Seven UNC centers that do work internationally have been allocated more than $11 million combined in U.S. Department of Education grants over the next four years.
The grants are given under the Title VI program of the Civil Rights Act, and total $11.29 million in commitments to UNC. According to a press release from the university, six of the seven centers are “designated as U.S. Department of Education National Resource Centers (NRCs) for providing language instruction and comprehensive international education.”
The biggest beneficiary is the joint UNC-Duke Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, which will receive $2.1 million in grants. The UNC Center for Global Initiatives got the second-largest grant, at $1.83 million.
The University issued the following list of centers to receive money.
• African Studies Center ($1.66 million): One of 12 NRCs focusing on Africa, the center supports activities that bring together faculty, students and the community to focus on the interconnected issues of African democratization, development, gender and health. http://africa.unc.edu/
• Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations ($1.37 million): The center seeks to break down traditional definitions of the Middle East in order to track the global flow of ideas, commodities and people. One of 19 NRCs on the Middle East, it is part of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies. http://unc.edu/mideast
• Center for European Studies ($1.46 million): The center advances understanding of social, political and economic events that shape contemporary Europe – in particular, European integration. It is one of only four centers nationwide that receive funding from both the Department of Education (as an NRC) and the European Commission (as a European Union Center of Excellence). http://unc.edu/depts/europe
• Center for Global Initiatives ($1.83 million). One of 11 NRCs in global studies, the center catalyzes innovative work by faculty and students, especially around the issues of peace and conflict resolution; global health; migration, citizenship and identity; and the globalization of the American South. http://cgi.unc.edu/
• Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies ($2.1 million). One of 15 NRCs in this field, the center is operated by UNC and Duke University, facilitating collaborations among faculty and students of both campuses. http://unc.edu/depts/slavic
• Institute for the Study of the Americas ($1.35 million). One of 17 NRCs focusing on the region, the institute focuses on Mexico and Central America, South America and the Caribbean. It is part of the UNC-Duke Consortium in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. http://ilas.unc.edu/
• UNC Center for International Business Education and Research ($1.51 million). Housed in the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise – an arm of Kenan-Flagler Business School – the center addresses international business issues significant to North Carolina and the United States, including entrepreneurship, innovation, supply chain management and global sustainability. In line with the business school’s areas of focus, the center is establishing programs related to Brazil, China, India, Kenya and South Africa. http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/ki/ciber/