Having served for two years as CREES Director, initiating and leading the 50th anniversary celebrations, organizing numerous seminars and this year’s annual conference, and  initiating and getting approval for the renaming of CREES into the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, combined with the trickier process of navigating CREES’s merger with POLSIS and the transformation of the Centre into a pan-University research centre Dr Tim Haughton has stepped down as Director of CREES. 

Dr Haughton commented: 'I am delighted to be passing the CREES Director’s baton to Dr Richard Connolly and Dr Jeremy Morris who will serve as Co-Directors of CREES. My proposal to have co-directors based in different parts of the University is driven by a concern for inclusion and co-operation and I’m sure Richard and Jeremy will do a terrific job.

We already have a Russian Festival of Culture week lined up from 13-17 October, a roundtable on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh later in the month and a special seminar on Wednesday 19 November reflecting on 25 years since the 1989 Revolutions. The 50thanniversary celebrations with numerous special events and a very special annual conference underlined the extent, strength and vibrancy of the wider CREES community and I encourage all colleagues, friends and alumni to give Richard and Jeremy their full and enthusiastic support to help ensure another successful 50 years.'