University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill officials told faculty the university will shutter six area-studies centers in 2026 as part of targeted cost-saving measures to meet a multi-year plan to cut $7 million from centers and institutes. The centers slated for closure cover Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Slavic/Eurasian studies. Leaders say the moves are intended to streamline operations and protect core academic missions; critics warn the closures will hollow out language instruction, scholarship and international partnerships. Faculty, department chairs and boards must now negotiate transitions for grant-funded work, graduate training and public-facing research infrastructures affected by the decision.