MEDFORD, Mass. — A new cohort of 16 Tavitian Scholars from Armenia were welcomed at a reception organized by the Fletcher School at Tufts University on campus on September 14 to which faculty, students and interested Armenian community members were invited. The Aso O. Tavitian Scholars Program at the Fletcher School provides a one-semester, graduate-level program focusing on public policy, international law, macroeconomics, negotiation, security studies and leadership development for mid-career public servants in Armenia.
Dr. Kelly Sims Gallagher, dean of the Fletcher School, and Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, was introduced by Christine Gonzalez, assistant director of program management for the Tavitian Scholars Program. Gallagher welcomed the Tavitian Scholars and observed that the 25th anniversary of this program was celebrated last year. She said, “The Fletcher School and the Tavitian Foundation have really shared this commitment to investing in Armenia’s future through this program. It reflects the belief that strong institutions and lasting progress begin with thoughtful, committed and very capable leaders – that being you, and what you will go on to do when you return to your own institutions.”
She said that this partnership has created a collaborative network of Fletcher School alumni, not just in Armenia but throughout the world, numbering at more than 12,000 strong in more than 146 countries.
Gallagher expressed the hope that the scholars will not only challenge themselves academically but also build meaningful relationships with other students and faculty members, while exploring new ideas and taking advantage of all that Boston has to offer as a city.
Prof. Monica Toft, professor of international politics and director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School, said in her remarks this marked the third year that she has been the faculty director for the Tavitian Scholars Program. She thanked the executive education team, especially Gonzalez, as well as the faculty involved, and expressed gratitude for the support of the Tavitian Foundation, with Joyce Barsam as its vice president, and the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA). She observed that Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, who invited the group to visit a prison last year was an incredible host, was in the audience.
Finally, Gayane Vardanyan, as a representative of the new students (and a project manager at the Central Bank of Armenia), expressed her thanks for the support of the foundation as well as Fletcher. She said that the Tavitian Scholarship Program has been central in shaping the careers of public sector employees in Armenia for 25 years. Everyone who graduated from Fletcher, she said, has contributed to Armenia’s growth in one way or another.
