Armenian Film Foundation: Documentation & Preservation of Armenian Heritage

Dr. Silva Karayan

Dr. Silva Karayan is professor emeritus of Education at California Lutheran University. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). During the past three decades she served California Lutheran University as tenured professor, department chair, researcher, and Founding Director of CLU’s Center for Academic Service-learning (CASL).

Professor Karayan is the author of “A Guide to Academic Service-Learning”, a comprehensive resource for college faculty and K-12 teachers. Her scholarly work and research are published in peer-reviewed professional journals. Her scholarly activities also include frequent presentations at national and international conferences. She has received several national and state competitive grants to support her scholarship.

Dr. Karayan is the recipient of national awards in the areas of teaching and instructional leadership. In 1996, in recognition of her ‘innovative ideas and passionate teaching’ she was unanimously nominated for the President’s Award for Teaching Excellence. In 1997, she received CCET’s “Quality of Education Award for Distinguished Service to Children and Preparation of Teachers.” In 2002, in recognition of her “significant contributions in the field of teacher education, through innovation, high standards and leadership” she was the first professor nationwide, to receive the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) award for “Best Practice in Service-Learning Pedagogy”.

As an educational consultant, Dr. Karayan has worked closely with California Department of Education’s (CDE) statewide initiative to promote Service-Learning Pedagogy in Teacher Preparation Programs. She is a founding member of CDE’s first statewide Advisory Committee. She has also served on California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) Bilingual and Bicultural panels to develop the CLAD and BCLAD tests.

Professor Karayan creates time to reach out to the educational needs of the Armenian community, offering her expertise and guidance. Currently she is the chair of the Education Committee and vice chair of the Board of Trustees at AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park and AGBU Vatche and Tamar Manoukian High School in Pasadena. Dr. Karayan is a founding member of the Board of Trustees, at Ararat Charter School in Van Nuys.

In 2006, Professor Karayan established the AGBU Yervant Babayan Institute of Pedagogy for Research & Development, as a living testament to her father’s illustrious career as an educator, writer, and community leader. The Babayan Institute, under the capable chairmanship of Dr. Mihran Agbabian and Dr. Silva Karayan, creates and carries out innovative initiatives, with the explicit purpose and goal of becoming a valuable resource for all Armenian schools.

Professor Silva Karayan is married to Dr. Sarkis Karayan. They have a daughter, Zella, married to Dr. Khatchik Karakozian, and two granddaughters, Tamar and Patil.