The Council for European Studies (CES) was founded in 1970 with a grant from the Ford Foundation. First located at the University of Pittsburgh and later moved to Columbia University, its current institutional host, the Council was originally formed as a limited consortium of Western European studies programs at eight major U.S. universities: UC Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Michigan, University of Wisconsin and Yale. However, in 1972 it ceased to be a consortium of eight, when twenty other universities were invited to become institutional members of the Council.

Since that time, the Council’s institutional membership has grown substantially. It currently numbers around 100 universities, colleges and institutes around the world. Moreover, although membership was once restricted to institutions, the Council has opened its membership rolls to individuals and now counts about 800 individuals as organization members.

The Council’s mission is to produce, support and recognize outstanding, multi-disciplinary research in European Studies through a wide range of programs and initiatives. These include fellowships, grants, publications, awards, conferences and meetings, public lectures and symposia, as well as direct research. The Council is particularly committed to supporting advanced research in European Studies that can play a critical role in both understanding and applying the lessons of European history and integration to contemporary problems, including those in the areas of global security, prosperity, and democracy.

The Council for European Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.