DEAR READERS
I am pleased to share with you our first
edition of Wanderlust. We have named our publication Wanderlust to reflect our role as a facilitator of study, exploration, and travel. This is
an exciting time for the Center for European
Studies. We received two new major grants. This
August, CES was awarded a sizeable grant from
the Institute of International Education, funded
by the US Department of Defense, entitled
Project GO: Turkish. This funding will provide
ROTC students Turkish language training both
at UF and through a new a study abroad in
Ankara, Turkey. The Center will also be sponsoring talks and special programs on Turkey, a
geopolitically important state straddling Europe
and the Middle East. Information and application forms for Project GO and for the Ankara
study abroad program are available on our
website: ces.ufl.edu.
I am pleased to announce that the Center
has received the “Getting to Know Europe”
grant for the second time from the EU Delegation in Washington. In this grant, we will be
focusing on EU peace-building efforts, particularly in divided cities, and environmental sustainability. We are collaborating with the
Öko-Institut for Applied Ecology in Freiburg,
Germany, Imagining Climate Change at UF,
Cinema Verde International Environmental
Film Festival in Gainesville, and the Harn
Museum of Art.
In addition to our recent grants, an anonymous donation has provided the Center with
the unique opportunity to promote Yiddish
culture and language in Gainesville. This year’s
public series, organized in conjunction with the
Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica and the
Alexander Grass Chair in Jewish Studies, explores Yiddish food and recipes, including an
art project with Alachua County elementary
school children. Students from three schools
have created small clay pots that represent the
pots used for cooking cholent, a traditional
Jewish stew, on the Sabbath.
Importantly, we continue to offer scholarship
and fellowship opportunities, including full-year
and paid tuition scholarships, summer language
grants and research funding for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In fact, the
Center is one of nine European Centers in the
US offering Department of Education Foreign
Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grants for
the study of less commonly taught European
languages. We offer courses in Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Modern Greek, and Turkish. Please
check out our website for more details.
Since its establishment in 2003, the Center
has become the functional hub for Europe-related activities at UF and in Gainesville fostering
a rich academic and cultural environment. We
provide broad language and area studies courses,
degree options, and study abroad opportunities.
The Center advises the Europe track of the UF
International Studies major and offers a graduate certificate in Modern Europe, and undergraduate minors and certificates in East Central
European Studies and European Union Studies.
The Center, through the expertise of its
faculty, affiliated faculty, and staff, strove to
respond quickly to the serious crises facing