I’m writing to notify you that after careful consideration, the International Institute is sunsetting the Center for European Studies (CES), effective July 1, 2024. This decision was based on a number of different factors including lack of funding, redundancy with other centers, and enrollment figures.
This decision does not mean the sunsetting of European studies at the University of Michigan. After discussions with the CES Advisory Committee, the CES Director, and the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia (WCEE) Advisory Committee, there is a plan in place to continue many CES activities under the WCEE banner. These include:
- Faculty affiliations
- Student affiliations and conference grants
- Graduate Student Summer Research and Internship Grants
- Membership in the Council for European Studies, which includes benefits for graduate students
- The Annual Distinguished Lecture on Europe, a marquee event distinct from the WCEE Distinguished Lecture
- Co-sponsorships of lectures, events, and conferences
The following activities will be discontinued.
- The Conversations on Europe lecture series
- The minor in European and EU Studies and a Graduate Certificate in European and EU Studies. Students currently enrolled in these programs will be grandfathered in.
With the resources of WCEE and the complementary programming at the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (CREES) and the Copernicus Center for Polish Studies (CCPS), there will continue to be strong programming and attention to Europe and European Studies at the International Institute.
I’d like to thank the CES and WCEE leadership, staff, and all of you for your many years of support and participation as we reinvision European Studies at the II together.
Sincerely,
Mary Gallagher
Director, The International Institute
Amy and Alan Lowenstein Professor of Democracy, Democratization, and Human Rights
Department of Political Science
University of Michigan
