On May 7, 2013, USAID/Armenia, Yerevan State University (YSU) and Arizona State University (ASU) marked the official opening of the new Center for Gender and Leadership Studies at YSU. The Center will develop a new curriculum in women and gender studies, promote career advancement for women university graduates, conduct outreach activities, and advance public policy research on issues related to gender equality and women’s leadership.
The initiative is part of a broader effort under the Women’s Leadership Program that USAID and Higher Education for Development (HED) launched in March 2013. Five universities in the United States were selected to partner with higher education institutions in Armenia, Paraguay, Rwanda and South Sudan to promote and develop curricula and opportunities for women in business, agriculture, and education in the four countries.
ASU’s component of the program, funded by a $1.3 million award to the Melikian Center in ASU’sCollege of Liberal Arts and Sciences, leverages a decade of partnerships between the two universities.Over the course of the three-year partnership, eight YSU scholars in areas related to women’s studies will be inresidence in ASU’s women and gender studies program within the School of Social Transformation to participate in courses and develop syllabi and action-oriented research goals. The scholars also will be engaged in courses in the School of Public Affairs. The first group of scholars will arrive for ASU’s Fall 2013 semester.
The newly established center will serve as a hub for the YSU Career Center and university faculty working in this area,and will sponsor student activities and outreach and extension efforts to promote women’s leadership.
