History
The University of Kansas has a long tradition of teaching and research on East Asia. Thomas R. Smith (1910-1996), Associate Professor of Geography, offered the first East Asian area studies courses in 1947. By 1956, interest in East Asian Studies had advanced to the point that KU hosted the 5th Annual Conference on Asian Affairs (predecessor of the Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs) and started a Summer Institute on Asia. The university created a formal East Asian Studies program in 1959, and the Center for East Asian Studies was born.
The Center was an early beneficiary of Title VI of the 1958 National Defense Education Act (NDEA). It received uninterrupted, annual NDEA funding from 1959 until 1973 when the government terminated NDEA centers. This early funding supported language instruction in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean beginning in 1959, 1961, and 1969 respectively. During this period, Oriental Languages and Literature evolved from a semi-department within the Center to a full-fledged department with its own East Asian departmental library in 1964.
The early 1970s was a turbulent time for the Center just as it was for the rest of the country. The East Asian Studies building was firebombed in 1971 causing damage to the building. The Kansas Revolutionary Army later claimed responsibility stating the bombing was “in solidary with the National Liberation Front of Vietnam.” The next year, the February Sisters’—thirty women and four children—occupied the East Asian Studies building for a day. They demanded an affirmative action office, a program in women’s studies, a free day-care facility, more women in university administration, and salary equity. The administration agreed to all but the last demand.
Without NDEA grants, the Center sought out other funding opportunities, including grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Japan Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation. The East Asian Studies program continued to progress with more faculty, more courses, and new study abroad opportunities despite financial constraints. Fortunately, it regained Title VI funding and received its first Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships in 1979.
CEAS received Title VI and/or FLAS funding for the remainder of the twentieth century. The 1980s and 1990s saw increased outreach to both educators and students with annual summer workshops for secondary and community college teachers, Asian American International Film Festivals, and International Career Fairs. The East Asian art collection at the Spencer Museum also expanded leading to annual exhibitions.
More recently, the Center continued to expand its language offerings, library holdings, and community outreach through Title VI and FLAS support and other sources of funding. Under the leadership of Director Akiko Takeyama, CEAS broadened its intellectual scope through the concept of Global Asia, expanding the Center’s engagement with the diverse histories, cultures, and contemporary issues across the world. During this period, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures also added faculty specializing in Japanese and Korean culture with support from the Japan Foundation and Korea Foundation.
The end of federal Title VI National Resource Center and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship funding in 2026 marks the close of an important era in the Center’s history. Beginning in 1965, these programs provided sustained support for language instruction, faculty and student development, outreach, and educational activities, playing a significant role in shaping CEAS and its contributions to the University of Kansas and the region. As CEAS enters a new chapter, it continues its longstanding commitment to teaching, research, and outreach on East Asia and Asia more broadly, building on more than six decades of expertise, partnerships, and engagement.