American Institute of Bangladesh Studies

History of AIBS The American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) was established in 1989 as a result of an initiative undertaken by Professor Craig Baxter of Juniata College, and joined by faculty members from Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, University of Chicago, Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), and the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh. In 1989, AIBS signed an agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Government of Bangladesh (GOB), for a financial contribution to fund fellowships for U.S scholars to conduct research in Bangladesh. The first fellowship award was made in 1990. In 1991-92 AIBS connected with the United States Information Agency (USIA) to obtain additional funding for educational exchanges between the United States and Bangladesh. AIBS received funding from USIA to establish four additional programs. These included the Extension Bangladesh Lecture Series, the Research and Development Seminars, the Undergraduate Research Fellowship Grant, and the Faculty Support Funds. AIBS Today In 1993, AIBS became a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and since then has received funds from CAORC to continue these programs. Founded in 1981, CAORC is a private not-for-profit federation of several independent overseas research centers that promote advanced research, particularly in the humanities and social sciences, with focus on the conservation and recording of cultural heritage and the understanding and interpretation of modern societies. CAORC fosters research projects across national boundaries, encourages collaborative research and programmatic and administrative coherence among member centers, and works to expand their resource base and service capacity. AIBS launched the Dhaka Center in 2010, which facilitates AIBS Fellows, hosts a montly lecture series, and hosts a JSTOR access computer for scholarly research. To contact AIBS: sudiptaroy.aibs@gmail.com