YSU IB History

Ijevan branch which is the only branch of Yerevan State University has a great role in solving the educational and cultural issues in the North-eastern region of the Republic of Armenia.With the curriculum of YSU, mostly through the efforts of professorial staff invited on business from YSU, and with the Bologna Process, the branch implements its educational mission with a high level of responsibility and perfect level – issues that are so important and necessary for the region’s population.

YSU Ijevan Branch was founded in 1994 on the basis of Ijevan Regional College.

Taking into consideration the prospects of higher education development and the staff requirements of the North-eastern regions of Armenia, as well as taking into consideration the request of the Ijevan Regional Council of People’s Deputies (president J.G. Ananyan), the Board of the RA State Committee for Higher Education and Science decided to set up a regional multi-branchcollege in Ijevan on October 10, 1991.

Hamlet S. Karayan, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor, was appointed as the director.The status and structure of the collegewere clarified.

On October 23, 1991 the Board of the State Committee of the Republic of Armenia decided to establish the activities of the institute with the following faculties:

• Faculty of Natural Sciences

• Faculty of Economics

• Faculty of Humanities and Applied Arts

According to the institution charter, which was approved by the OGP Committee of RA on November 11, 1991, it was established that Ijevan Regional College was ‘a higher educational and scientific state institution that is a primary institution in the North-eastern region of the Republic of Armenia and implements alternative education principals in accordance with the second level of a quadruple education system’. The newly-established institution included mainly state-funded departments, but in accordance with the spirit of the time it was also encouraged to implement additionalactivities of self-financingin the areas of education and science.

According to the temporary charter, the college was called to raise the scientific, cultural, political and economic levels in the North-eastern regions of Armenia, to create a stable, high-quality scientific and cultural atmosphere there, a local intellectual school, to stop youthoutflow from the bordering  areas, to prepare well-educated specialists  with versatile abilities  dedicated to national and universal culture,to promote the continuation of  education for  the most prominent students during the next steps of  the higher education system.

 On December 9, 1991, the first orders referring to educational process were released. On the same day with the welcoming speech of Director H. Karayan the solemn opening ceremony of the educational institution took place.

For organizing the educational process  the professorial staff of Ijevan Regional College was  invited from the capital.  Among them were Grigor Avagyan- Correspondent Member of the RA National Academy of Sciences, Doctors of Sciences, Professors Valeri Ter-Antonyan, Roland Avagyan, Martin Abrahamyan, Ishkhan Khachatryan, Vidok Musoyan, Yuri Movsisyan, Artashes Papoyan, Rafik Harutyunyan, Mikayel Hovsepyan, Vladimir Abrahamyan, as well as dozens of Science Candidates.

According to the decision of The Government of the Republic of Armenia By January 11, the new institutionshould have four faculties:

• Faculty of Natural Sciences

• Faculty of Economics

• Faculty of Humanities

• Faculty of Applied Arts

According to the decision of the Academic Council professional chairs (departments) were formed in the faculties.The number and names of the chairs have changed over time because of the start or stopping of new specialties.

In accordance with the College Charter, there was a two-level learning system.In other words, students who received ‘good’ and ‘excellent’ marks could continue their professional education at the university from the third year of their education and get a Bachelor’s Degree.Low-achieving students received a three-year final specialized education and graduated with a diploma of a junior qualification.

With the consent of the Rector of Yerevan State University, Academician  R. Martirosyan, Director H. Karayan appealed to the Minister of Higher Education of the Republic of Armenia Vardges Gnuni on April 14, 1994:

“Taking into account the hard social-economic situation created in the republic, which influences the activities of the educational institution, Ijevan regional college staff asks the collegium of the Ministry of Higher Education to discuss the expediency of establishing Ijevan branch  of Yerevan State University.”

At the same time, the rectorate of Yerevan State University and Ijevan Regional Council Executive Committee were also concerned about ensuring the North-eastern region of the country with specialists with higher education and preventing youth outflow from the region. Based on them, the Board of the Ministry of Higher Education of the Republic of Armenia decided on April 29, 1994:

“It is expedient to reconstruct Ijevan Regional College as Ijevan branch of Yerevan State University.”

By the decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia #440 of September 19,1994‘Ijevan Regional College’ was reorganized as ‘Ijevan Branch of Yerevan State University’.

New structural changes were made in the institution, the first graduates with three-year education graduated from the institution.

The number of faculties remained unchanged, but chairs, heads of chairs and the professional staff underwent some changes. Those changes reestablished the branch manager and faculty staff by the decree onJanuary 1, 1995:

• Karayan Hamlet – Director, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics , Professor

• Makaryan Anushavan – Deputy Director on Educational Issues

• Ananyan Garush – Deputy Director on Economic Issues

• Tumanyan Vardan – Scientific Secretary, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor

• Avagyan Roland – Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, Professor

• Aghuzumtsyan Ruben – Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Candidate of Psychology , Associate Professor

• Arakelyan Samvel – Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Candidate of History

• Karapetyan Poghos – Dean of the Faculty of Applied Arts

In the summer of 1995 the branch provided its first graduates with Bachelor’s degree in education – 59 professionals.

From April 1996to October 2000 Ijevan Branch of Yerevan State University was headed by Doctor of Economics, Professor Shavarsh Margaryan.

