Colgate University’s Benton Scholars make up a community of independent and creative thinkers. Selected in the fall semester of freshman year, students take a dedicated course together in the spring, receive funding for independent research during the summer and develop a final research essay in their sophomore fall. Six of the 2023 Benton Scholars got the opportunity to have their course-centered research published by Colgate University Press in September 2025.
Before her retirement, Professor of Jewish Studies and Russian and Eurasian Studies Alice Nakhimovsky taught a Benton course on the history of Russia and Ukraine in the spring of 2023. In the following fall, six then-sophomores joined Nakhimovsky for a follow-up course centered on publishing their summer research. Senior Ethan Gilden described what publishing their co-authored book meant for Nakhimovsky.
“This was kind of her send-off,” Gilden said. “It was an opportunity for us to come together again.”
In the published volume “Russia and Ukraine: Then and Now,” the students examined the history of the relationship between Russia and Ukraine. The class focused on the works of Vasily Grossman. Born to a Jewish family in Ukraine, Grossman embraced journalism during World War II and was the first reporter to enter a concentration camp. Grossman’s fictional book “Life and Fate” provided the scholars with a unique understanding of what it was like to live in the Soviet Union.
“I know many of my co-authors reference Grossman and his work in their essays – I certainly do,” Gilden said. “It provided the framework in which we were thinking and writing.”
In his essay, Gilden centered Grossman as an author and scholar.
“I drew a comparison between [Grossman] and a couple of thinkers of the counter-Enlightenment. These are 18th-century thinkers who are writing in response to the French Revolution, so they were utterly divorced in time, place and historical context from Grossman. I noticed surprising similarities between these thinkers despite their differences.”
Senior Lola Garrigue also spoke about how Grossman contributed to her research.
“[My research] was investigating propaganda that leads to self-censorship,” Garrigue said. “It was different in Russia during World War II than during the current war. I looked at the similarities of the self-censorship performed by propaganda in those two time periods. It’s very [descriptive] of human nature — the idea of people being blind and the leader who is able to pull the puppet strings and make this happen.”
Each student selected their own topic, leading to a diverse range of concepts being explored in “Russia and Ukraine: Then and Now,” the culmination of all the students’ research.
“We didn’t do it on purpose, but doing this as a group and having twice-a-week meetings naturally created a story,” Garrigue said. “[Our] essays work together a lot more than they did in the first draft.”
The process of publishing took about a year and a half. The students submitted their first manuscript by the end of their sophomore fall. Just recently, they were each given six copies of their published work.
“Russia and Ukraine: Then and Now” will be available to the public soon, sold at places like the Colgate Bookstore and on Amazon.
Garrigue reflected on how she grew during the writing and publishing process.
“There’s a certain level of quality Colgate University Press requires and you have to meet that, and I think that pressure as well as the writing experience absolutely made me a better writer in so many ways,” Garrigue said. “It made me realize the difference in a lot of different types of writing … Being able to write a bunch of different styles is pretty useful, especially in a [liberal arts] curriculum.”
Sophomore Ruby Garcia Cisneros, a 2028 Benton Scholar, emphasized the perks of a dedicated course and funded summer research.
“Benton Scholars is a great program to immerse yourself in fruitful conversations of learning,” Garcia Cisneros said. “It is truly a unique community and experience.”
The students shared how impactful their project was for their personal and academic growth. While the long writing process, back-and-forth with the editors and publishers and wait-time to see bound and stamped copies was a struggle, it was well worth the effort.
“One final message,” Gilden said, “is that Colgate has a lot to offer. Seize those opportunities while you’re here.”
