Mongolia Home

Western has been a proud leader in the field of Mongolian Studies for more than 50 years. Beginning in the mid-1970s, under the leadership of Professor Henry G. Schwarz and East Asian Studies, the university began offering courses in Mongolian history, culture, language, and literature, including a first of its kind language program for American students at Inner Mongolia University in the 1980s. 

Over the years, Western has hosted myriad colloquia, conferences, and community events, created the East Asian Studies Press, and built the premier Mongolian Studies library collection outside of Mongolia. The collection currently comprises over 22,000 titles, thanks in part to donations from Professors Schwarz, Nicholas Poppe, John R. Krueger, and others.  

In 2014 the Office of Global Engagement began to coordinate Western's Mongolian Studies initiatives, and activities have increased significantly.  Today, the university has formal partnerships with National University of Mongolia and Mongolian National University of Education, works actively with the American Center for Mongolian Studies on public programming, funds a wide variety of collaborative research and professional development projects with academics in Mongolia and Inner Asia, hosts visiting scholars and lecturers, and most recently began a student exchange program with NUM.   

The growth and sustainability of Mongolian Studies at Western would not be possible without generous financial support from John C. Street and Henry G. Schwarz, whose endowments have made possible the university's continuing leadership in the field.