Closing UNC‘s Center for European Studies will limit education and the NC economy | Opinion

The University of North Carolina recently announced they would be sunsetting a group of area studies programs in 2026, including their Center for European Studies. This proposal mirrors troubling cuts to the humanities at universities across the United States. It’s the wrong move, and the university should reconsider its decision to close the Center.

European Studies as a field has long struggled to shake off a reputation of being a relic of the postwar era — and indeed, much has changed in the transatlantic relationship since the Second World War. But educating Americans about Europe could not be more applicable and relevant to the environment we’re in today and the economy we’ll face tomorrow.

My own educational and career pathway shows that expertise in Europe can enable people to work on meaningful, impactful and relevant topics, including in cutting edge areas like the tech industry. As a student in the University of North Carolina’s Transatlantic Masters program (TAM), I graduated in 2014 with unique experience gained because my program produces experts on the European Union, one of the most influential regulatory bodies in the world, especially for tech.

EU regulations take years not only to wind their way through an extraordinarily complex system of governing bodies that incorporate the views of all the 27 member states, but also to gather input from global stakeholders that will be impacted, including American technology companies. I was able to leverage both my expertise around EU institutions and these complex policy issues to begin working at global technology industry trade associations in Washington, D.C., where what was happening in the regulatory environment in Europe was frequently mirrored in other markets across the globe.

Educating Europe experts in North Carolina is also smart business. European companies are heavily invested in the United States through a variety of channels, including foreign direct investment, operating foreign affiliates, and good old-fashioned imports and exports. The two entities are the two largest traders of services globally and are each other’s top partner. In the state of North Carolina 220,000 jobs are directly created by European companies, a 60% increase since 2012. As a world-class public institution where 82% of the typical freshman class is from North Carolina, investment in Europe-focused programs through the Center for European Studies is an investment in practical regional knowledge that can be applied to global companies operating right next door.

Today I work on responsible AI at a major tech company where what I learned from living and working in Europe — thanks to my dusty old European Studies degree from UNC — is incredibly relevant as we tackle the extraordinarily complex challenges and opportunities that come with modern technology. There are some things being in a classroom can’t teach you: The sweetness in the air on a bright June day in a reunified Berlin, walking to class past bullet holes in buildings from a time when peace felt like it would never return to Europe. How heavy the silence is after a former prisoner finishes recounting his time spent in the hands of the Stasi at Hohenschönhausen. The feeling of true community celebrating American Thanksgiving in a room full of people from around the globe recounting what they are thankful for over a butterball turkey handily acquired from a nearby base by a classmate in the U.S. Army reserves. These are all experiences I never would have had without having the opportunity to specialize my education. Europe is filled with stories of human suffering and triumph, and I think about those lessons daily as I help to shape technologies that are incredibly impactful in our daily lives.

A degree from UNC’s Center for European Studies didn’t leave me with an irrelevant education or dimming job prospects — quite the opposite. It opened doors for me in the most innovative industries and policy areas in the world and equipped me to engage deeply with the European Union — a global actor that shapes the economy and society right here at home.

Heidi Obermeyer works on responsible AI at Google and lives in Seattle, WA. She is a 2014 graduate of the Transatlantic Masters Program at UNC-CH.

This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 4:30 AM.