The Herbert J Ellison Center for European, Russian, & Eurasian Studies (EREAS)

The Ellison Center is an endowed, leading resource center which promotes in-depth interdisciplinary study of the many post-communist subregions.  Through our research and programs, we seek to understand the legacies of the imperial and communist past and analyze the emerging institutions and identities that will shape Eurasia’s future from Vienna to Vladivostok. This mission, which flows from Professor Herbert Ellison’s commitment to building sustainable connections with the diverse peoples of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, is strongly supported by the UW administration.

The Ellison Center is now housed under the UW Center for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (CEREAS), directed by Guntis Šmidchens. 

The Herbert J. Ellison Center was christened as such in 2004 to honor Dr. Ellison’s legacy with the generous financial support of the Ellison family and other program supporters.

As its long name indicates, the European, Russian, & Eurasian region is expansive and diverse, counting 29 countries. EREAS countries include the following: Albania, Armenia. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The Ellison Center offers Undergraduate Minor as well as a Master’s Degree in European, Russian, & Eurasian Studies. We also offer an Accelerated EREAS MA to US Military Foreign Area Officers (FAOs). We sponsor lectures, conferences and exchanges covering the entirety of Europe, Russia, & Eurasia; and we sustain a dynamic program of outreach to local schools, colleges and community organizations interested in our region. With over 60 participating UW faculty, the Ellison Center represents a unique intellectual resource for faculty, students and professionals living in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

Professor Ellison served as a mentor to thousands of undergraduate and graduate students over 40 years. Instilling in them a love for the people and regions of the former Soviet Union and communist Europe, he devoted his career to the belief that educational exchange programs open doors and minds for all citizens of the world, and especially for those who long suffered behind the Iron Curtain.

Now, with public interest in Europe, Russia, & Eurasia higher than any time since the Soviet Union’s demise, the Ellison Center supports innovative research, student programs and community outreach to promote learning about this region of the world and carry on Herb Ellison’s legacy.

The Ellison Center is housed in Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. See more about the Jackson School here, and Senator Henry M. Jackson here.

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