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Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC)[edit]

Agribusiness Teaching Center(ATC) (Armenian: Ագրոբիզնեսի ուսուցման կենտրոն) was founded through the collaborative effort of the Armenian State Agrarian University (ASAU) and Texas A&M University and the financial and technical support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing Assistance Project. The Center provides agricultural business education, which will sustain private entrepreneurship growth in the food and agriculture sector in Armenia. The university education in general is acquiring a new contents and methods to serve the needs of a market economy in Armenia. From this perspective, ATC is a unique and successful synthesis reflecting a U.S. style agribusiness education adjusted to the Armenian situation. ATC prepares agribusiness specialists armed with broad economic, marketing, and managerial views, up-to-date communication skills and good knowledge of English. All this makes the ATC graduates competitive in the growing Armenian and Georgian agribusiness sector, financial institutions, international agencies. ATC is established as a Department within the Armenian State Agrarian University and offers Bachelor and Master degree programs with only one concentration, Agribusiness and Marketing. The curriculum is western-structured, based on the undergraduate and graduate (MAB) degree curriculum of Texas A&M. Courses are taught in English by American and Armenian instructors mainly with graduate degrees from U.S. universities. Classrooms and the high-tech computer lab are furnished with modern equipment and technology, which gives the students a complete working environment for both classroom and independent study.

History of Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC)[edit]

The Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC) was established in August 2000 with an agreement between the Armenian Agricultural Academy (AAA), Texas A&M University and USDA-MAP. The first group of twenty-eight Armenian Agricultural Academy (AAA) students were selected for the first year to study at the ATC. Thirty juniors joined next year, among them the first two students from the Republic of Georgia. The first U.S university professors sent to Armenia to teach and advise at the ATC were: Dr. Daniel Dunn, ATC Director and Country Coordinator; Dr. John Nichols – P. I., program management and strategy; Dr. Tim Schilling; Dr. Carl Shafer; Dr. Emerson Babb; Dr. Bishu Chatterjee; Dr. Barry Carr; Dr. Verne House; Mr. Jack Cocks. Later, Rosemary Veneziale, and Andrew Matestic joined. Dr. Daniel Dunn started his activities in Armenia on October 26, 1999 as the Agribusiness Teaching Center Manager. Dr. Dunn did much for establishment and approval by the Armenian Agricultural Academy of an agribusiness curriculum, recruitment of students and faculty. In addition to his everyday professional management of the program, he taught financial management classes and monitored an English language summer program. Dr. Dunn developed relationship between the Georgian State Agrarian University and the AAA, which resulted in making the ATC a regional modern agribusiness school. Dr. John Nichols at Texas A&M University worked closely with Dr. Dunn in selecting and getting new graduate students enrolled in U.S.universities. Dr. Nichols played a key role in assisting Dr. Dunn and the faculty to develop strategy, plan and make decisions on the primary education, maintain excellent cooperative relationships with the Armenian State Agrarian University, as well as develop regional cooperation program with agricultural universities in the Republic of Georgia.

The Graduation Ceremony for the second ATC class in 2003[edit]

At graduation ceremony for the second ATC class in 2003, Deputy Chief of Mission for the US Embassy in Armenia, Ms. Vivian Walker, acknowledged the class as "examples of Armenia's greatest natural resource for the future." In 2005 the International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education was established to administer the ATC as well as research, outreach and career development activities. On December 1, 2010 the ATC Master of Agribusiness program was launched. MAB is focused on agribusiness sector combining economic, business analysis and quantitative methods for managerial decision-making. Personal efforts by the RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie Yovanovitch are much appreciated in making the MAB program possible as the next degree in quality agribusiness education.

Academic Program Review of the ATC[edit]

Academic Program Review of the ATC by Dr. Kerry Litzenberg, Team Leader, Texas A&M University, Dr.Tony Dunne, University of Queensland, Dr. Chris Peterson, Michigan State University, and Dr. Allen Wysocki, University of Florida took place in May 2011. The Review Team conducted individual stakeholder interviews. The overall assessment of the Team was that the ATC has a unique and extraordinary agribusiness education program that serves the needs of many stakeholders in Armenia with a Western-based academic program. According to the Team, the USDA funding, Texas A&M administrative and curriculum support, Director Vardan Urutyan, and the dedicated faculty have been critical factors in ensuring the success of the agribusiness education program.

Future Students[edit]

The Agribusiness Teaching Center adheres to western education values and teaching principles. The two-year curriculum is based on the Agricultural Economics curriculum of the Texas A&M University, with a privileged opportunity to fill the growing agribusiness and related job markets in Armenia, Georgia, and elsewhere. You can also proceed to the Master of Agribusiness degree here at the ATC or pursue other graduate degrees internationally.

Master of Agribusiness Program[edit]

Master of Agribusiness is a professional degree program exclusively focused on the agribusiness sector with an emphasis on combining economic, business analysis and quantitative methods for managerial decision-making. The MAB Program will:

Provide a degree of international standard in Armenia and the region in partnership with Texas A&M University and the ASAU.
Increase the capacity of students as future agribusiness practitioners through an emphasis on research and applied case studies.
Expose students to real business situations through engaging visiting professors, international and local experts.
Strengthen the existing link between industry leaders and students through field trips, summer internships, and other on-site opportunities.

Alumni[edit]

The ATC has now 287 alumni. The number is not high, however they add quality to the job market in Armenia, Georgia and elsewhere each year. The ATC Alumni and Friends' Association established in 2010 is becoming a strengthening factor for the growing ATC alumni network . The alumni reunions during traditional year-end picnics evidently indicate this growing power of the ATC family. In 2010, the U.S. Chapter of the ATC Alumni and Friends' Association initiated scholarships for the best senior and junior ATC students. In 2011, three students were selected by the U.S. Chapter