REEESNe Student Conference held at Yale's MacMillan Center
On March 29th and 30th, Yale’s Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies Northeast (REEESNe) initiative held its 4th annual Student Conference at the MacMillan Center’s Luce Hall. The conference, which rotates between member institutions, including UPenn in 2023 and UMass Amherst in 2024, convened at Yale for the first time this year and drew strong participation from across the region. Approximately 60 students traveled to attend in person from 25 universities and colleges in the northeastern United States. Over the course of two days, Master’s-level and undergraduate students from institutions large and small, public and private, presented on their travel and internship experiences, networked with one another and with established scholars, and gave research papers drawing on diverse methodologies from the humanities and social sciences. Members of three European universities serving displaced or exiled students also gave presentations about their wartime studies and experiences to the on-campus audience and otherwise participated in the conference online. Additionally, local students of Russian language from Glastonbury High School joined for an introduction to university life and REEES academics at the postsecondary level.
The REEESNe Student Conference also brought in experts in the field to share leading scholarship, new artworks relating to the REEES region, and advice on professionalization. The conference commenced with a career panel featuring recent as well as more senior alumni professionals who spoke about finding jobs and other opportunities in fields ranging from international education and exchange to library science, journalism, and consulting. Later that evening, participants gathered at the Institute for Sacred Music’s Miller Hall for a dinnertime introduction by Dr. Liliana Milkova (Nolen Curator of Education at the Yale University Art Gallery) to Noah’s Garden, her exhibition of porcelain icons, vessels, and paintings by Bulgarian artist Svetlozar Parmakov. Immediately afterward, Dr. Ian MacMillen (Lecturer in Music and manager of REEESNe) led the Yale Near Eastern & Balkan Ensemble in a performance of music connected to the artworks and to other sacred traditions in the region. Capping the conference was a keynote lecture by Dr. Sergiy Kudelia (Associate Professor of Political Science at Baylor University): "Why did the Russo-Ukrainian War start in Donbas?"
We look forward to the upcoming 5th annual REEESNe Student Conference, planned for spring 2026 at the University of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with that institution’s Graduation Organization for the Study of Europe & Central Asia and European & Eurasian Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Generous support for the 2025 REEESNe Student Conference was provided by:
REEESNe's donor
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Program
The Central Asia Initiative
Carnegie Corporation of New York
The Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund