Gregorian, Vartan

Vartan Gregorian, Ph.D. (1934-2021). An Armenian American academic, educator, and historian. He served as president of the Carnegie Corporation from 1997 to 2021.

Gregorian moved to the U.S. from Iran at age 22. He graduated with a Ph.D. from Stanford University. He subsequently taught at several universities and his work as a historian focused mainly on the Muslim world.

He went on to join the University of Pennsylvania faculty, then as its provost.

From 1981 to 1989 he served as president of the New York Public Library during which he succeeded in financially stabilizing the institution and revitalizing its cultural importance.

From 1989 to 1997 he served as the first foreign-born president of Brown University.

In November 2003, Gregorian wrote a blurb for the Orphans International Worldwide‘s annual gala journal: “Thank you for undertaking such a monumental and important project. You have my sincerest wishes for your labors in this international undertaking and I wish you every success.”

Gregorian‘s work has been widely acknowledged. He received dozens of honorary doctorates, the National Humanities Medal (1998), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2004).