The Center for European Studies at the University of Connecticut (CES) was established in 1993. It oversees degree programs and activities previously directed by the Center for Slavic and East European Studies (begun in 1976 with U.S. Department of Education Title VI support) as well as those formerly housed in Western European Studies. The scope of the center thus includes Europe in its entirety, and this in turn promotes innovative approaches to both area and topic-oriented studies. A special priority of European Studies at UConn is to connect scholarship in liberal arts disciplines with research and training in our strong professional schools.

The Center encourages interdisciplinary research on Europe, coordinates graduate and faculty exchanges with European universities, organizes a speakers' program, sponsors visiting scholars, and offers information on European-related activities and resources to the UConn community. CES also cooperates with other international programs on campus, such as the Center for International Business Programs, Linkage Through Language (a foreign-language-across-the-curriculum project), and the School of Business Administration's Center for International business Education and Research (or CIBER). CES also maintains ties to state government, business organizations, and businesses.