As part of the commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of Haigazian University, President Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian delivered a public lecture titled “Haigazian University: A Legacy of Seventy Years in the Armenian Diaspora” on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The lecture was presented in collaboration with the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), and was hosted at the Glendale Public Library.
The event convened a distinguished audience of alumni, scholars, educators, and members of the Haigazian University community in Los Angeles, reflecting the University’s unique role and enduring connections with the Armenian Diaspora and its longstanding commitment to academic excellence and cultural stewardship.
In his address, President Haidostian reflected on the founding of Haigazian University seventy years ago in 1955 in Beirut – Lebanon, underscoring its original mission to provide high-quality higher education to Lebanese of Armenian origin and Lebanese youth in the aftermath of regional and global upheavals. He highlighted the University’s emergence as a vital academic institution within the Armenian Diaspora, committed to intellectual rigor, scholarly research, and the dissemination of knowledge through sustained publication and academic inquiry. President Haidostian emphasized Haigazian University’s enduring role in preserving and advancing Armenian cultural heritage and its resilience amid regional challenges, while simultaneously fostering critical inquiry, ethical leadership, civic responsibility and intercultural dialogue within a broader Lebanese and international context.
The program featured scholarly interventions and reflections by Dr. Vahram Shemmassian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at CSUN and a member of the Haigazian University Board of Trustees, who contextualized the University’s contribution within broader diasporic and Armenian studies frameworks. Additional remarks were delivered by Dr. Hasmig Baran, Professor at CSUN and Chair of the Haigazian University Board of Trustees, who addressed the University’s unique role in the Middle East, its mission and vision, and future strategic directions as it enters its eighth decade.
President Haidostian’s visit to Los Angeles formed part of a broader series of anniversary engagements, culminating in Haigazian University’s 70th Anniversary concluding gala dinner, held on January 24, 2026, at the Ebell of Los Angeles. Together, these events celebrated the University’s legacy while reaffirming its mission to serve as a beacon of education, scholarship, and service for Armenian and Lebanese communities alike.
Founded in Beirut, Lebanon, Haigazian University remains the only Armenian university in the Diaspora, continuing to uphold its foundational values through teaching, research, and public engagement. The Los Angeles lecture served not only as a retrospective on seven decades of achievement, but also as an invitation to renewed collaboration and support for the University’s future endeavors.
Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director