty of Philology - Professor, Doctor of Philology Yuri Davtyan and Associate Professor, Candidate of Philological Sciences Ashot Galstyan - presented their plan of the Faculty’s development, their vision of activities in collaboration with the academic staff, orgsanization of the teaching process, etc.
Fifty-eight of the 66 members of the Academic Council were participating in the sitting, who elected [by secret ballot] Associate Professor Ashot Galstyan as Dean of the Faculty of Philology. The latter received 46 votes in favor and 10 against.
Also, three heads of Chairs were elected by secret ballot. Professor, Doctor of Medicine Stepan Grigoryan was elected Head of the Chair of First Aid, Emergency and Civil Protection. The only candidate for the position received 53 votes in favour and 3 against. Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia, Ara Gevorgyan, was re-elected Head of the Chair of Music with 57 votes in favour and 1 against. Professor Ruben Yerzinkyan was re-elected Head of the Chair of Camerawork, Artistic Photography and Socio-Cultural Activities with 53 votes in favour and 3 against.

Current Issues
Edgar Hovhannisyan, Dean of the Faculty of History and Law, submitted for the Council’s approval the new candidates for “Mkhitar Gosh” and “Movses Khorenatsi” scholarships – four-year students Geghama Khudaverdyan and Tatevik Andreasyan who comply with all requirements. He also spoke about the initiative to name one of the auditoriums of the Faculty after Mekhak Mekhakyan, an ASPU graduate and an Artsakh war hero, stressing that it is an informal way to educate future generations.
Professor Karine Danielyan, Head of the Chair of Ecology and Sustainable Development, proposed, in turn, to name one of the auditoriums of the Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Geography after famous geographer Lemvel Valesyan, emphasizing his invaluable and enormous work in Geography.
The Academic Council members approved both initiatives.