Ереван мемлекеттік университеті: тарихы мен қазіргі жағдайы

Public university in Armenia

Yerevan State University (YSU; , ԵՊՀ, Yerevani petakan hamalsaran), also simply University of Yerevan, is the oldest continuously operating public university in Armenia. Founded in 1919, it is the largest Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff, which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents (associate professors), and 360 assistant lecturers. The university has 400 researchers, 1,350 post graduate students, and 8,500 undergraduates, including 300 students from abroad. Instruction is in Armenian, but instruction in Russian or English for foreign students is available as needed. The academic year is from September 1 through June 30. According to University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), it was the top ranked university in Armenia and the 954th in the world in 2010, of 20,000 institutions included in the list. Yerevan State University was listed among the 1,000 best universities of the world according to the QS World University Ranking 2022. YSU is a full member of the International Association of Universities, European University Association (EUA), the Association of Eurasian Universities, the Russian Union of Rectors, the Association of Universities of the Countries of the Black Sea Region, and the International Association of Presidents of Universities.

Yerevan State University was established on May 16, 1919, by decision of the government of the Republic of Armenia and the efforts of politician Sirakan Tigranyan. Professor Yuri Ghambaryan was appointed as its first rector (1919–20). The university was officially inaugurated on January 31, 1920, in a grand ceremony held in Alexandropol (modern Gyumri), with the participation of Prime Minister Alexander Khatisian and many other government officials, as well as the ambassadors of Great Britain, France, and Iran to Armenia. At first, the university was temporarily housed within the school of commerce building in Alexandropol (current building of the Gyumri Technology Center). The first lecture took place on February 1, 1920, conducted by academician Stepan Malkhasyants. During its first academic year, the university had a single faculty of history and linguistics, with 32 academic staff and 262 students. Historian Hakob Manandyan, linguist Manuk Abeghian, historian Ashkharbek Kalantar, and Stepan Malkhasyants were among the first lecturers of the university. Later during the same year, the university was relocated to Yerevan and housed within the former Yerevan teachers' seminary building built between in the early 1900s on Astafyan Street (designed by architect Vasily Mirzoyan, currently home to the Faculty of Theology, Faculty of History, and Faculty of Economics and Management).

The Yerevan State University Library, named after Sarkis and Mary Izmirlian, was inaugurated on February 28, 1920. Since October 12, 1994, the library has been housed in a new building within the university complex on Charents Street, opened on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the university. On October 7, 1997, the library was named after Sarkis and Mary Izmirlian (the parents of the Swiss Armenian benefactor Dikran Izmirlian). In 2015, the "alley of gratitude" was opened at the entrance of the library, in memory of all the people who have expressed pro Armenia positions during and after the Armenian genocide, including European and American intellectuals and political and cultural figures.

Upon its inauguration on January 31, 1920, the university published the first issue of its newspaper called "University of Armenia", laying the foundation for the establishment of the publishing house of the university. During the same year, the university published its first book in Alexandrapol, which was The Principles of Psychology by William James. Throughout the nine decades of its existence, YSU Publishing House has published more than 5,500 books. Currently, the publishing house is headed by Candidate of Philological Sciences Karen Grigoryan.

The university publishes its newspaper "University of Yerevan" (, Yerevani hamalsaran) on a monthly basis.

Since 2006, the university has an institute focusing on Egyptology with three full time members.

The "Diaspora Summer School" is a joint project launched in 2016, initiated by the Ministry of Diaspora of Armenia in association with Yerevan State University. The program is aimed at the preservation and reinforcement of an Armenian identity within the communities of the Armenian Diaspora, as well as to raise the proficiency level of the Armenian language among the young generation of Armenians abroad. The school program also includes the re qualification of teachers of Armenian community schools, directors of cultural groups, the activities of Armenian multimedia, and youth organizations of the Armenian Diaspora.