As a classically trained piano prodigy growing up in Sweden, Armen Shaomian didn’t have what most might consider a traditional childhood.
After spending his days at school, he headed to the music conservatory instead of the football field, where he spent hours training with teachers whose musical lineage traced back to Chopin. His first concert was at age 9. By 12, he had sold out the Stockholm Royal Concert Hall, where he performed three concerts in the role of Mozart.
Today you can find Shaomian at the University of South Carolina, where he works as an associate professor of sport and entertainment management. Even though he has shifted gears, he hasn’t lost the classical musician mindset.
“I always see the front of the classroom as my stage,” Shaomian says. “With my concerts, I always like to speak about what I'm going to perform and really engage and educate the audience, because if the audience knows what they're listening for in a certain part of a musical piece, they're much more appreciative. I have that same approach with my students.”
Shaomian’s classes dive into the business side of entertainment. The subject matter can get complex.
“You’re literally trying to figure out how much Taylor Swift makes on that one song that’s being streamed 1 billion times — that kind of thing,” he says. “My classroom approach is really like the students are all part of an ensemble. If I see what I would consider a weak section in the orchestra, I just really hammer it down with them, especially if it is complicated topics like royalties that require rigorous calculation.”
Discussions are a key part of his teaching style. A firm believer in the Socratic method, he keeps students alert by cold-calling and asking often and early for input — otherwise, students slump behind their laptops and miss out on the communal aspect of the classroom. Humor is another element of his approach. Making jokes, often at his own expense, keeps students engaged and keeps the classroom tone positive.
Since 2022, Shaomian has expanded his reach beyond the classroom by taking on a three-year term as the faculty director of Preston Residential College. Being embedded within the living and learning community has been the perfect fit for the high-energy professor known for his late-night coffee runs.
In just two years, he has launched the Preston Leadership Conversations initiative to bring in high-profile speakers. These speakers have included the nation’s first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemical engineering, a U.S. Diplomat who oversaw operations at embassies around the world, the current star of the Broadway musical Hamilton and a former chief communications officer for the Washington, D.C., Attorney General.
“I host a lot of dinners where we have conversations. They can be very casual — just drop in and grab some food and hang out. Or it can be more of a program — let's have two ideas from differing backgrounds and see if we can understand. And I always say we're not here to necessarily agree 100 percent. It's more like, ‘Can we understand each other? Can we understand the other person’s why?’
Additionally, Shaomian spearheaded an initiative to change the community’s name to the Preston Residential College for Leadership, which better highlights the nature and focus of the residential community. He has advised Preston’s Black Caucus and PRISM, its LGBTQIA+ student group. And he’s earned multiple accolades, including the John N. Gardner Inspirational Faculty Award and the College of HRSM’s Varney Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. This year, he received USC’s prestigious Michael J. Mungo Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Living where he works can be exhausting at times, especially for someone who can’t help but give 100 percent all the time. “My partner jokes that I don’t work from home, I home from work,” he says. But he remains laser-focused on his goal of fostering dialogue and understanding among the residents.
“I host a lot of dinners where we have conversations,” he says. “They can be very casual — just drop in and grab some food and hang out. Or it can be more of a program — let's have two ideas from differing backgrounds and see if we can understand. And I always say we're not here to necessarily agree 100 percent. It's more like, ‘Can we understand each other? Can we understand the other person’s why?’”
The effectiveness of Shaomian’s methods is clearly seen in the comments from students who have nominated him for awards.
“The connections that Dr. Armen introduces to us are very rare,” said one student. “I've had the privilege to meet President Amiridis multiple times at his residence. I've sat down and had lunch with Dr. Arnett, our executive vice president of academic affairs and provost. We've had several ‘leadership conversations’ with Dr. Armen's colleagues, which as a freshman has been a terrific way to create relationships.”
“Dr. Armen has been instrumental in helping me find and receive funding for my undergraduate research college,” another student wrote. “It's enabled me to travel abroad for my project, which will fulfill my Graduation with Leadership Distinction requirements. This is an amazing opportunity that I would not have had if it wasn't for his assistance and counseling in finding funding opportunities.”
Shaomian is a strong believer in the transformative experience of studying abroad. Throughout his time at USC, he’s taken hundreds of students on study abroad classes, including multiple trips to Mexico City. He encourages all students to apply, even the freshmen, and explains how international travel can broaden a young person’s perspective or even change the course of their life. He knows from personal experience — an exchange program is what first brought him to the U.S. at 16.
“That turned into junior year and then senior year of high school, and then I got my high school diploma, got a scholarship to study piano in Detroit for my undergrad, and then went to grad school in Miami,” he says. “Almost 30 years later, I'm still around. My mom still asks, ‘When are you moving back?’”
Having that international background — Shaomian is Armenian by heritage and Swedish by nationality — helps him connect with students who need extra support while adapting to college life.
“English is my third language, so I have firsthand experience with the challenges of integrating within a different culture,” he says. “This is especially relevant for our freshmen. Columbia might be the biggest city they’ve known, and they’re living more independently for the first time. My awareness of this helps me identify students who may be struggling to adjust, which in turn opens the door for them to feel comfortable seeking guidance or reaching out if they need mentorship.”