Vartan Gregorian

Vartan Gregorian (April 8, 1934 – April 15, 2021) was an Iranian-American of Armenian descent. He was an academic, educator, and historian, and he served as president of the Carnegie Corporation from 1997 to 2021. Gregorian moved to the United States from Iran at age 22. He graduated with a PhD 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. 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).