I am pleased to report that 2024 was an exceptional year for ASEEES. Membership numbers were the highest since the 1990s. The annual convention was highly productive and well-attended. We awarded numerous prizes, fellowships and grants to deserving scholars for excellence in research. Finally, we initiated new programs and projects to further benefit ASEEES members.
Membership
In 2024, we saw a dramatic increase in membership, reaching a total of 3,764 members, compared to 3,489 in 2023 and 3,268 in 2022. The last time we had comparable numbers was in the 1990s, with a peak of 3,889 members in 1990. Of 3,764 members, 786 were student members (a 13% increase from 2023 and 20.8% of our total membership); 297 affiliate members (7.8%); and 102 lifetime members (2.7%). We had 1,275 international members (33.9% of total members) from 57 countries, of whom 467 were from countries in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. 177 of 467 from the region received membership at a reduced rate; 103 scholars in Ukraine or displaced from Ukraine due to the war were given complimentary memberships. We had 50 institutional members: 22 premium and 28 regular members. For trends in membership over the last decade, please see the table appended to this report.
Annual Convention
The 56th Annual Convention was held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place on November 21-24, 2024, following a small virtual convention on October 17-18. With the convention theme “Liberation,” 674 sessions were scheduled in the program: 621 sessions (92.1%) for the in-person convention; 53 sessions (7.9%) for the virtual convention. The program included 441 panels, 213 roundtables, 20 individual paper panels/lightning rounds, 4 film screenings, and 31 affiliate group meetings, as well as various receptions, literary events, a concert by a Berklee School of Music ensemble, and a live performance presentation of research. The 2024 ASEEES President Vitaly Chernetsky (U of Kansas) gave his presidential address, “Liberation as Goal, Practice, and Strategy: A Paradigm Shift for Our Field in Challenging Times,” during the award ceremony, and the Presidential Plenary, “Identifying and Applying Liberating Perspectives in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies,” featured powerful presentations by Alex Averbuch (U of Michigan), Botakoz Kassymbekova (U of Zurich), Dragan Kujundžić (U of Florida); Maria Popova (McGill U), Maria Sonevytsky (Bard College), and Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon (U of Pennsylvania). We thank the 2024 Program Committee, especially its chair Oxana Shevel (Tufts U), who did tremendous work in overseeing such a large convention.
The final registration numbers were the following: 3,098 registrants, consisting of 2,840 for in-person+virtual (91.7%) and 258 for virtual only (8.3%) – 2,682 registrants were ASEEES members (86.6%); 638 were first-time attendees (20.6%); 568 were students (18.3%). Of the 1,032 international registrants (32.1%) from 52 countries, the largest contingents were from the UK (135), Canada (133), and Germany (134). We offered complimentary registrations to 81 participants from Ukraine or who were displaced from Ukraine and to 19 Belarusian scholars in exile. We thank the 21 convention sponsors, 58 exhibitors, and 30 advertisers.
The 57th Annual Convention will be held at the Washington Hilton, on November 20-23, 2025, with a virtual convention scheduled for October 23-24. Sarah Cameron (U of Maryland) will chair the Program Committee.
Slavic Review
2024 was the first year of the new five-year contract with Cambridge University Press (CUP) to publish Slavic Review. Beginning with the 2024 volume, Slavic Review became a primarily digital journal, with a limited number of print copies being available to members at an additional cost. Slavic Review also has a fresh look with a new logo, cover, layout, and website. Both the new journal design and the website were launched with the publication of the spring 2024 issue this fall. Slavic Review faced delays in 2024 because of a major cyber security incident at CUP that shut down production for many months. Both Slavic Review and CUP staff are working hard to get the publication back on schedule.
Fundraising/Grant Writing
In the fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024), we received a total of $263,539 in gifts, pledges, and grants, including KAT Charitable Foundation’s annual gift for the Cohen-Tucker Fellowships. From July 1 – December 31, 2024, we received a total of $75,337 in gifts and pledges, including a 3-year renewal pledge for the Joseph Bradley-Christine Ruane Dissertation Research Grant in Russian Studies, a generous multi-year pledge for the Dissertation Research Grant in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and the Dissertation Research Grant in Ukrainian Studies, major gifts for the Diversity and Inclusion programs and the Regional Scholar Travel Grant Program, and numerous member donations for the new childcare grant program. We are so thankful to all of our donors, without whose support we would not have such robust fellowship/grant programs.
We signed a three-year renewal agreement with the KAT Foundation for the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Fellowship program for 2025-2027, totaling $528,000 ($176,000 per year). The new agreement increases the fellowship stipend from $25,000 to $28,000, broadens the geographic scope, and expands eligibility to include international students at US universities.
Convention Grants
For the 2024 Annual Convention in Boston, we received an exceptionally large number of grant applications. We awarded 102 travel grants for a total of $68,900:
- 44 Graduate Student Travel Grants (22 students at US institutions and 22 non-US institutions, including citizens of 13 different countries);
- 38 Regional Scholar Travel Grants;
- 9 Convention Opportunity Travel Grants;
- 11 Diversity and Inclusion Travel Grants.
