The foundation of Yerevan State University
The founding of Yerevan University was one of the most important events in the recent history of the Armenian people. It became the institutional guarantee of the intellectual sovereignty of our society and the state, the main unit of training professional specialists for the newly independent state.
The establishment of the university was of fundamental importance from the point of view of consolidating and organizing intellectual potential. For the people who suffered huge losses after the genocide, it was highly relevant to bring together intellectuals under one roof, who would be able to use their experience and knowledge for the purpose of the restoration and development of the society. Armenian intellectuals who were educated with great difficulty in foreign countries dreamed of having their own university in Armenia, so the establishment of the university caused great enthusiasm among them.
It should be noted that the idea of establishing an Armenian university in the Motherland was not new. It became an agenda in the 40s-50s of the XIX century. Khachatur Abovyan, Mikael Nalbandian, and others attached great importance to the idea of teaching the Armenian youth in its homeland and in its native language. Hovhannes Tumanyan took serious steps to implement that idea.
Hovhannes Tumanyan
«Պետք է ստեղծել Հայոց Համալսարան, ուր կարելի կլինի բարձրագույն գիտությունները ավանդել ու սովորեցնել հայերեն լեզվով: Մեր տարրական ու միջնակարգ դպրոցների մեջտեղը պետք է կառուցանել ու պահել մի գիտության տաճար, մեր մանր ու մեծ ճրագների մեջտեղը պետք է վառել մի մեծ ջահ` Հայկական Համալսարանը…»։
Law on the establishment of the university
In 1918, when Armenia gained independence and restored the statehood it had lost centuries ago, the development of spiritual life again became a matter of state concern and the government of the First Republic introduced a draft law to establish a university in Yerevan. From the point of view of the state, the need to create a university was primarily determined by the need to form quality specialists necessary for the development of the socio-economic and scientific-cultural life of the country.
On May 16, 1919, less than a year after its foundation, the newly independent Republic of Armenia adopted the law on the establishment of the university.
Alexandropol building
To establish a university, an organizing committee was created under the co-chairmanship of professors Yuri Ghambaryan and Davit Zavriyan, who had pan-European recognition and had passed a significant path in scientific life. The latter was a student of D. Mendeleev and later taught at St. Petersburg University.
Taking into account the lack of necessary conditions (especially building) for a university in Yerevan, the Council of Ministers of the Republic decided to temporarily open the university in Alexandropol after a long search (now Gyumri).
The opening of the university
On January 31, 1920, overcoming many problems, the opening ceremony of the University of Armenia took place with great pomp in the building of the Trade School of Alexandropol, which turned into a national holiday.
The Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Armenia, the Prime Minister, other high-ranking officials, and foreign diplomats were present at the opening ceremony. The rector of the university, Professor Yuri Ghambaryan, and then Minister of Public Education Nikol Aghbalyan gave the opening speeches.
Nikol Aghbalyan
«Չնայած որ մեր երկիրն ավերված է, մեր ժողովուրդը՝ աղքատության մեջ, մենք հիմնում ենք բարձր կրթարան: Այն, ինչ մենք ունենք այսօր, ձեռք է բերված սերունդների արյունով... Մենք վերաշինում ենք մեր տունը և հիմնում կրթության տաճարներ՝ առանց խորհելու, թե ինչ են մտածում մեր մասին մեր թշնամիները, որոնք միշտ քանդել են մեր շինածը: Մեր մեջ հավատ կա, որ այս անգամ հայոց ազգի նավը դուրս կգա փոթորկից անփորձանք: Մեր թշնամիները չեն հաջողելու, և այն ջահը, որ մենք վառում ենք Հայաստանի բարձրավանդակի վրա, չի հանգչի և կլուսավորե Առաջավոր Ասիան: Անցնում է մղձավանջը, և պայծառանում է Հայաստանի երկինքը: Դեռ մեզ համար բոլոր վտանգներն անցած չեն, դեռ մեկ ձեռքում սուր պիտի ունենանք, բայց արդեն ժամանակն է, որ մյուս ձեռքում գրիչ բռնենք»:
"The University of Armenia" newspaper
On January 31, 1920, the one-day newspaper "The University of Armenia" was published, the headline of which was "Science is power".
Proceeds from the sale of the newspaper were donated to the underprivileged student aid fund.
The leader of the newspaper was Professor Yu. Ghambaryan, the speeches of the founding professors about the mission and the most important role of the University of Armenia, as well as the first-semester schedule of the Faculty of History and Linguistics and other materials were also published.
The paper ended with a warm patriarchal message of Catholicos of All Armenians Gevorg V to the University rector, professors, and students.
University's first timetable
Stepan Malkhasyants
Stepan Malkhasyants, a former student of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, a famous philologist, linguist, lexicographer, and later a great Armenologist, read the first solemn lecture on “The University and the Language”.
The Rector of the university, Professor Yuri Ghambaryan, RA Minister of Public Education Nikol Aghbalyan, lecturers, and intellectuals were present at the lecture.
Establishment of teaching staff
The university had one history-linguistic faculty (262 students, 32 lecturers). In the initial period, the biggest difficulty was to provide teaching staff with appropriate professional qualifications and high theoretical training. Emphasizing the task of starting the university's activities on a stable basis, thanks to Yuri Ghambaryan’s efforts famous specialists with extensive pedagogical and scientific experience educated in Europe were invited to Yerevan University including: Manuk Abeghyan (Universities of Jena, Leipzig, Berlin, Paris), Stepan Malkhasyants (Gevorgyan Theological Seminary, St. Petersburg University), Mesrop Ter-Movsisyan (Nersisian School, Dorpat University, improved his professional knowledge in Vienna, Paris, London, Jerusalem, Berlin, Venice), Garegin Hovsepyan (Gevorgian Seminary, Berlin, Halle, Leipzig Universities), Sirakan Tigranyan (University of Leipzig), Hakob Manandyan (Universities of Jena, Leipzig, Strasbourg), Grigor Ghapantsyan (University of Saint Petersburg), Ashkarbek Lori Melik-Kalantar (Nersisian School, University of Saint Petersburg), Hrachya Acharyan (Sorbonne University), Anzhur (Harutyun Chebotaryan) (Universities of Lausanne, Sorbonne) and many others that could bring honor to any leading university in the world. Thus, a teaching staff with powerful potential was created. Most of them, having worked at the university for many years, selflessly started the important task of training young professionals and developing science.
The decision of the RA Council of Ministers of 21 June 1920, to move the university from Alexandropol to Yerevan
At the session of June 21, 1920, of the RA Council of Ministers, a decision was made to move the university from Alexandropol to Yerevan and to allocate to it the building of the teaching seminary (52 Astafyan, now Abovyan St.). Faculties of law and natural sciences were also supposed to be opened, classes were to resume on October 16. However, due to the Turkish-Armenian war that started in September 1920, and the tense political situation in the country, the decision was not possible to implement. After the establishment of the Soviet regime in Armenia, only the university was moved from Alexandropol to Yerevan and was named "Yerevan People's University".
