Robert F. Byrnes
Russian and East European Institute

The Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute (REEI) is delighted to announce the creation of a new fund to support its activities and constituents: the Stephen F. Cohen and Katrina vanden Heuvel Fund. We are grateful to the late Professor Cohen's wife, Katrina vanden Heuvel, for this generous gift, which commemorates his life and legacy as well as the role that REEI played in his scholarly formation.

A preeminent historian of the Soviet Union and Russia, Stephen F. Cohen received two degrees at IU: a BS in Business Economics and Public Policy (1960), and an MA in Government (1962). 

This new endowment will provide approximately $22K per year to support some of the greatest needs of REEI by covering expenses related to travel, research, conferences, recruitment of graduate students, guest lectures, hospitality, instructional staffing, and critical programming.

The Stephen F. Cohen and Katrina vanden Heuvel fund supplements the existing Tucker-Cohen Fellowship for MA students at IU who demonstrate a scholarly interest in the history and politics of the Soviet Union and/or Russia and intend to pursue a career in some field of public service, such as journalism, secondary education, non-profit work, or government. Established in 2012 through the generosity of Ms. vanden Heuvel and Professor Cohen, the Tucker-Cohen Fellowship is awarded every other year.

Since his death in September 2020, remembrances of Professor Cohen have appeared in numerous scholarly and popular outlets. An especially poignant and thorough "In Memoriam" piece was published in the journal Kritika (Volume 22, Number 2/Spring 2021) by IU's own Dr. Alexander Rabinowitch, Professor Emeritus of History and former REEI director.