Horizon of Opportunities

The rise of Asian American Studies (AAS) in the late 1960s furthered a national movement—led by students and scholars of Black Studies—of elevating the experiences of communities of color. At its core, AAS recognizes the heterogeneity within the Asian American population while embracing the unique and shared histories and diasporic narratives that shape individual and Asian ethnic groups' experiences in the social and economic context of the United States. The growth of Asian ethnic communities in the United States, the rise of a pan-Asian ethnic collective, and the United States' legacy of discrimination against Asian and other minoritized populations fueled many colleges and universities to establish AAS programs. These programs offered courses that discussed Asian American people as a collective or narrowed in 
on particular ethnic groups (e.g., Vietnamese American people)—in doing so, student, faculty, and local community member advocates of AAS programs sought to legitimize the rich diversity of Asian American experiences as an area of study. For Asian American-identifying students especially, several qualitative studies show that pursuing studies or taking courses in AAS can offer numerous benefits. Students have reported having enhanced cultural awareness, experiencing stronger perceptions of self-identity and solidarity among the pan-Asian community, and feeling encouraged to civically engage with their local communities.

This report provides the first landscape update since 1978 of AAS programs nationally in research universities (RUs) and liberal arts colleges (LACs). From this effort, we identify opportunities for U.S. college and university administrators and faculty to improve and expand AAS programs. This information could also be of use for students,
 philanthropies, and community-based organizations that wish to start or support AAS
programs at colleges and universities.Asian communities are collectively the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, and this growth is mirrored in the number of Asian students graduating highschool and enrolling in higher education. Asian or Pacific Islander students make up 6.3 percent of the public high school graduating class for the 2022-2023 school year, an increase of 17 percent since 2011. Many of these high school graduates are pursuing higher education, as evident in the enrollment growth by Asian students. In fall 2022, approximately 1.11 million Asian students were enrolled in undergraduate postsecondary education, making up about 7.5 percent of the total U.S. resident undergraduate population enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions,
an increase of 23 percent from 2012. RUs and LACs play a prominent role in providing their students with access to a variety of academic disciplines and interdisciplinary fields to explore their interests. Although AAS programs can be found across different institutional types (e.g., community colleges, regional universities), RUs and LACs are often at the forefront of research, knowledge development, and curricular innovations—frequently setting trends that are adopted by other institutions. Moreover, there is high student demand to attend RUs and LACs, institutions that are often perceived as prestigious and reputable. For these reasons, we limit the scope of this report to public and private RUs and private LACs to answer four research questions. Insights from these institutional types can help shed light on the horizon of opportunities for AAS.