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Take 5

Gregory Freeze

Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Gregory Freeze, the Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of History, has served as dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) since July 2006. An expert on modern Russian, Soviet, and post-Soviet history, he holds master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University.

1. What are the top selling points of a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences education?

First, I would say the small size. You have much more of a mentoring atmosphere here, where faculty are engaged with the graduate students, than you’ll find at many of the large Ivy League schools. Second, Brandeis emphasizes not only cutting-edge research, but also effective teaching—another element you don’t find at most research universities. And third, because we’re small, there’s much more cross-fertilization or interdisciplinarity. In the large graduate programs, there’s often a herd instinct to stay within your field.

2. You have launched a number of intiatives at the Graduate School. What would say is your top priority?

Without question, we need to increase the funding for graduate fellowships. In the past few years, our competitors have significantly increased the amount of stipends, added summer funding, and created special funds to help graduate students finish their dissertations. We have made some progress, but must do much, much more if we are to be competitive.

3. You’ve been teaching at Brandeis for some thirty-five years. How have things changed since the seventies?

The seventies was such a depressing time; there were no academic jobs out there. Now, there are all types of academic opportunities, and there is much greater receptivity among students to nonacademic career lines. The majority of our students do not go into academic jobs. They go into government, the private sector, such as pharmaceutical companies, and the like.

4. As an expert on modern Russia, what do you make of President Putin’s efforts to consolidate power?

He didn’t have to consolidate power—he had to create it. The nineties was basically the Wild West; the government ceased to exist. Putin had to rebuild the court system, fight corruption, finance institutions. And he’s done that rather effectively. Of course, there has been a negative side. He’s succeeded partly through extralegal methods, by controlling the electronic media, and by infringing on free speech.

5. Aside from Red Square, what’s a must-see destination for someone traveling to Russia?

I’d recommend going through the Golden Ring, which includes such provincial towns as Vladimir, Yaroslavl, and Suzdal. These have not been greatly affected by the Soviet period. I was there in the late 1980s, and life wasn’t much different than it was in the 1880s.

—Ken Gornstein