Vartan Gregorian: A Transformational Life
Vartan Gregorian served as president of Carnegie Corporation of New York for 24 years until his sudden death on April 15, 2021, in New York City at age 87. Gregorian was a devoted and tireless leader — an extraordinary champion of education, immigration, and international peace and security, and steward of Andrew Carnegie’s legacy. Often described as a “citizen of the world,” Gregorian is missed the world over by those whose lives he touched as an illustrious scholar, a lifelong educator, and a leading force in philanthropy.
On April 13, 2022, one year after his death, the family of Vartan Gregorian and Carnegie Corporation of New York hosted a private memorial service at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. We invite you to watch a video of the memorial service and a series of biographical videos that were produced in association with the event.
Cover illustration by Chloe Cushman for the tribute publication Vartan Gregorian 1934–2021
To learn more about Vartan Gregorian's extraordinary life, download the tribute publication Vartan Gregorian 1934–2021, which explores his philanthropic influence and legacy and his steadfast belief in and support of furthering knowledge and understanding.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Essays
Read essays by Vartan Gregorian on topics that were important to him.
Videos
Watch videos featuring Vartan Gregorian.
OBITUARIES
The New York Times
The Washington Post
PBS Newshour
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Time
Associated Press
New York Post
The Scotsman
REFLECTIONS
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Vartan Gregorian was a towering intellect whose passion for public service was matched only by his kindness and compassion for others, and his loving devotion to his family. Read more →
Vincent Boudreau & Colin Powell
The City College of New York
He always shared a smile and a warm story. He was so proud of his immigrant background, but even prouder of his American citizenship. Read more →
Nikol Pashinyan
Republic of Armenia
Vartan Gregorian served as a role model for many Armenians in Armenia and abroad, and his absence will be a great loss for our people. Read more →
Christina H. Paxson
Brown University
He was an ardent believer in the transformative power of education as a means to personal growth as well as the betterment of society. Read more →
Darren Walker
Ford Foundation
Vartan earned his wisdom with his full, consequential life and shared it freely, with a full heart. Read more →
TRIBUTES
The New York Public Library
Brown Alumni Magazine
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
State of Rhode Island, Senate Resolution
Bloomberg Philanthropies and Stavros Niarchos Foundation
The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) Scholar Research Fund
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) Establishes Vartan Gregorian Memorial Lecture
MEMORABLE MOMENTS: 1997–2021
View a selection of photos from Vartan Gregorian’s tenure.
In 2019 Vartan Gregorian visited Bard High School Early College to hear from students and staff about a promising model for expanding access to higher education. Throughout his tenure, Gregorian was focused on K–12 education and student success as a way to address inequality. Today the Corporation supports the design and implementation of innovative school models that prepare students for academic success, active citizenship, and participation in a global economy. Download →
Vartan Gregorian with Big Bird during the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy awards ceremony at The New York Public Library in October 2017. Under Gregorian’s leadership, the Carnegie family of institutions created the medal to recognize outstanding philanthropists who reflect the values of Andrew Carnegie and his philosophy of giving. Download →
Vartan Gregorian with Diane von Fürstenberg and her husband Barry Diller at the 2017 groundbreaking of a new Statue of Liberty Museum. Under Gregorian, the Corporation launched an annual Great Immigrants public service initiative to recognize the contributions of naturalized citizens, including Diane von Fürstenberg, who was named in 2007. Download →
Vartan Gregorian wears the Order of Honor bestowed upon him by the president of Armenia in 2017. Gregorian was also decorated by the United States, Austrian, Italian, Portuguese, and French governments. He is seated next to Corporation former trustee Edward P. Djerejian, who was also honored. Download →
Vartan Gregorian with Sam Nunn during the 2016 presentation of the Nunn-Lugar Award for Promoting Nuclear Security. Gregorian established the award in 2012 with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in honor of former U.S. senators Nunn and Richard Lugar to recognize individuals and institutions working in nuclear nonproliferation and risk reduction. Download →
Vartan Gregorian, cofounder of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, with Marguerite Barankitse of Burundi, who was named the winner of the $1 million inaugural prize during a 2016 ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia. Gregorian was known for his leadership in support of democracy, human rights, and civic engagement, and served on dozens of nonprofit boards. He maintained close ties to the Armenian community throughout his life. Download →
Vartan Gregorian with General Colin Powell during a 2016 forum on immigrant access to higher education hosted by the Corporation and City College of New York. Gregorian was devoted to higher education and established research programs in the former Soviet Union and in Africa, the Carnegie Scholars program focused on Islam, and the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Program for work in the humanities and social sciences, among other initiatives. Download →
Vartan Gregorian, Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Abdul Bari Jahani, and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden in 2016, displaying a box of hard drives that contains files of archival documents that were digitized as part of the Afghanistan Project. Under Gregorian, the Corporation funded numerous digitization projects in order to preserve scholarly works at libraries worldwide. (Credit: Shawn Miller / Library of Congress) Download →
Vartan Gregorian experimenting with virtual reality goggles in 2016. A former history professor, he was a prolific writer and speaker whose intellectual contributions were recognized with more than 70 honorary degrees. Download →
In 2013, students invited Vartan Gregorian to visit his namesake public elementary school in Providence, Rhode Island, where he lived while serving as the 16th president of Brown University from 1989 to 1997. (Courtesy: The Providence Journal ) Download →
In 2004, President George W. Bush awarded Vartan Gregorian the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, describing him as “one of our most respected academic leaders.” In 1998, President Clinton awarded Gregorian the National Humanities Medal in recognition of his work to advance the country’s understanding of and access to the humanities. Download →
Vartan Gregorian at the Corporation for a meeting on the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, which was established in 2000 with Carnegie Corporation and the Ford, MacArthur, and Rockefeller foundations as charter members. The partnership, whose mission is to work together to improve the educational capacity of selected African universities, had already well exceeded its announced goal of providing $100 million in five years. Download →
In April 2019, Vartan Gregorian marched in the Tartan Day Parade in New York City, surrounded by Corporation staff and representatives of other Carnegie institutions. For Gregorian, the parade symbolized one of his longtime priorities: bringing together the family of institutions established by Andrew Carnegie — more than 20 worldwide — as a way of celebrating the legacy of their founder, including Carnegie’s journey to America as an immigrant from Scotland. Download →
Contact: Celeste Ford, Director of External Relations.