Houri Berberian Installed as UC Irvine Chair in Armenian Studies

Houri Berberian, Chair of Armenian Studies at UC Irvine, addresses the audience (Photo: UCI News)

IRVINE, Calif. (UCI News)—The University of California, Irvine School of Humanities celebrated the installation of Houri Berberian as the Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair in Armenian Studies in the Department of History. She will work closely with the school’s faculty and lecturers in Middle East and Near East studies as well as Russian and Soviet studies to develop a comprehensive approach to Armenian history, tradition and culture.

Vahe and Armine Meghrouni funded the $2 million endowed chair in 2014 with additional backing from the local Armenian-American community and a $500,000 match from the UC Office of the President, providing a dedicated source of funds, in perpetuity, for Berberian’s work and for graduate student fellowships. “I am both honored and excited to joint UCI as a professor in the Department of History and Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair,” Berberian said in remarks to more than 100 staff, faculty and community members.

“I envision developing the Armenian Studies Program into a forward-looking and dynamic center for both undergraduate and graduate students training in the field, and am eager to collaborate with my colleagues in adjacent fields at UCI and other UC campuses, as well as with other Armenian studies programs. I especially look forward to contributing to the intellectual and cultural life of the wider community through organizing public events, including lectures and academic conferences.”