On the threshold of his 95th year, Grigor (Grisha) Gharibyan—Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA), Honored Scientist of the Republic of Armenia, Doctor of Economics, and Professor—passed away.
Grigor Gharibyan was born on May 25, 1930, in the village of Borisovka (now Tsghuk, Syunik Province, Armenia), in the Sisian Region of Soviet Armenia. In 1946, he was admitted to Yerevan State College of Arts after P. Terlemezyan. He completed Yerevan Railway Evening School in 1948, graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Yerevan State University in 1954, and completed postgraduate studies in 1962. He earned his PhD in 1963 and his Doctor of Science degree in 1973. In 1978, he was awarded the academic title of Professor, and in 2000, he was elected Corresponding Member of NAS RA.
From 1954, Professor Gharibyan served in various capacities at YSU. From 1978 to the 1990s, he headed the Chair of Urban Economy, followed by his leadership of the Chair of Economic Theory from 1990 to 2008. He also held administrative roles, including Second Secretary of YSU political party committee (1977–1978) and Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs for Humanities Faculties (1978–1991). Notably, in 1984, under his initiative, the Faculty of Economic Cybernetics was transferred from Yerevan Institute of National Economy to YSU, eventually evolving into the present-day Faculty of Economics and Management.
From 1993 to 2000, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Economics, and from 2001 to 2023, he was Professor at the Chair of Economics and International Economic Relations, also holding the title of Honorary Head of Chair. Between 1965 and 1975, he simultaneously led the Department of Social Development at the Research Institute under the State Planning Committee of the Armenian SSR. From 2002 to 2018, he chaired YSU Specialized Academic Council in Economics.
A renowned scholar and author of over 100 scientific works, Professor Gharibyan’s key publications include the monographs The Standard of Living and Its Improvement in Soviet Armenia (Yerevan, 1972), Problems of Raising the Standard of Living in Socialist Society (Yerevan, 1977), and as co-author, Problems of Socio-Economic Development and Human Capital Reproduction in the Republic of Armenia During the Years of Independence (Yerevan, 2017). He also authored several textbooks, including Pre-Monopoly Capitalism (Yerevan, 1971), Fundamentals of Human Development (Yerevan, 2004), and the university textbook Economics (Yerevan, 2004). Under his supervision, 50 PhD theses were defended.
In recognition of his patriotic and academic contributions, Professor Gharibyan was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal in 1999 and the title of Honored Scientist of the Republic of Armenia in 2010. In 2018, a solo exhibition of his paintings was held at the Hovhannes Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art in Yerevan.
Professor Gharibyan’s nearly 70 years of dedicated service to YSU, particularly in the revival and advancement of the Faculty of Economics, are of inestimable value. The transformative changes at the faculty during the 1990s gained structure and momentum through his tireless efforts as Dean. Under his professional and visionary leadership, the faculty stood out as a leading academic unit within YSU, marked by educational achievements and high-level research.
His legacy also lives on in the generations of young economists he helped shape—not only as specialists, but as dignified and patriotic citizens of Armenia.
The leadership of YSU Faculty of Economics and Management and the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia extend their heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, colleagues, and the wider academic and scientific community of Armenia.
Grisha Gharibyan’s significant and enduring contributions to YSU’s academic life will remain a lasting legacy in the history of higher education and science in the Republic of Armenia.
Faculty of Economics and Management, YSU
Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia
