Central Eurasian Studies Society

The Central Eurasian Studies Society is now just over two years old, and I
want to use this occasion to give you some highlights of our active
development over the past year.

It is also the beginning of CESS's membership year, and in this connection,
I want to thank you for your interest in the past year and to invite you to
become a member, and thereby to play an important role in helping to build
this Society.

Some highlights of the past year -- see our website for more info:

   http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess

 * In purely numerical terms, we are doing extremely well.  We have now
over 800 members in nearly 60 countries -- that's double our membership of
a year ago (see the Membership Directory for full information:
www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess/CESS_Memebership_Directory.html).  There are
3,250 people on the CESS Occasional Mailing List (receiving infrequent
announcements about CESS activities).  While of course we would be very
glad to have all of these people in as actual members, we hare heartened by
the fact that they have wanted to be included in the mailing list,
reflecting the wide interest that CESS has evoked.

 * Financially, we are also doing quite well.  As we increase our
activities and organizational capacity, our expenses also increase, but we
have been very careful with the budget.  Our projected financial situation
at the end of this fiscal year (Dec. 31) leaves us with at least several
thousand dollars in the bank.  We plan to continue to expand our activities
on the basis of a solid and safe financial basis.  We also have commitments
of financial support from several of the universities where there is a
major focus on Central Eurasia, for which we are extremely grateful.

 * Even more important than finances, meanwhile, is the greatly increasing
volunteer involvement through which CESS members have been actively helping
to build our activities and the field.  In addition to members'
contributions to the work of committees, he have begun to establish a
network of "Country Contact Persons" and "Correspondents", who are helping
us to ensure that CESS is representative of Central Eurasian studies in
many fields and countries, and responsive to their needs.  Many thanks are
due to Laura Adams, who has done a wonderful job of helping to get a large
number of people organized in volunteer efforts.  Please be in touch with
her about ways that you can increase your own involvement (e-mail:
[email protected]; note, though, that she is currently away on
research).

 * Each year, we hold elections, and we have begun preparing for the next
ones to be held in January -- your input is welcome.  This past year's
elections yielded Gregory Gleason as President-Elect (who will succeed me
as President in February), and two other new Board Members: Cassandra
Cavanaugh and Robert Cutler.

 * Perhaps our most important accomplishment of the year was the
establishment of our new journal, the Central Eurasian Studies Review, of
which Vol. 1, No. 3 will soon appear.  Virginia Martin (CESR Chief Editor)
has led a tremendous team effort -- see the first two numbers on-line at:
www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess/CESS_Review.html (printed copies are also
distributed to members when they appear, at no charge).

 * The other major priority of our organization has been its Annual
Meeting, the third of which will be held 17-20 October 2002 in Madison,
Wisconsin.  We expect a significantly larger attendance this year than last
-- possibly over two hundred paper presenters -- and we certainly hope you
will come if you can.  This is the third time the conference has been
hosted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with organizational efforts
led by the ever energetic and enthusiastic Uli Schamiloglu.  We have now
reached the point in the development of CESS's organizational capacity that
we expect the conference venue to migrate in coming years to several of the
key North American universities in the field of Central Eurasian studies.

 * You can learn much more about the activities of CESS by reading our
website (www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess).  Indeed, over the past months, we have
added to this resource by establishing mirror websites in eight of the
countries of Central Eurasia (with the generous assistance of the IREX/IATP
Programs in Central Asia and the Caucasus).  These mirrors make it much
easier for people to access the information locally and should prove an
important tool for our maintaining good communication links.  In addition,
we have had tremendous volunteer assistance in translating some key parts
of the CESS website, and soon it will appear in over 20 languages.

Become a Member of CESS

Our membership year runs from September 1 to August 31 (to simplify the
work of membership administration).  It is therefore a good time to
consider becoming a member.

In order to join CESS, there are two steps.  First, we need you to provide
the information on the on-line Membership Registration Form (see:
www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess/CESS_Membership.html).  If it is difficult for
you to fill out the form on the internet, please let us know and we can
send the form in another format.  Second, you should send any required dues
-- these range from no charge for those with an annual income of under
$15,000 to $30 for those with income over $25,000.  Please see the details
on the membership form linked above.

Membership in CESS means that:

 * You contribute to supporting the organization and help it to foster
   communication and improvement of scholarship in the field.
 * You will receive the {Central Eurasian Studies Review} and other
   publications (for dues-paying members).  All members (and non-members)
may
   view the Review on-line at the CESS website.
 * You are invited to submit paper proposals for presentation at the CESS
   Annual Conference.
 * You will receive a significant discount on the registration fee for the
   CESS Annual Conference.
 * You may participate in the election of CESS officers.
 * You will be listed in the CESS Membership Directory.
 * You will receive information about CESS activities and publications from
   the CESS Occasional Mailing List.
 * You may become an active member, contributing to the work of CESS
   committees and other activities.

Please note that we have made payment of dues easier now by accepting
credit cards and by other improvements.  Please contact Greta Uehling
<[email protected]>, our Treasurer, if you have any questions.

Finally, I want to encourage you also to consider being as active as
possible in the activities of the organization, including committee work,
volunteer activities, elections, and especially the conference and the
journal.  With your help, we can really build momentum and contribute to
improving our field of study!

Thank you very much for your interest and involvement!

Sincerely,


John Schoeberlein
President, Central Eurasian Studies Society

E-mail:  [email protected]
Website: http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~cess