After a nearly fifty-year tenure at Columbia University, the Council for European Studies (CES) has officially made the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University its new institutional home. With this new partnership, Temple students and faculty will have easier access to resources and support toward European-focused academic endeavors across multiple disciplines.

Since its founding in 1970, CES has sought to support students, scholars and faculty in European-focused academic pursuits through fellowships, grants, a bimonthly journal, global conferences, and other programs and initiatives. Today, CES recognizes over 30 institutions and universities as members, with many of whom contributing to its wide range of multi-disciplinary research networks. At its new home, CES hopes to foster a future of innovation and collaboration with the Temple community.

"I want students at Temple to know that there are these resources available to them," says Executive Director Abby Lewis. "We want to be the place that students and faculty go for research support for all things related to Europe."

An On-Campus Hub For European Studie

So, what exactly does this mean for students at CLA? Well, it brings Temple its own dedicated European studies center, a one stop shop for all European-focused academic pursuits. For students with an interest in Europe—whether in anthropology, languages, political science, or even science and technology—CES represents a gateway to countless academic and professional opportunities.

"We have a number of grants and awards that students can apply for, and I'm hoping to announce more in the next few months," says Lewis. "We're really looking to facilitate, support and also recognize outstanding scholarship on Europe."

A list of available fellowships, awards and grants can be seen here. Lewis also adds: "Because Temple is the institutional home of CES, students and faculty can apply for any of our grants and awards without having their own individual membership."

The International Conference of Europeanists Comes to Temple

In addition to making Temple its new headquarters, the CES has also chosen Temple to host its 31st International Conference of Europeanists. Taking place June 25th-27th, 2025, this will be the first time the conference has been held in the US since 2018, with recent locales including France, Iceland and Portugal. CES hopes the Temple community will take advantage of having the conference right in their backyard.

"In the past, the conference has been one of the largest conferences of Europeanists in the world," says Lewis. "We typically have anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 people attend from all over the world. We've had guests from different parts of Asia, we have people come from Africa, last year there were guests from Brazil, so it's a truly international conference."

The conference's theme for 2025 is "Legacies and Ruptures: Making Sense of Europe." Applications for papers and presenters are being accepted until November 22nd. Temple students are eligible to register for the conference at a reduced rate.

Students interested in attending the conference might also consider volunteering. Lewis notes that students who volunteer for one day will receive free admission to all three days of the conference. She encourages anyone interested in volunteering to reach out through e-mail (abby.lewis@temple.edu).

Stay Connected With CES

Students and faculty are encouraged to sign up for the CES newsletter to stay informed about new opportunities, events and other CES initiatives around the globe. You can also follow CES on its social media pages: X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.

Above all, Lewis hopes to hear directly from the Temple and CLA communities, and begin building meaningful, long-lasting connections.

"I've really benefited a lot from getting to meet with Temple students and faculty and learn about what the need actually is on campus. We want to be able to support students and faculty here rather than introduce totally unnecessary programs or things that people don't actually need or would use."