American Institute of Indian Studies: Everything You Need to Know

The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS), established in 1961, is an association of 90 colleges and universities in the United States that fosters the progress of knowledge regarding India in the United States.

It achieves this mission through: granting fellowships to artists and scholars for conducting their research and artistic works in India; conducting accelerated courses in a range of Indian languages in India; by hosting outreach events, workshops, and conferences; by backing service learning and U.S. study abroad programs in India; through supporting and facilitating research for all U.S. scholars in India; and through maintaining two research archives, the Research Center for Ethnomusicology and Center for Art and Archaeology and the Archives.

American Institute of Indian Studies

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers counts the American Institute of Indian Studies among its members. So, if you are someone who wants to know full details on the American Institute of Indian Studies then this article is for you. In the present article, I have discussed all the important information about the AIIS including its background, current programs, funding and others.

American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) – Overview

Institute Name	American Institute of Indian Studies
Founded On	1961
Headquarter	University of Chicago
Size of the Institute	51-200 employees
Training Languages	Indian Languages
Research Centers	The Center for Art and Archaeology and the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology
Type	NGO
Category	Education
Official Website	indiastudies.org

About American Institute of Indian Studies

In 1961, an American group of scholars which was led by William Norman Brown founded the American Institute of Indian Studies. The primary aim of the AIIS is to support research fellowship of artists, Ph.D. candidates, and scholars.

The institute is jointly formed by ninety colleges and universities in the U.S. which encourages the expanding knowledge regrading India in the United States. Furthermore, the places where Indian languages are spoken, the members of AIIS give Indian languages training them.

Apart from this, through its two research facilities which are the Research Center for Ethnomusicology and Center for Art and Archaeology and the Archives, AIIS enhances knowledge of Indian culture. Publication of articles and books about India is also facilitated by the American Institute of Indian Studies.

In addition, for offering a variety of services to American study abroad programs in India, it helps American students participate in service learning and internship programs with Indian NGOs. To improve knowledge about India and to encourage communication and cooperation among India, the U.S. and other countries of South Asia scholars, AIIS hosts conferences, workshops, and special activities.

What are the Current Programs of the American Institute of Indian Studies?

Serial No.	Program Name
1	AIIS – Principia College Program
2	AIIS –ISP (Wisconsin Program)
3	AIIS – SIT Program
4	AIIS – NYSICCSI Program
5	AIIS – University of Texas at Austin (Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program)
6	AIIS – Princeton University Program
7	AIIS – MSID Program
8	AIIS – University of Iowa
9	AIIS –SOAS
10	AIIS –Chicago Pune Program
11	AIIS –ACM Program
12	AIIS – University of Washington
13	AIIS – The Alliance for Global Education
14	AIIS – SITA
15	AIIS – Pitt in India
16	AIIS – ISP
17	AIIS – University of Dayton
18	AIIS – IES
19	AIIS – Oberlin Shansi
20	AIIS – Emory Program

Who Funds the American Institute of Indian Studies?

There are various groups and departments which fund the AIIS. The groups and departments are –

1. Council of American Overseas Research Centers
2. Critical Languages Scholarship Program
3. National Endowment for the Humanities
4. Fellowship Programs at Independent Research Institutions Program
5. The U.S. Department of Education
6. Group Projects Abroad and American Overseas Research Centers Program
7. Language Tuition and Program Fees
8. Institutional Membership Fees and other contributions

Member Institutions of the American Institute of Indian Studies

As members of the American Institute of Indian Studies, more than ninety universities and colleges in the United States fund research in India. The member institutions are –

Member Institutions
Yale University	University of Massachusetts, Boston	SUNY, Stony Brook	Independent Scholars of South Asia (ISOSA)
Wesleyan University	University of Iowa	SUNY, Buffalo	Harvard University
Wellesley College	University of Illinois	Stanford University	George Washington University
Washington University St. Louis	University of Houston	Salisbury University	Georgetown University
Wake Forest University	University of Hawaii	Rutgers University	George Mason University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute	University of Georgia	Princeton University	Florida State University
Vanderbilt University	University of Florida	Portland State University	Emory University
University of Wisconsin	University of Dayton	Pennsylvania State University	Elon University
University of Washington	University of Colorado	The Ohio State University	Duke University
University of Virginia	University of Cincinnati	Oberlin College	Dartmouth College
University of Utah	University of Chicago	Northwestern University	Cornell University
University of Texas	University of California, San Barbara	Northern Arizona University	Columbia University
University of South Florida	University of California, San Diego	North Carolina State University	Colgate University
University of Rochester	University of California, Los Angeles	New York University	College of William and Mary
University of Pittsburgh	University of California, Irvine	New School University	Colby College
University of Pennsylvania	University of California, Berkeley	Middlebury College	Claremont McKenna College
University of Oregon	University of Arizona	Michigan State University	Carleton College
University of North Texas	Tulane University	Loyola Marymount University	Brown University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill	Tufts University	Kennesaw State University	Brandeis University
University of Nebraska	Texas State University	Kansas State University	Boston University
University of Missouri	Texas A & M University	Johns Hopkins University	Arizona State University
University of Minnesota	Temple University	James Madison University	Amherst College
University of Michigan	Syracuse University	Indiana University	American University