The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is preparing to sunset six area-studies centers in 2026 as part of a plan to streamline centers and institutes and save roughly $7 million annually. Units slated for closure include the Center for European Studies, the African Studies Center, the Carolina Asia Center, the Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the Institute for the Study of the Americas, and the Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies. University officials framed the action as an efficiency measure tied to fiduciary responsibility, while faculty and center staff warned that closing these hubs will reduce research capacity, diminish global engagement, and disrupt long-term scholarly relationships. The decision follows broader budget-reduction reviews and will be finalized after the January trustees meeting.