In order to improve the quality of the future specialists and to make the work of faculties and chairs effective by the decision of the Scientific Council of May 18, 1996, several chambers were dissolved and renamed:13 chairs were organized in the branch.

In the academic year of 1996-97, before holding new competitions for the Deans’ offices the Acting Deans of Faculties were appointed:

• Mkrtchyan Onik – Deputy Director for Educational Issues, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Technical Candidate, Associate Professor

• Arakelyan Samvel – Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Candidate of Historical Sciences

• Khudaverdyan Nelly, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Candidate of Technical Sciences

• Sargsyan Spartak – Dean of the Faculty of Applied Arts, Member of the Artists’ Union of the Republic Armenia.

The following chairs functioned in the branch:

• Higher Mathematics and Informatics,

• General physics, Chemistry and Biology,

• The Theory of Economics and General Economics,

• Finance, Accounting and Statistics,

• Philology and the Armenian Language,

• History and Social Science,

• Psychology and Pedagogy,

• Foreign and Russian Languages,

• Law,

• Decorative-Applied Arts,

• Art History and Ethnography,

• Physical Culture and Civil Defense.

From 2000 to 2018 Ijevan branch of YSU was headed by candidate of historical sciences, associate professor Samvel Arshavir Arakelyan.

In 2014 RA government by the decision of November 27, "Yerevan State University" was reorganized into a foundation, accordingly, the branch was renamed Ijevan branch of "Yerevan State University" Foundation.

From June 2018 to August 2019, Artak Volodyai Tsutsulyan, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, associate professor, was the acting director of the branch.

Since September2019, the acting director of YSU IB is Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Associate Professor Anushavan Haykarami Makaryan.

The last years are marked as a period of educational reforms for Ijevan branch of YSU. Follow-up work continues in the direction of stabilization and development of the educational process. Curricula and plans are improved as an important condition and guarantee for renewal of teaching.

During its activity, YSU IB has produced more than 7,000 graduates, most of them successfully work in various spheres of public life, in state and public institutions, in the banking system, etc. More than a dozen graduates have defended their PhD theses and are working in the branch.

Within the framework of its strategic goals, the branch aims to provide high-quality education, support the scientific, intellectual, educational, economic and cultural progress of the region, create a technologically equipped modern learning and working environment, and provide high-quality and effective support services.

The main task of YSU IB is to ensure the content of university education and the high quality of learning. Continuous work is being done at the university in the direction of improving the educational process, in particular, educational programs and plans. The branch implements undergraduate education in accordance with YSU programs, on-site and distance learning.

One of the main aims of the activity of YSU IB is the development of Armenian studies, humanitarian, socio-economic and natural sciences and culture in the region. Based on that, the university has 4 faculties: Natural Sciences, Humanities, Economics, Applied Arts, 10 Chairs.

The Faculty of Natural Sciences has 2 departments (Programming and Information Technologies, General Mathematics and Natural Sciences) and implements 1 educational program ("Informatics and Applied Mathematics").

The faculty has a teaching laboratory of natural science and computer technology.

The Faculty of Humanities has 4 chairs (Armenian History and Social Studies, Armenian Language and Literature, Pedagogy and Psychology, Foreign Languages) and implements 8 educational programs, 7 of which are bachelor’s programs ("History", "Armenian Language and Literature", "Psychology", "Russian language and literature", "English language and literature", "French language and literature", "Elementary pedagogy and methodology"), 1 - master's degree ("School pedagogy and methodology").

The Faculty of Economics has 2 chairs (General Economics, Tourism Management and Cultural Studies) and implements 3 educational programs, 2 of which are bachelor's ("Finance (by industry)", "Tourism"), 1 - master's ("Business Administration ( management).

The Faculty of Applied Arts has 2 chairs (Decorative-applied art and design, Drawing, painting and sculpture) and implements 2 educational programs ("Decorative-applied art", "Design").

There are 7 workshops in the faculty: Drawing and painting, Textile, Design, Clothing modeling, Pottery, Sculpture, Wood artistic processing.

Students' self-governing bodies - the Student Council (SC), the Student Scientific Society (SSS) - provide students with an interesting daily life (academic, educational, cultural, entertainment events and initiatives) at YSU IB, and their legal awareness is promoted.

The branch has 4 computer classrooms equipped with modern computers, a library, a part of which is also a comfortable reading room equipped with modern technical means.

In July 2018, the Russian Language and Culture Center opened at YSU IB, which in November 2020 , it was reorganized as the Ijevan branch of the Russian Science and Culture Center in Gyumri. The main goal of the latter is the development and deepening of Armenian-Russian cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, historical and ethnographic activities, and youth policy.

Since February 2020, the "American Library and Training Center" has been operating in the branch, the purpose of which is to organize educational, cultural and informational events, short training programs on various topics and free English courses for the residents of the region,  particularly in Ijevan and the surrounding villages, due to which the participants will develop social and technical skills, and the local population will become familiar with American values, history and culture.

Since July 2021, the Innovative Knowledge Hub of Tavush Region has been officially opened at YSU IB, the purpose of which is the development of the EU4Youth Social Entrepreneurship ecosystem, the promotion of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Tavush Region within the framework of the program for green progress in border villages. It is aimed at acquiring new knowledge of young people, generating ideas, organizing courses and events.