Pitt Honors College Student Receives 2009 National Security Education Program David L. Boren Scholarship For International Study to Study in Republic of Georgia

PITTSBURGH-University of Pittsburgh Honors College student Natalia Arutynov, a senior with a double major in economics and political science in the School of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2009 National Security Education Program David L. Boren Scholar. Arutynov, a resident of Upper Holland, Pa., is a first-generation U.S. citizen of Armenian descent who was born in the Republic of Georgia.

Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. national security interests. Scholars study less commonly taught languages, including Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Swahili. The award is funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

This is the seventh consecutive year that a Pitt student has been awarded the honor, and Arutynov is the 19th Pitt student to receive a Boren Scholarship since 1997. She plans to use the scholarship to continue study of the language, history, and culture of the East-European nation of Georgia during the 2009-10 academic year.

Alec Stewart, dean of the Honors College, which oversees the NSEP Pitt Competition under the guidance of Judy Zang, Pitt's director of national scholarships, says Arutynov is an ideal candidate for the award.

"Natalia's scholarly ability and Armenian background give her the international foundation and infrastructure to benefit from a year in Georgia," said Stewart. "Upon her return, she will be a stellar resource for other students with an interest in Eastern Europe and foreign affairs."

In addition to her majors, Arutynov is pursuing a certificate in Russian and East European Study from Pitt's University Center for International Studies. While in Georgia, Arutynov will attend the Tbilisi State University, where she will participate in 30 weeks of academic coursework focused on Georgian phonetics, grammar, composition, oral comprehension, and reading. She also will live with a local family throughout the year, providing her with the opportunity for first-hand experience with the Republic's culture and people.

Arutynov, whose plans include graduate school with a focus on foreign affairs and a career in U.S. diplomacy involving East European countries, views her coming year in Georgia as an opportunity to strengthen her knowledge of the complex issues surrounding the people of Eastern Europe.

"It is of great interest to the United States to have the ability to understand what it means that many of the citizens of these nations still possess a Soviet or post-Soviet mentality, and that they are still struggling to regain their identity," said Arutynov. "International diplomacy is an integral part of U.S. national security, and as Eastern European states continue to grow politically and economically, there is a great demand to extend and strengthen our ties with these nations."

Arutynov spent the first five years of her life in Georgia before immigrating to the United States in 1991. She says growing up in a home where four different languages were fluently spoken helped her to develop a passion for her native heritage. Since arriving at Pitt, she has received two Fulbright-Hays scholarships as well as a Slavic Workshop Scholarship to study in Moscow during her sophomore year. Arutynov is fluent in Russian and intermediate in French.

The Boren Scholarship is the namesake of David L. Boren, principal author of the legislation that created the NSEP. Boren served as the governor of Oklahoma from 1974 to 1978 and as a U.S. senator from 1979 to 1994. He currently serves as the president of the University of Oklahoma. Past Pitt Boren Scholars have used the award to study in China, India, Israel, Tanzania, and Vietnam, among others.

The NSEP was established by the National Security Education Act of 1991. The program's mission is to educate U.S. citizens on foreign cultures, strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness, and enhance international cooperation and security. The NSEP is governed by a 13-member National Security Education Board, which is congressionally mandated to be comprised of seven senior federal government officials as well as six presidential appointees.

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7/15/09/amm