IT WILL BE A SHAME NOT TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF YSU ON STATE LEVEL: YSU RECTOR ARAM SIMONYAN RESIGNS

In his speech he particularly said,

“Dear colleagues, everything in this world has its beginning and its end. My father told me these words before dying. Today I am repeating: everything has its beginning and end.
The tension appeared around the university is getting stronger. The top authorities of the country accuse me of being attached to this chair, of doing everything to stay in this position longer. It’s ridiculous. I have never been clung to my post. I believe that during these months I convinced you that I am not the person who gives in, can be frightened, and I don’t pretend being a hero either. I am ready to give answers to all questions.

Many changes have been made in the university recently. Many of them are unavoidable. I think, many people were unable to carry on working because of these changes and as a result we have two new vice-rectors.

The university is not to blame in this tension. Nor am I. The representatives of the body implementing the policy in the sphere of higher education and science are to blame. These people are from university community but they have no serious contribution to it. It’s their problem. I consider this policy adopted by the MES unacceptable not only in the sphere of education and science but towards the university as well. I reject it.

At the same time, I have to note with a pity the circumstance that the university, the 100th anniversary of which we are marking this year- and the 100th anniversary of Baku university is marked this year too- gets such a neglect from the government. On May 16 and 17 we were celebrating the birthday of the university, visited Gyumri. We held a number of festive events, but no official address was received by me, by the university.

It’s hard to mark the jubilee in such conditions. The authorities clearly state that they are going to mark the jubilee only in case of my resignation. By the way, many foreign guests are expected for the jubilee events, and many of them are my personal guests, my friends-rectors of different universities with whom we became friends during these years.

I am very grateful to the students who proved during these months that they are worth being university students. I am grateful to all of you-the Student Council, the Student Scientific Society, the Cultural Centre and others. Many of our youth proved that they are real Armenians, devotees of Armenia and the University. I feel sorry that there were others,who were not only indifferent, but showed obvious antipathy towards me and my activity, the university and the events organized in it.

Some people are conformists, they think I must always be in good relations with the authorities. I can’t respect such a position. I am very grateful to all those who stood by the university and its administration, who wasn’t afraid to express their opinion and bravely supported the university.

We have encountered many difficulties. I have seen many things recently. I have seen both support and obvious indifference. The lawsuit filed against the university was completely put on my shoulders.

But I claim that we are just. We will overcome these sever tests. The whole process takes too much from me and especially my family from the point of view of health, morality, psychological stress. But it can’t decrease my and my family’s desire to believe in the university future, in justice, in the thought that as a rector I generally worked correctly. There certainly were defects but I tried to do my best.

I am not the person who can be humiliated. I am from Zangezur and I am strong as Syunik, I am my father’s son. No one can demean me. I will always struggle for the sake of the university, its tomorrow, its welfare so that the society will always be sure that the university is a national value. But taking into account that not marking the centennial of the university on the state level will be a national shame I want to announce that I am going to present my resignation tomorrow to the Board of Trustees of YSU.

If I don’t resign today, it will be done later. Even the whole staff of the Board of Trustees can be changed to get the pleasure to dismiss me. But I won’t give this pleasure to anyone.

I am strong enough no to be afraid of anything and considering the interest of the university as a priority I step down as a rector. Within 7 days the Board of Trustees will choose a day for the election of a new rector. Before the election there an acting rector will be appointed. The regular activity of the university depends on holding the election as soon as possible.

I am staying at the university, at the Institute of Armenian Studies which I lead. I have been rector for 13 years and a vice-rector for 5 years. That’s enough. Don’t be afraid. I am a Universitarian and I am not going to leave it. I’ll stay here, devoted to the interest of the university. I am not an official anymore, if you want you can communicate with me and carry on your relationship. I think a new page will open for me. I will go on my activity, my research at the Institute of Armenian Studies. I want to thank everyone work working together for 13 years. I want to say that wherever I will be I will always remember those who stood by me. Thank you”.