Armenian Center for International Development
Charge and Activities

The Armenian Center for International Development exists to engage the campus, in particular the students, in the realm of international economic development with a particular emphasis on the country of Armenia as a laboratory for our work.  Through our involvement with the International Development Studies (IDS) major within the Fermanian School of Business, we also play a pivotal role in helping connect students to internships (and jobs) in international development.  Our desire is to see the best and brightest business majors use their skills and talents to help alleviate poverty and indeed change the world.

We also have sought to play a central role in bringing together the various agencies on campus that encourage students to think and act as global citizens.  We have planned luncheons and discussions for the internationally-minded organizations/units at PLNU to discuss ways we can work more effectively together.  These organizations include the LoveWorks office, the International Studies Office, the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, the Center for Pastoral Leadership, as well as student ministries and clubs that have a focus on international issues.  Through all of these meetings, we seek to raise awareness of international poverty issues on campus and in the community.  Our main goal is to get students plugged into internships abroad in developing countries where they can gain hands on skills in development as well as expose them to cultures very different from their own.  We have worked with students to travel to Thailand, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Uganda, where they are studying and/or working with local Non-Governmental Organizations.  We currently plan to send out more students in the next year to Central Africa, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Armenia, and elsewhere.  Right now, we are still exploring programs around the world which could offer exceptional internships while still allowing students to pursue academic study as part of a study abroad.  The Armenian Center also sponsors many events on campus where directors of international nonprofit organizations and missionaries have come to speak in classes with students or presented during a lunch or special afternoon session for the entire campus.

Some of our events for the 2005-2006 academic year include:

1. A Pre-Conference gathering during CBFA (Christian Business Faculty Association) bringing together academics and practitioners to discuss microfinance and closer collaboration.

2. Co-hosted visitors from Kenya and Indonesia to discuss international debt relief.

3. Sponsored a poverty-focused dinner put on by the Global Issues student ministry.

4. Aided several students to connect to local conferences or organizations working internationally, particularly the Public Policy and International Affairs Expo in Los Angeles.

5. We plan to send at least 10 faculty and students to a microfinance conference at USC's Marshall School of Business in April.  We continue to explore the possibility of sponsoring or co-sponsoring a similar event in the future here at PLNU.

6. We have funded two PLNU staff to participate in a Fair Trade conference in Denver.

7. We organized/led a week-long business exploration trip to Armenia. A faculty member and PLNU student participated in this trip.

8. In my class last semester and this semester, I have had students engage in dialogue with people living and working overseas via international telephone conference calls.

9. I personally helped facilitate a PLNU alum getting a job in microfinance in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

For further information go to: Armenian Center