Center for German and European studies receives five-year grant

The Center for German and European Studies (CGES), a program of UW–Madison’s International Institute, has been awarded $625,000 from the German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD (Deutsches Akademisches Austausch Dienst).

The grant represents a five-year contract renewal for the center, one of only five such centers in the United States. Total DAAD support since 1998 has exceeded $1.2 million.

“This confirms the important mark the center has made on the landscape of European studies,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies, giving special recognition to Klaus Berghahn, professor of German and CGES director. “His leadership has been tremendous,” Bousquet says.

The CGES is a joint program of UW–Madison and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The two universities share research and teaching interests in German and European studies. The center was established in 1998 with grants from the German Marshall Fund and the German Academic Exchange Service, and matching funds from the two lead institutions. The center draws on the expertise of faculty from the two universities, a network of affiliated colleges and universities in the Midwest, plus well-established international linkages.

The center is devoted to the education of a new generation of German and European experts in the U.S. It supports graduate fellowships, research collaboration, team teaching and video hookups between both campuses. It also sponsors summer institutes in the U.S. and Germany, regional outreach to the non-university community, and special events.

The center is an integral part of UW–Madison’s European Studies Alliance, a consortium of four programs, including the Center for European Studies, the European Union Center, and the Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies.

UW–Madison has one of the most significant European Studies programs in the country. The Center for European Studies was recently refunded as a Title VI national resource center by the U.S. Department of Education, along with several other programs of the International Institute, confirming UW–Madison’s reputation as a leader in international and area studies.