Candidates for Eurasia SIG Co-Chair:
Katerina Bodovski, Associate Professor, Penn State University
The Eurasia SIG is on an upward trajectory. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the previous and current leadership, within just a few years the section has evolved from a few enthusiastic researchers to an established community of almost 60 paying members and almost 90 members of the Facebook group. My vision for the future of the Eurasia SIG can be summarized by three words: outreach, visibility and growth. Building upon our accomplishments, we will reach out to more colleagues in both the Western academia and policy world, as well as in the Eurasia region. We must increase our visibility within the academic community by continuing to conduct and disseminate research through our own outlets, as well as by making contributions via mainstream journals. I will encourage collaborations among members on the projects that will make valuable contributions to the field as a whole, not just within the Eurasia studies. Our voice should be heard within the field of comparative and international education. It is also important to increase our visibility within the CIES. It can be done a number of ways, including participation of our junior members in the activities of the New Scholars Committee that provides participants with many valuable mentoring and networking opportunities. As a SIG, we will be growing not just in numbers, but in the content of the work we are doing and the impact we are making.
Martha Merrill, Associate Professor, Kent State University
One of the best aspects of the Eurasia SIG its spirit of support and sharing – between researchers of different nationalities, between established academics and graduate students entering the field, and between academics and practitioners. As co-chair, I would encourage this spirit, and would hope that we can increase professional networking and sharing our developing work on the region, along with continuing the Graduate Student Paper Award and increasing membership so that we thus can have more SIG-highlighted panels.
Candidates for Eurasia SIG Treasurer:
Marina Kudasova, Ph.D. Student, Lehigh University
I envision Eurasia SIG growing yet strengthening and maximizing its roots and potential through the distinctive brand development, increased collaboration among the members, regional events, and development of alternative ways of funding. I would like to work on fundraising, developing a brand for Eurasia SIG with its logo, distinct features, and traditions; attracting more members; thinking about the ways to maximize the potential of our group membership; extending our collaboration beyond CIES through regional events and webinars.
Dilrabo Jonbekova, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Cambridge
If elected as Treasurer, I would like to focus on a collaborative campaign with other members of the committee for mobilising resources; so as to afford greater opportunities for students, researchers and scholars from local institutions from Central Asia and Eastern European regions to participate at CIES conference. I would also wish to promote greater collaborative research opportunities for scholars from Western universities and those from local institutions in the regions of interest to Eurasia SIG.
