This publication is paid for in part by the dues-paying members of the Indiana University Alumni Association Indiana University Depar tment of Slavic Languages and Literatures Alumni Newsletter Vol. 9 College of Arts & Sciences Winter 2004–05 Slavic department steps up outreach efforts orking in collaboration with the IU Russian and East European WInstitute (REEI), Slavic depart- ment faculty members have initiated a number of efforts during the past year to share their knowledge, skills, and enthu- siasm for Slavic studies with precollegiate teachers and members of the general public. This type of service to the univer- sity and to the profession often does not receive the credit it deserves. Outreach is a central obligation of the university’s Title VI National Resource Center (REEI) and is important for student recruitment and maintenance of the public profile and out- standing reputation of the department. Slavic language coordinator Jeffrey Holdeman has made several outreach trips in the state this year. He visited DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., to speak to Russian language students there about Jeffrey Holdeman lectures on Russian language study in Al Stoner’s Merrillville classroom. opportunities for furthering their language study in the Summer Workshop or in a diana. Following this meeting, Stoner was The Gary school district has a summer graduate program at IU. Last May, Holde- selected to receive a professional develop- Study Alternative International Languages man traveled with REEI’s outreach coor- ment grant from REEI, which he used to Program for children in grades 2–10 that dinator, Denise Gardiner, to speak to and enroll in Level 5 Russian at IU’s Summer includes Russian. We provided a box of perform Russian music for teacher Albert Workshop. Holdeman and Gardiner also teaching materials for the summer 2004 Stoner and his beginning Russian students met with the foreign language coordina- SAIL program, and we plan to expand our at Merrillville High School in northwest In- tor of the Gary Community School Corp. support for 2005. Another high school visit took Holde- man to the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities in Muncie, Chair notes much worth celebrating where he spoke to the first- and second- s I begin my third year as chair of the Slavic department, we continue to re- year classes of Heather Rogers, MA’99. Aceive good news about our language enrollments, thanks to the continued hard Holdeman also repeated his popular “Intro work of our language coordinator, Jeff Holdeman. We are excited about the addi- to Russian” program for at-risk middle tion of Aaron Beaver to our literature faculty this year. Beaver recently completed school students from poor rural and inner a notable dissertation on Joseph Brodsky at the University of Chicago and is also a city schools who visit the Bloomington graduate of our undergraduate Slavic program at IU! We have just received another campus as part of a “Scholars Mini Camp,” item of wonderful news for our department: The dean has authorized a new tenure- hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences. track search in the area of Polish language and literature for this year. Thus, we have Dodona Kiziria was a featured speaker been given two back-to-back tenure-track positions, last year and this year. This is in this year’s IU International Studies not only a strong vote of confidence in our department, but a great opportunity to Summer Institute for grade 7–12 in-service build our department for the next generation and maintain our national strengths in teachers. She presented a survey of the his- Slavic languages and literatures. tory of Georgia to the 20 teachers enrolled — Ronald Feldstein in the course. This was followed by a live (continued on page 3) 1 Departmental News Success stories from the department are encouraging he department’s students participated Tfor the second time in the American Council of Teachers of Russian National Postsecondary Russian Essay Contest. IU’s 20 participants represented five of six categories in the competition, and we are pleased to congratulate our four national winners. Among non-heritage speakers at the advanced level, Neil Gipson (MA student, REEI) won first place, and Amy Zerebnick (undergraduate, Slavic) and Siobhan Reardon (undergraduate, Slavic) won third place. In the heritage speaker category, Level 2, Jane Charney (under- graduate, journalism) won first place. The Zeta Zeta chapter of Dobro Slovo National Slavic Honor Society inducted 21 new members at a ceremony on April 20. The Zeta Zeta members are Matthew Joseph Adler (undergraduate, criminal justice), Nik Borjan (undergraduate, busi- ness), Bora Chung (MA student, Slavic), Undergraduate Slavic major Amy Zerebnick