Paramaz Avedissian Building

On 1^st November, 2008 The American University of Armenia opened a new, state-of-the-art building. This new building will enable AUA to double its enrollment, expand professional education programs and enrich the quality of day-to-day student life.
Paramaz Avedisian Building will contribute AUA and Armenia by making Armenia the hub for higher education in the region, surpassing and sustaining accreditation expectations, enabling the growth of national and international research, showcasing a model facility for the country region and beyond using AUA’s knowledge of engineering and environmentalism.
The new building has large classrooms with central cooling and heating systems and wireless Internet connections, a video conferencing room, a cafeteria, a bookstore, a gym, and exhibition space.

"To create a building of this quality at this time, at this cost - at a time when building costs were escalating rapidly - is an extraordinary achievement," told Dr. Hume continued. "And I know that this building will give new life and new energy and new strength to the academic programs of this university. "
“The university strives to become a regional educational center in the Caucasus, providing not just local service but service to the region at large,” told Mihran Agbabian, the university's president emeritus.

Catholicos Karekin II blessed the building during the opening ceremony. He said Armenians care a great deal about education and believe "it is better to be blind of eye than blind of mind."
In his speech the Prime minister Tigran Sargsyan highlighted "We must develop the skills for lifelong learning. We are ready to participate and co-finance. We already have an agreement with the American University of Armenia to cooperate in macroeconomics, because we have a great need for experts in the field."
On behalf of the president of Armenia, the Prime minister bestowed the Movses Khorenatsi medal upon Edward Avedisian and Jerry Turpanjian, founder of the Turpanjian Family Foundation, which is among the main supporters of the university and the building.
Special thanks to all donors especially to Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisians, the Manoogian Simone Foundation and the Turpanjian Family Foundation for their significant contributions.