American Corner Gyumri

Public Lectures about Two American Universities

2:00pm 26.10.2011

On Wednesday, October 26 the American Corner in Gyumri, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, organized two public lectures entitled, “University Life at George Washington University” and “Junior Faculty Development Program and Experience at the University of Wyoming”. Our guest speakers were U.S. Embassy Economic and Commercial Officer Megan Bouldin and JFDP Alumnus 2008 Gayane Grigoryan. Close to 25 people attended the lectures, among them were school teachers, students, lecturers and those who possess English language skills.

Megan Bouldin was the first to present with Aleksandr Saghafyan, the project coordinator of the U.S. Education Lecture Series, as the translator. Megan gave a vivid description of George Washington University including buildings and the campus. Megan said that George Washington University is situated in the center of the city and you can occasionally see important politicians near the university. During her presentation, Megan explained how to apply to George Washington University, and talked about seminars held at the university by lecturers who work full time for the government. Megan also mentioned the importance of volunteer work at the university with student leaders who organize volunteer opportunities that occasionally pays students for their work. At the end of her speech, Megan added that the university has big international student committee and that she will be glad to know that there are some students from Armenia.

After Megan Bouldin’s presentation, Gayane Grigoryan began her lecture on “Junior Faculty Development Program and Experience at University Wyoming”. Gayane said that JFDP opens new horizons for university instructors, faculty and administrative staff. She mentioned that as a student, she was very interested in volunteer work and community involvement. Gayane said that during the time that she spent in the University of Wyoming, she gained knowledge of the U.S. Education System from attending Board of Trustees meetings. She also said that she can`t compare any other experiences with what she gained during her years at the University of Wyoming. At the end of her lecture, Gayane encouraged everybody to apply for the University of Wyoming or other universities in U.S. to gain knowledge in different educational fields.