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• Renamed Institute for European Studies at Indiana University reflects changes in Europe and the EU

Renamed Institute for European Studies at Indiana University reflects changes in Europe and the EU

• Oct. 1, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University’s West European Studies Center has been renamed the Institute for European Studies and provided with a broader scope to match its new identity.
 
With a new name comes greater breadth, reaching beyond distinctions often associated with the Cold War during the latter half of the 20th century, between the democratic capitalist West and the non-democratic communist East.
 
The name change also brings the center into alignment with the membership of the European Union, which was composed of 15 mostly western countries in 2003 but today includes 28 member states with diverse cultures, languages and histories.
 
The institute, commonly known on campus as "EURO," is based in the new School of Global and International Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. It houses both the academic-oriented European Studies Center as well as the outreach-focused European Union Center.
 
As before, the Institute for European Studies will continue to promote knowledge of Europe and the EU through education, scholarship and public outreach.
 
"I’m excited by the opportunities which the name change brings," said Timothy Hellwig, associate professor of political science and the institute's director since July. "The forces of cultural and economic globalization have led many to ask ‘What is Europe?’ I look forward to working with colleagues at IU and with the broader community at large to grapple with this and other big questions."
 
Since its founding in 1968, the West European Study Center’s mission has been to enhance the training of academic specialists, increase public understanding of the region, build and strengthen trans-Atlantic ties and serve as an institutional resource on Western Europe.
 
The European Union Center was created in 2004 to respond to the changing face of Europe and focus on policy issues, migration flows and forces affecting perception of identity and inclusion.
 
Hellwig is a political scientist with research interests in areas of comparative and international political economy, political parties and elections, and European politics.

Related Links

• Institute for European Studies
• IU School of Global and International Studies
• IU College of Arts and Sciences