With the board-approved allocation of $5,000 per year, we launched a new Childcare Grant program in 2024 and awarded 29 Childcare Grants for a total of $7,270. We were able to award more grants than initially budgeted thanks to member donations for the program.
Fellowships and Grants
In the 2024 calendar year, we awarded 55 fellowships and grants, totaling $323,500:
- 10 Dissertation Research Grants, up to $6,000 each, including the Dissertation Research Grant in Ukrainian Studies, Dissertation Research Grant in Women and Gender Studies, the Maya K. Peterson Dissertation Research Grant in Environmental Studies, the Joseph Bradley and Christine Ruane Dissertation Research Grant in Russian Studies, and the new James Bailey Dissertation Research Grant in Folklore Studies;
- 6 Summer Dissertation Writing Grants, up to $6,000 each;
- 8 Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Completion Fellowships, up to $25,000 each;
- 7 Internship Grants, with a monthly stipend of $2,000;
- 4 First Book Subventions, up to $2,500 each;
- 20 Mutual Aid Grants, up to $250 each (this program is now closed as the funds have run out).
ASEEES Prizes
In 2024, we were honored to confer 15 prizes and awards to 30 prize winners and honorable mentions, including the Distinguished Contributions to Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Award, which went to Lewis Siegelbaum (Michigan State U). We were also delighted to launch the new Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia Article Prize.
Other Programs
Initiative for Diversity and Inclusion: Since launching the Initiative for Diversity and Inclusion in February 2021, with support from a member-donor, ASEEES has offered 119 complimentary 2-year memberships to interested and eligible scholars and students who are under-represented in our field. The goal continues to be for ASEEES to provide structural support to create a community of scholars and students in the US so that they can network, share their experiences, and mentor each other. The group includes members at various stages of their careers, including students who were selected for the Undergraduate Think Tank coordinated by faculty at the Ohio State University and Howard University, Four of these students presented their research at the ASEEES Convention in Boston.
Managing Mid-Career Milestones: In Fall 2024, we launched the new Managing Mid-Career Milestones initiative, hosting two interdisciplinary panel discussions exploring big picture questions and practical strategies for success in the mid-career. Topics included the considerations surrounding taking on administrative roles, challenges and opportunities of second book projects, and strategies for balancing teaching and research. In Spring 2025, we plan to facilitate a six-week structured accountability group for mid-career scholars, fostering a supportive environment for setting and achieving writing goals through weekly check-ins. We also plan to host networking sessions with senior scholars, providing participants with new professional contacts alongside insights from colleagues who have successfully traversed mid-career milestones.
ASEEES Career Webinars: In Spring 2024, ASEEES held a two-part virtual panel series on Careers Beyond Academia, featuring SEEES professionals across multiple industries and non-academic fields.
Research Meetup Series: In Spring 2024, we continued our new initiative: the Research Meetup Series. These informal events gather scholars of a common ‘sub-region’ to discuss the practicalities of doing onsite research in a given area. We held two meetups, one on research in Central Asia and the other on research in the Caucasus. Pending sufficient interest, we may hold additional meetups in Spring 2025.
Board Election/Incoming Members
In May 2024, the Nominating Committee proposed the following slate for the 2024 Board elections: Oxana Shevel (Tufts U) and Geneviève Zubrzycki (U of Michigan) for President-Elect/Vice President; and Sarah Cameron (U of Maryland), Paul Goode (Carleton U), Christopher Hartwell (Zurich U of Applied Sciences), and Miglena Todorova (U of Toronto) for the two Member-at-Large positions. The vote was held online from early June to September 1, with the following results: Oxana Shevel was elected Vice President/ President-Elect; Sarah Cameron and Paul Goode were elected Members-at-Large for 2025-2027. Of the 3,526 members to whom ballots were sent, 1,396 voted, for a total response rate of 39.5%. This is a typical response rate. The other incoming Board members in 2025 are: Jeff Pennington (UC Berkeley) as the Council of Institutional Members representative; Barry Ickes (Pennsylvania State U) as the Economics representative; José Vergara (Bryn Mawr College) as the AATSEEL representative; and Vera Kuklina (George Washington U) as the AAG representative. Member-at-Large Stephen Riegg also agreed to serve on the Executive Committee, 2025-2026.
ASEEES-Pitt Agreement, 2025-2030
We have signed a renewal agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for ASEEES to remain at Pitt through 2030. We are grateful to Pitt for its commitment to ASEEES.
ASEEES Website Re-design
In March, we launched a new ASEEES website. Our first redesign in eleven years, the new site is mobile responsive, easier to navigate and update, in line with accessibility standards, and has features to promote our members more effectively. The site also includes new dynamic platforms for NewsNet and Slavic Review.
I thank the ASEEES staff, Jenn Legler, Margaret Manges, Leah Valtin-Erwin, and Roxana Espinoza, for their tremendous work and for their assistance in preparing this report.
I also express my gratitude to the ASEEES Board, especially the outgoing 2024 Board members for their service: Juliet Johnson, Karen Evans-Romaine, Amanda Gregg, Edward Holland, Andrew Janco, Alexandra Vacroux, and Kimberly Zarecor.
Finally, I thank the University of Pittsburgh for hosting the main ASEEES office and to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for hosting the Slavic Review editorial office.