University of Kansas Inducts Trey Giesen into National Slavic Honor Society

2013 May 7

The University of Kansas Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures five students into Dobro Slovo, a national honor society for students studying Slavic languages and literatures, at its annual honors reception April 23 in the Kansas Union.

Honorees included Trey Giesen, of Great Bend. Giesen is a graduate of Great Bend High School and the son of Dee Duryee and Michael Giesen. He is a senior in Slavic languages & literatures and global and international studies.

William Comer, professor and chair of Slavic languages and literatures, welcomed attendees and presided at the event. The department's faculty and graduate teaching assistants presented awards to students.

KU is the only university in the region to offer doctoral, master's and bachelor's degrees in Slavic languages and literatures. The department itself and in conjunction with the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies offers Slavic-related events throughout the year. The area studies program, one of only 12 such federally funded national resource centers, provides a range of Slavic courses offered by more than 50 faculty members in 16 departments.

Dobro Slovo, the National Slavic Honor Society, was founded in 1963 with the help and encouragement of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL). The Society serves as a means to recognize academic excellence in the study of Slavic languages and literatures and encourages scholarly interest in Slavic life and culture.