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Since the Texas-European Union Business Summit’s inception, the Center for European Studies (CES) at the University of Texas at Austin has been a key organizer, sponsor, and driving force behind the event. This year, the CES has a new director, Dr. Michael Mosser (pictured left). While new to CES’s directorship, Mosser is an experienced hand with both CES and the Summit. Dr. Mosser was kind enough to sit down and do a Q&A with newsletter staff.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your background?
A: I’m an Associate Professor of Instruction at UT-Austin, which means I am teaching-focused (but still do plenty of research and service). I have my BA in History and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh, and my MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I have been involved with European Studies from the beginning, receiving a Certificate in Western European Studies from Pitt, and focusing my dissertation on the ability of small European states to “engineer” influence between the superpowers during the Cold War. My spouse, who is a faculty member of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, came to UT in January 2009. I taught here for a semester and then was a visiting professor for three years at Southwestern University in Georgetown, where I taught European politics and international relations. I came back to UT in the summer of 2012, as part of the expanded International Relations and Global Studies (IRG) program. I’ve been teaching European security, European environmental politics, and various government and international relations capstone courses.
Q: Tell us about your previous involvement with the Texas-EU Business Summit.
A: I’ve been involved with the Texas-EU Business summit for quite some time now, since the mid-2010s. Most of my involvement has been behind the scenes, helping the CES administrative staff manage the event on the day it occurs. But I have also participated in sessions that have been focused on energy, especially on the European green energy transition.
Q: How does it feel to be the new director of CES? What is your vision for the summit going forward?
A: It’s an incredible opportunity. I have enormous shoes to fill after Douglas Biow’s remarkably successful tenure as Director. I don’t plan to make any major changes to the Texas-EU Business summit this year, or likely even in the future, as it’s been extraordinarily helpful in bringing together pertinent stakeholders from two different, but interrelated, quadrants: EU businesses seeking to invest in Texas, and Texas businesses seeking to invest and grow within the EU. In the future, we will continue to broaden the notion of “business” beyond profit-making enterprises.
Q Is there anything you are particularly excited about regarding this year’s summit, its agenda, or its guests?
A: I’m really excited about the breadth of panels we have this time around. There is continuity from previous years, of course, but this year we are looking at defense issues in a more focused way than we have in the past. We’re also looking at the role of disinformation within industry, an issue that is only going to become more and more relevant to business worldwide in the future. I’m hopeful that we can use this year’s Texas-EU Business Summit as a launchpad for even more policy-oriented activities sponsored and funded by CES in 2025 and beyond. Stay tuned!
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