University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

Dr. Roy Robson, professor of history, was elected as president-elect of the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies (SCSS) at the 47th Annual Meeting held at University of Virginia on March 26-28, 2009.

SCSS is the oldest and largest regional affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies (AAASS), the premier professional organization of its kind. SCSS seeks to promote scholarship, education, and scholarly interest in Russian, Soviet, and East European studies in the Southern region of the United States and nationwide.

A faculty member since 1997, Dr. Robson has written widely on religion and modern Russia and has spoken at conferences in America and Europe on topics pertaining to the history and modern period of Russia. Most recently, he wrote Solovki: The Story of Russia Told Through its Most Remarkable Islands (Yale University Press, 2004).

His areas of teaching include history of Russia/USSR, modern Europe, religion and society in Russia, religious and scientific cosmology, and European intellectual heritage. Dr. Robson will serve a three year term - president elect (2009-10), president (2010-11) and past president (2011-12). Dr. Robson’s election is extraordinary, as he is only the second individual from outside the Southeastern region of the U.S. to be elected as SCSS president in the last 46 years.