September 3, 2020
Dear colleagues, students, and friends,
Traditionally, a letter such as this one would begin with a “welcome back,” but given our ongoing situation and the restrictions on travel, I imagine many of you hardly got away this summer, whether for research or that well-earned break. And others will have chosen or been forced by visa regulations to delay their arrival on campus. But whether you are near or far, have traveled or not, let me still welcome you warmly to a new academic year at the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE). As I step in for Geneviève Zubrzycki during her research leave, I look forward to navigating the coming year’s challenges with you.
In the best of WCEE traditions, I also hope that through our research, teaching, and learning, as well as in our limited schedule of public events, we will find opportunities to reflect together on those challenges, particularly as they affect the regions of Europe and Eurasia. To this end, we will be paying close attention to the COVID-19 crisis across the globe, to the repercussions of the Black Lives Matter movement, to the impact of this Fall’s U.S. elections in Europe and Eurasia, and to other issues as they arise. Some of this programming is still in the making, but we will certainly share announcements as details become available. Meanwhile, please visit the WCEE events page for details on all CREES, CCPS and CES upcoming lectures and discussions.
During this period of change and new challenges, we will also seek to hold fast to some traditions such as the CREES noon lectures and to build on existing initiatives, in particularly the CREES collaboration with the Ford School: "Developing Future Leaders in U.S.-Russia Relations," which we are excited to put in motion this academic year. The first professional development workshop in the program will be held this fall; we are also accepting proposals for the next round of Student-Initiated Projects with a September 11 deadline.
Given the constraints imposed by the pandemic, and as long as travel and hosting restrictions remain in place, all our events will take place online. While I am sure we all share a sense of loss at the inability to gather in a room to engage collectively with speakers on important topics (but also just to catch up about what else is going on in our lives as we congregate in person), I’m pleased to say that the Zoom-era has also brought the benefit of new collaborations. Thus, CREES has joined with the ASEEES Committee for Advocating for Diversity and Inclusion (CADI) and REEES at Pittsburgh University to co-sponsor a series of roundtables and pedagogy workshops on "Race in Focus: From Critical Pedagogies to Research Practice and Public Engagement in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies." Similarly, CREES has partnered with a consortium of institutions to host the "Area Studies Showcase Lecture Series: Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia" that includes, among others, our Wayne State colleague and Anthropology/REES alumna, Professor Jessica Robbins. The full schedules of both of these consortia will be announced in the coming weeks.
And finally, I would like to welcome those joining us this year as MIRS-REEES students, as FLAS fellows, or as faculty associates. We look forward to getting to know you, to exploring the Europe and Eurasia region with you, and to learning about your work. A center such as ours exists primarily by virtue of those who populate it with their expertise and inquisitiveness, and thereby fill it with intellectual life and purpose. I feel privileged to be part of this group for the coming year.
Until we’re able to gather again in person, then, here’s a warm virtual welcome to all, in the hopes that you and yours are safe and healthy. I’ll see you on Zoom.
Best,
Johannes v. Moltke
Professor
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures
Department of Film, Television and Media
Acting Director, WCEE
