By: Allen Wallace, wallacj7@mailbox.sc.edu
Posted on: January 14, 2019

University of South Carolina Associate Professor Armen Shaomian is the new president of a prestigious international organization which brings educators and industry leaders together to support emerging research and student success.

The Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) elected Shaomian to the position in December, and he will officially begin his two-year term in March, after serving as the organization’s vice president for the prior two years.

MEIEA was formed in 1979 and its primary goal is to prepare students for careers in the music and entertainment industries by facilitating an exchange of information between educators and industry leaders. A central hub for academic research in the music and entertainment industry, MEIEA has established itself as the primary conduit for scholarly articles and research aimed at deepening industry knowledge and enhancing student learning outcomes.

Shaomian’s career includes experience in both academia and in the music and entertainment industries. He joined the UofSC faculty in 2012 and is also the founder and CEO of Armenize, Inc., an arts consulting agency specializing in non-profit arts management and foundational strategies.

In UofSC’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, he leads the entertainment management curriculum, teaching classes on topics including live entertainment, event promotion and the business of Broadway.

“Armen has been instrumental in growing our entertainment management program at UofSC and is an outstanding choice to lead MEIEA,” says Matt Brown, chair of the Department of Sport and Entertainment Management. “His background in the industry combined with his classroom experiences here make him the ideal choice, and he joins a long list of SPTE faculty who have served in leadership positions in national and international associations across our fields.”

South Carolina is the first major university to create a separate department for the study of sport and entertainment. As the largest department of its kind, entertainment management faculty like Shaomian are joined by industry leaders from the world of sports, including former franchise presidents from the NFL, NBA and NHL.

A native of Sweden, Shaomian also leads study abroad classes on sport and entertainment in Europe and North America. In 2017, he received the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management's Brian J. and Linda L. Mihalik Global Scholar Award for his commitment to and advancement of the globalization of the college’s students, faculty, curricula, research capabilities and reputation.

“UofSC is still a relatively new member of MEIEA, and I’m excited to see our reputation growing in entertainment and music education,” Shaomian says. “I am proud to represent our program and university and to make meaningful contributions to the advancement and sharing of knowledge with MEIEA’s many national and international member schools.”

“UofSC is still a relatively new member of MEIEA, and I’m excited to see our reputation growing in entertainment and music education. I am proud to represent our program and university and to make meaningful contributions to the advancement and sharing of knowledge with MEIEA’s many national and international member schools.

—Armen Shaomian, Ph.D., Department of Sport
   and Entertainment Management

Shaomian, a trained concert pianist, began his teaching career in 2010 at the University of Miami, Before that, he served as programs manager and associate producer for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA) and its signature YoungArts program. In that role, Shaomian oversaw live performance logistics as well as strategic relations with the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as well as the United States Department of Education and the United States Presidential Scholars program.

He has also held the position of musical director of the critically acclaimed touring company of The Second City Theatre. Other entertainment work includes several voice-overs for Disney and Warner Bros. feature animations.