Founded in 1959, the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Kansas is the only East Asian resource center in the Great Plains region. CEAS supports East Asian language instruction and promotes East Asian studies across the curriculum. Seventy-three affiliated faculty members teach in 16 departments and 8 professional schools at KU, offering over 250 courses fully or partially devoted to East Asia. Through the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, we offer B.A. and M.A. degrees with concentrations in China, Japan, and Korea and instruction in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Uyghur, and Tibetan. Students can earn B.A. and M.A. degrees with East Asian concentrations in 14 other departments and a Ph.D. with an East Asian emphasis in 12. Two new joint degree programs link professional preparation and East Asian studies, the M.B.A../M.A. in EALC and the J.D./M.A. in EALC.

The Center works closely with the Study Abroad Office to promote undergraduate and graduate study in China, Korea, and Japan, and collaborates with the Office of International Programs on direct exchange programs, hosting visiting scholars, and career planning events. CEAS supports the KU East Asian Library, the 10th largest East Asian library collection (267,600 East Asian volumes as of September 2007) in an American public university.

Outreach is one of the Center's primary activities. CEAS sponsors timely and constantly changing programs, including up-to-date lectures, conferences and symposia, film series, exhibitions, and other special events (all free and open to the public). We offer a speaker's bureau, publications, and electronic resources tailored to various audiences on and off campus. Our media presence includes a regular spot on Kansas Public Radio. The CEAS outreach coordinator presents a diverse array of innovative and interactive programs for K-12 students and teachers, schools, and public libraries across the state and region.