Ohio University Libraries celebrates 60 years of the Center for International Studies

Ohio University Libraries is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Center for International Studies and the African Studies program with an exhibit titled, “60 years of International Studies at Ohio University: The Past and Present.”

The display, which opened Thursday, Nov. 14 on the fourth floor of Alden Library, will run until June 2025. The history of the program and major milestones and achievements of the Center will be highlighted.

In 1964, President Vernon Alden established a Center for International Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences to coordinate the University’s increasing international activities as well as house the newly created African Studies program.

The focus of the Center is conducting research and teaching courses and languages. Over the years, the Center has grown to include Southeast Asian Studies (1966); Latin American Studies (1970); undergraduate degrees and certificate programs (1976); International Development Studies (1977); Communication and Development Studies (1986) and War and Peace Studies (2010). 

The exhibit will mainly have materials from the Libraries’ digital archives and physical collections including photographs, alumni magazines and newspaper clippings. It will also include information about various federal grants that the programs within the Center have received, important institutional linkages such as Chubu University in Japan and with the government of Malaysia, and the Center's past as a training center for the Peace Corps.

The materials in the display showcases the accomplishments of the Center through the years. The display includes prestigious grant awards, conferences and seminars, sponsoring new faculty and staff positions, faculty research, library acquisitions, outreach activities, cultural events, performing arts and publications.

Araba Dawson-Andoh, subject librarian for African Studies and the Social Sciences, is the curator of the exhibit. She mentioned in an email that the viewers of the exhibit will learn about OHIO’s long history and commitment to international studies and involvement that began with the tenure of President John Baker in 1945.

“Dr. Baker believed that a high-quality institution should have both national and international interests, and that international students bring the world to the doors of Ohio University,” Dawson-Andoh said. “This vision was followed by subsequent OHIO Presidents.”

To learn more about the exhibit, contact Dawson-Andoh at dawson-a@ohio.edu.