receives her Dobro Slovo pin. Kathryn Noelle Davis (undergraduate, Slavic, psychology), Catherine Drew Alex Ippoliti, and Kristen Stolt; and (undergraduate, French, political science), Nathan Gilbert spent a semester in Bul- Slavic Languages Beth Ehrsam (undergraduate, commu- garia. Miriam Osadchey spent the summer nication and culture), Seth Clark Everitt in St. Petersburg. This fall, four students & Literatures (undergraduate, Slavic, communication — Erinne Daley, Katie Davis, Aaron and culture), Sarah Gilchrist (under- Hale-Dorrell, and Mike Smith — are This newsletter is published by the In- graduate, Slavic, comparative literature), participating in the CIEE study abroad diana University Alumni Association, in Aaron Hale-Dorrell (undergraduate, program in St. Petersburg. Davis and Smith cooperation with the Department of Slavic Slavic, history), Philip Charles Hart (MA are there for this academic year. In spring Languages & Literatures and the College student, REEI), Stephanie J. Hockman semester, Tim Kenlan and Ryan Kilgore of Arts & Sciences Alumni Association, to (MA/MPA student, REEI/SPEA), Blake will join the others. encourage alumni interest in and support Randell Hulet (undergraduate, Slavic, REEI and the department organized a for Indiana University. For activities and membership information, call (800) 824- psychology), John Alexander Ippoliti concert by the Russian folk music group 3044 or send e-mail to iualumni@indiana. (undergraduate, Slavic, classical stud- Zolotoi Plios, which drew a wonderful edu. ies), Andriana Ivanovic (undergraduate, crowd of 85. Other extracurricular activities political science), Aleksandra Jovanovic include a lecture on Russian translations Department of Slavic (undergraduate, Slavic, criminal justice), of Lord of the Rings; a Vinni-Pukh car- Languages & Literatures Stuart MacKenzie (PhD candidate, Slavic, toon night, organized by graduate student Chair ...........................Ronald Feldstein philosophy), Miriam Shrager (PhD candi- Lina Khawaldah; and a talk on the Soviet Supervising Editor ....... Denise Gardiner date, Slavic), Michael Smith (undergradu- underground jazz scene, organized by local Newsletter Editor ................ Philip Hart ate, Slavic), Michelle Stevens, and Amy international students from Russia. College of Arts & Sciences M. Zerebnick (undergraduate, Slavic). Dean ............... Kumble R. Subbaswamy Melinda J. Fountain was inducted in the Executive Director of Development honorary category. Visit our newly revised & Alumni Programs ......... David Ellies Enrollments in classes are up. Spring Web site at IU Alumni Association 2004 second-year and above language www.indiana.edu/~iuslavic/ President/CEO ..................Ken Beckley enrollments were at 122, up from 89 the Director of Alumni year before. The number of Slavic majors in or write to us at the Programs ............................ Nicki Bland 2003–04 was up to 26, double the number Department of Slavic Editor for Constituent at the same time of the previous year. Languages and Literatures, Periodicals ........................ Julie Dales Two-thirds of these are double majors, and Assistant Editor for Constituent they have one of the highest average GPAs Indiana University, Periodicals ....................... Carol Edge of any major on campus. Participation in Ballantine Hall 502, Editorial Assistant ...........Diana Tychsen study-abroad programs is also up signifi- Bloomington, IN cantly. In 2003–04, three students spent a 47405-7103. semester in St. Petersburg: Sarah Atterson, 2 SWSEEL 2004 continues upward enrollment trend he 54th annual Summer Workshop generating other external grant support. a high level. Of the 152 students in Slavic Tin Slavic, East European, and Central The East European program was awarded department languages (Russian, Georgian, Asian Languages saw upward enrollment $28,000 from the American Councils and East European), 50 had FLAS fellow- trends continue. Total enrollment went for Learned Societies for first-year Bos- ships from IU or from other Title VI cen- from 162 in 2003 to 223 in 2004, an nian/Croatian/Serbian, Polish, Roma- ters nationwide; eight had SSRC awards; increase of 40 percent. The largest increases nian, and Slovene. ACLS support pays the five students received awards from the CIC; were in Russian, from 77 to 107 students, instructor’s salary and ensures that IU will one student had an individual East Euro- and Central Asian, from 41 to 59 students, offer the language tuition-free to gradu- pean Language Fellowship from ACLS; and and in the addition of two new courses to ate students in East European studies. The one student was a professional from the SWSEEL: second-year Serbian and Croa- workshop has already received notification U.S. State Department (read about