KSG announces new program:

Joseph S. Nye Jr., dean of the Kennedy School of Government, has announced the creation of a program to educate new leaders for the free and prosperous development of Armenia and the good of her citizens and countrymen around the world. The Manoukian Public Service Program for Armenia is supported by a gift from the Manoukian Foundation in London and will provide funds for three areas of collaboration:

• A degree program titled “Manoukian Public Service Fellowship”

• An executive program titled “Manoukian Executive Education for Armenia”

• A partnership between the Manoukian Foundation and the Kennedy School

“As Armenia emerges from the Soviet era and works to build a democratic and free market infrastructure, the training and support networks of those who will lead the new society will be tremendously important,” said Nye. “We are grateful to the generosity and vision of Mr. Vatche Manoukian and Dr. Armen Sarkissian whose passionate commitment to education and to their homeland has led to this important new program. It will bring to the Kennedy School talented young people who will lead Armenia in the future, and current leaders who can reap immediate benefits for Armenia through their participation in our Executive Education Programs.”

The Manoukian Public Service Fellowship has been designed to help build leadership capacity for promising civil servants, government leaders, and/or nonprofit and NGO (nongovernmental organization) practitioners to help build a free and democratic society through advanced training and study at the Kennedy School. The fellowship will provide full tuition and cover fees, living expenses, and travel for a student to participate in either the one-year midcareer master in public administration program or the two-year master in public policy, or master of public administration/international development programs. It will be available to current civil servants, government officials, nonprofit practitioners, or NGO leaders in Armenia, individuals of Armenian descent, or Armenian citizens of the world who early in their careers show promise for such leadership.

The Manoukian Executive Education for Armenia program will provide executive training to current Armenian officials charged with the challenging task of leading Armenia in the new era. In addition to funding participation by Armenians in regularly scheduled executive programs such as Leaders in Development; Managing Political and Economic Reform; The Practice of Trade: Economics, Negotiations and Rules; Global Financial Systems; and Infrastructure in a Market Economy, the Manoukian Foundation will also sponsor a special program in Cambridge, designed in consultation with the Manoukian Foundation and the EURASIA Centre at the University of Cambridge. Curriculum for this session will include both substantive and skill-building topics. “Armenia’s place in the world, as well as domestic concerns, will be of highest relevance to the design of the curriculum,” stated Peter Zimmerman, senior associate dean for executive education.

“The Kennedy School of Government’s mission is to train world leaders and to contribute to the solution of global public policy challenges. We are honored to have begun this partnership and look forward to working together to employ educational resources and international bridge building to help the Armenian people into a new era of independence, freedom, and prosperity,” observed Nye.