Shirak State University (), also known as Shirak State University named after Mikayel Nalbandian () is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

university in

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

, the capital of

Shirak Province Shirak (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province () of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces of Lori Province, Lori to the east and Aragatsotn Province, Aragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the cou ...

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, opened in 1934.

Overview

Shirak State University is the largest educational institute in the northern part of Armenia. It was opened in 1934 as a pedagogical institute during the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, through the efforts of S. Movsisyan. In 2016, the institute was restructured to become the public university of the Shirak Province. It currently offers 28 bachelor's degrees as well 16 master's degrees. As of 2017, the university has around 6,000 students. It has produced around 80,000 graduates throughout its existence since 1934. In 2014, the university celebrated its 80th anniversary. Shirak State University has its own emblem as well as an anthem written by Sonik Khachatryan and composed by

Robert Amirkhanyan Robert Babkeni Amirkhanyan (; born November 16, 1939) is an Armenian composer and songwriter. He is a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory. He wrote over 300 songs, vocal series, operettas. Career In 1969 Amirkhanyan graduated from the ...

. The university complex is located on Paruyr Sevak Street of Ani district at the northwestern suburbs of Gyumri.

History

Leninakan Pedagogical Institute was founded in 1934 as a branch of the

Armenian State Pedagogical University Khachatur Abovian Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) (), is a state university and higher education institution based in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Founded in 1922, the university is specialized in pedagogy and the preparation ...

. During the first year of admission, it engaged 16 lecturers and had around 100 students. The first rector was S. Movsisyan who enrolled teachers from Gyumri as well as specialists from the capital

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

. In 1949, the institute was named after Mikayel Nalbandian and functioned as a branch of the Armenian Pedagogical University until 1966, when it was given the status of an independent higher educational institution. After the independence of Armenia in 1991, it became known as the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute named after Mikayel Nalbandian. On December 2, 2016, the institute was restructured and turned into a university foundation being known as Shirak State University named after Mikayel Nalbandian.

Structure

A of 2017, Shirak State University is home to 7 faculties:Faculties of GSPI
/ref> * Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Economics * Faculty of History and Philology * Faculty of Biology and Geography * Faculty of Foreign Languages * Faculty of Pedagogy * Faculty of Physical and Preliminary Military Training * Faculty of Philosophy and Social sciences

Notable alumni

* Susanna Amatuni,

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogue ...

* Samvel Balasanyan, mayor of

Hovhannes Shiraz Hovhannes Shiraz (; April 27, 1914 – March 24, 1984) was an Armenians, Armenian poet. Biography Shiraz was born Onik Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Armenia). His mother, Astghik ...

, notable Armenian poet

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities in Armenia Buildings and structures in Gyumri Universities and colleges established in 1934 1934 establishments in the Soviet Union