Vartan Gregorian

Vartan Gregorian is President of Carnegie Corporation of New York and is the former President of Brown University as well as the former President of the New York Public Library. Born in Tabriz, Iran, at age six, his mother died of pneumonia and his grandmother raised him. At age ten, he got his first job as a page at the Armenian Library in Tabriz and made a discovery that would change his life. Awakened by books, he found a wonderful outlet to see the world. As a teenager, he obtained a passport to Lebanon, and then with the help of the American University in Beirut, received a scholarship to Stanford University. After earning his doctorate, in the 1970s, Gregorian became a professor, dean, and provost of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1981, he was appointed the President of the New York Public Library, a "national treasure" with 44 million books and manuscripts. With a legendary flair for management, salesmanship, and showmanship, he "worked his magic" in restoring this cultural center to financial and intellectual vigor. In 1989, Gregorian was inaugurated as president of Brown University, and led a campaign that raised more than $500 million and increased the university's international prominence. In 1997, he assumed the leadership of the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Gregorian is the recipient of nearly 70 honorary degrees, the National Humanities Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation's highest civilian honor). Dr. Vartan Gregorian addressed the Academy student delegates at the 1989 Achievement Summit in San Francisco (and spoke about the changing landscape of American education) soon after becoming the President of Brown University.