[ASEEES] ASEEES Board Letter to the Membership

[Park, Lynda]

Dear ASEEES members,

In  recent months, we have witnessed unprecedented and manifold threats to our field, to higher education and research institutes in the United States, and to academic freedom on an international scale. Real and potential loss of federal funding and programs has already negatively affected scholars' ability to study foreign languages and conduct research. As of early May, the Kennan Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center is effectively closed; numerous NEH, NEA, and NSF grants have been rescinded; and while the Department of State Title VIII program and the Department of Education Title VI program still exist, they are in precarious positions. We are also deeply concerned about the international scholars studying and working in the United States and recognize non-US scholars' fears about traveling to and participating in professional activities in this country.

Amidst these threats, ASEEES continues to pursue its mission of fostering intellectual community among scholars of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies. This is not the first time that we, as a professional field, have faced seemingly insurmountable challenges. Indeed, ours is a community that has been indelibly shaped by border restrictions, geopolitical tensions, authoritarian policies, and global uncertainty. It is in response to such conditions that our field has made its most powerful interventions, seeking to cultivate understanding through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Now more than ever, our work-producing and disseminating knowledge about our field-is essential. ASEEES remains steadfastly dedicated to safeguarding research and providing space for scholars to convene. ASEEES also reaffirms its unwavering support for academic freedom for all our members, including scholars outside the United States and international students and scholars in the United States.

The ASEEES Board of Directors and staff are closely monitoring the situation and are in frequent communication with institutions in our field that are impacted by the enacted and proposed changes at the federal level. In consultation with our members, affiliate organizations, and other scholarly societies, ASEEES has undertaken the following actions in response to these threats:

  *   increased funding for our dissertation research/writing grant and convention travel grant programs to offset present uncertainties related to federal and university funding;
  *   issued an advocacy statement<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faseees.org%2Fnews%2Faseees-urges-support-for-the-us-department-of-education-title-vi-program%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584740418%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hlqk0nzT%2FiEPp0j4FdqWuJmSoGBYXgKSDjnyBxiCXfk%3D&reserved=0> in support of the US Department of Education Title VI program;
  *   began hosting regular meetings for our institutional affiliates who are recipients of Title VI and Title VIII grants to share information, resources, and advocacy efforts; signed multiple statements in solidarity with other organizations, including:
     *   American Historical Association statement condemning targeting of foreign scholars<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.historians.org%2Fnews%2Famerican-historical-association-condemns-targeting-of-foreign-scholars%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584761506%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2FCSeqlulWhWoYMlIsk9LcXRk2RYC0VDYKvkbnmyN5Ss%3D&reserved=0>;
     *   ACLS Joint Statement on Cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.acls.org%2Fnews%2Fjoint-statement-on-cuts-to-the-national-endowment-for-the-humanitiesthe-council-of-graduate-schools-and-the-phi-beta-kappa-society%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584775582%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YqL3OipR4k%2B7HNLqlvqf80VKQ0DjuXyUcuQISfdZm0A%3D&reserved=0>
  *   created an Advocacy and Action Alerts<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faseees.org%2Fnews%2F2025-advocacy-statements-and-action-alerts%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584790344%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=R6rAPiOv%2BP97Q8%2B%2Fkw6lOw%2F1oFBcikvCoYs2uoaytCs%3D&reserved=0> page to gather ASEEES-signed statements and collect suggested advocacy actions which our members can undertake as well as news and resources.

Our Annual Convention<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faseees.org%2Fconvention%2F2025-convention%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584805844%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=hys7UtRRmFZncLArrbc5L22tAygl0VqU9fZ71%2F2agqw%3D&reserved=0>, in convening an interdisciplinary group of scholars, remains one of the most important contributions our organization makes to the advancement of our field of study and an essential means by which we cultivate the intellectual community upon which that field rests. ASEEES acknowledges the uncertainties surrounding international travel to the United States and has developed a contingency plan that was approved by our Board in a special meeting held on April 18. For 2025, ASEEES will:

  *   offer greater flexibility in transferring sessions from the in-person convention to the virtual convention. Session organizers will have until mid-August to make such a change;
  *   offer a more flexible refund policy and allow full refunds for those who could not obtain visas or were denied entry at the border;
  *   offer more travel grants, especially for graduate students and members with annual income under $40K;
  *   compile and share resources on travel to the US to help our non-US members make informed decisions about attending the convention.

At this time, we are gathering individual impact stories from those whose work, livelihoods, and/or safety have been implicated by present threats. If you have been affected in any way, please fill out this survey<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2Fe%2F1FAIpQLSdYJwEEyZ0luvRflpnh2LmmcHAokyH_QTyl-R4xKhNLQWqiNg%2Fviewform&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584821804%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=V6hJBTGSq8KDt3ikiLPRLXjaJwNMQ0G2jJ5HKOTDiVU%3D&reserved=0>. The stories and data you provide not only will help us make informed strategic decisions as we move forward but will also serve as a vital historical record of those experiences.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Edgar, 2025 ASEEES President
and the ASEEES Board of Directors<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faseees.org%2Fabout%2Fgovernance%2Fboard%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584839453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=f1%2BPNsRzCGifD4eWh%2B7x1K54VYFJTZY2wf16t8ahWa4%3D&reserved=0>

This letter is also published on the ASEEES website<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faseees.org%2Fnews%2Fboard-letter-to-aseees-members%2F&data=05%7C02%7Caseees%40list.pitt.edu%7Ca65f278bff1d4d22421808dd970cd6ba%7C9ef9f489e0a04eeb87cc3a526112fd0d%7C1%7C0%7C638832803584857231%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WqQ3ADyYT%2BwB3CVDlYiKb28ia6cNJoZuIiVxYIoiuN8%3D&reserved=0>.


Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
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