UNC to Close Area Studies Centers

"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will close its area studies centers in 2026, faculty members within the centers told Inside Higher Ed. The six centers-the Center for European Studies, the African Studies Center, the Carolina Asia Center, the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Americas and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies-are all expected to close at some point next year."

""Our leadership team is taking a thoughtful and targeted approach, looking into areas that can be streamlined for greater efficiency, strengthening our operations while meeting our fiduciary responsibility to the people of North Carolina," the UNC media relations department said in a statement. "A number of factors were taken into consideration while evaluating Centers and Institutes and some programs have been identified to be sunset [sic] in 2026. The list is not finalized at this time.""

UNC-Chapel Hill will close six area studies centers in 2026. The affected centers include the Center for European Studies, the African Studies Center, the Carolina Asia Center, the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Americas and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies. The closures are part of a larger plan to decommission 14 centers and institutes to reduce spending and achieve $7 million in annual savings, with a near-term goal of $3 million in reductions before June 2026. Further updates are expected after the January Board of Trustees meeting.

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