Jovana Lazić wins Dean’s Award of Merit

Jovana Lazić, associate director of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (CREEES), is the recipient of the 2025 Dean’s Award of Merit.

The annual award goes to individuals in the School of Humanities and Sciences who have made significant contributions that have impacted their local unit as well as the school and university. 

Faculty, staff, students, and scholars from across Stanford submitted nomination letters that emphasized Lazić’s exceptional leadership, noting how she seamlessly integrates her academic pursuits with her administrative duties, all while fostering a culture of excellence at CREEES.

“She is an amazing blend of scholar and administrator, which enables her to excel at balancing the wide-ranging demands of her position,” wrote SGS Faculty Director Jisha Menon and SGS Executive Director Kate Kuhns in a joint letter. These responsibilities include teaching, program management, staff development, grant stewardship, and student mentorship.

“A thread throughout all of Jovana’s scholarly work is her dedication to students and the academic enterprise,” continued Menon and Kuhns. “She partners with the CREEES faculty director to advise their M.A. students. She also works tirelessly to engage undergraduate and graduate students in learning about the REEES region.”

In the last year alone, Lazić expanded internship opportunities for students in the Baltics, conducted research in Serbian and Macedonian archives for her upcoming book, developed new programming on Armenia and the Caucasus, and partnered with Howard University to expand Russian language and culture course offerings.

The collaboration with Howard is one of several outreach efforts CREEES is engaged in as a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center (NRC). NRCs provide instruction and research on global issues and strengthen training in foreign languages and area studies. Lazić has been instrumental in managing the center’s NRC award and often provides guidance to colleagues across SGS who oversee similar awards.

In addition to her work at CREEES, Lazić is a leader in other areas of the university. For example, she has played a pivotal role in the establishment of Stanford’s Scholar Rescue Fund, which provides support to researchers facing persecution in countries around the world. She also served on an advisory committee that developed the new Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) requirement for first-year students and is currently a resident fellow at the At Home Abroad House, an international themed dormitory.

“Jovana has been an inspiring colleague, leader, and friend at the center,” said CREEES Faculty Director Amir Weiner. “She is simply the best!”

Congratulations, Jovana!

The Dean’s Award of Merit originated in the School of Humanities & Sciences in 1999 to acknowledge the important role staff play in the success of the school and the university as a whole. Lazić is one of several recipients of this year’s award.