Armenian studies scholar to be honored by LA community

PanARMENIAN.Net - A newly formed Cowe Anniversary Committee, along with the Friends of UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies, will honor Professor S. Peter Cowe at its annual banquet on June 1, marking the 30th anniversary of his research and instruction in Armenian Studies, according to Asbarez.

“We are delighted to honor Prof. Cowe, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Armenian studies, at our banquet this year,” said Dr. Hagop Gulludjian of the Anniversary Committee, which comprises UCLA professors, graduate students, and community activists. “Along with his students, our colleagues, friends, and the Armenian community as a whole, we look forward to saluting a remarkably affable teacher appreciated for his brilliant intellect, continually positive attitude, and extraordinary dedication to the field of Armenology,” Gulludjian said.

Before coming to UCLA, from 1984 to 1996, Cowe taught Armenian language and literature at Columbia University, where he also established the Visiting Professorship in Armenian Studies program through the support of noted philanthropist Dr. Nikit Ordjanian.

In 1987, Cowe was invited to deliver the keynote address in Armenian at the 30th-anniversary celebration of his predecessor Prof. Avedis Sanjian’s contribution to the field of Armenian studies. Cowe’s formal association with UCLA began in 1996, when he was appointed Visiting Associate Professor of Armenian Studies, teaching all three standards of the Armenian language (classical, modern Eastern, and modern Western) as well as literary history. Two years later, Cowe established the Friends of UCLA Armenian Language and Culture Studies as a conduit for fostering community involvement through academic and cultural events, and raising financial support to expand Armenological offerings at UCLA. In 2000, he was named holder of the Narekatsi Chair in Armenian Studies.

Commenting on Cowe’s qualities as a teacher, Shushan Karapetian, a UCLA Armenian Studies Program graduate student who will be completing her doctoral dissertation later this spring, said: “Over ten years ago, after a week into my first undergraduate course with Prof. Cowe, I was hooked — enrolling in every class he offered — and my future was determined. Without a second thought, I embarked on a journey into Armenian studies under the captivating direction of my guardian. As a scholar, he is simply unparalleled; as a teacher and mentor, he is versatile and open-minded, extremely supportive and engaged. My experience at UCLA would not be the same without his matchless imprint.”