The Center

The Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (JMCE) is a research-based think-tank on UNC-CH’s campus, with the overall objective of supporting the strong EU-US relationship and long-standing transatlantic engagement through promotion of EU Studies. “The EU and the US: Common Challenges. Common Solutions?” is the JMCE’s overarching theme. The JMCE aims to foster dialogue and critical debate on issues facing the EU and the EU-US relationship, promote EU studies research, and encourage young people to study the EU at the BA, MA, and PhD level. CES received its first three-year Jean Monnet Center of Excellence grant in the fall of 2015, and its second in September 2018.

Grant Activities

Serving as a research-based think tank at UNC-CH, the JMCE’s goal is to provide leading research and teaching, as well as events and knowledge platforms on European Union studies. Between 2018-2021, the JMCE is hosting 16 research-driven conferences and lectures on vital topics of interest to EU-US relations. We are offering 12 funding awards for undergraduate student, graduate student, and junior faculty research. Our Medium blog showcases perspectives from awardees and our events. The EU Today podcast provides in-depth interviews with JMCE key faculty and visiting experts from our events. The JMCE also supports expert research, including the 2019-20 round of the Chapel Hill Expert Survey, the longest running survey of party positions in Europe and the EU. Overall, we provide a space for EU studies on campus and broaden visibility on, interest in, and understanding of the European Union throughout the local community and across the Atlantic – all while building lasting partnerships for many years to come.

Our Theme

“The EU and the US: Common Challenges. Common Solutions?” is the JMCE’s overarching theme: bringing to campus current and pertinent questions facing the EU as well as the US today. The theme focuses on a comparative EU-US examination of Europe 2020’s strategic issues: social inclusion, social investment and labor market policy, sustainable economic growth, and employment; while assessing risks such as Brexit and European integration, populist challenges to liberal democracy, migration and minority rights, and climate change. We will extend the research program on EU studies through ten conferences, lectures and workshops over the lifetime of the grant and by sponsoring EU-focused research of UNC students and junior faculty members. The thirteen JMCE key faculty members come from five disciplines. Their events and research will further foster dialogue on EU studies among diverse faculty and students at UNC, neighboring and European universities, and local media, globally-focused NGOs and the general public, as well as bring greater visibility to the issues at hand.

Funding

This Center is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.