Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan began formally with the establishment of an Oriental Civilizations Program in 1930, at which time the University of Michigan also boasted the largest numbers of enrolled Asian students in the country. The Center for Chinese Studies (CCS) was founded in 1961, and since then has become one of the country's most prominent centers devoted to a deeper understanding of China, past and present. In 2014 the center became the Kenneth G. Lieberthal and Richard H. Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, in honor of a generous gift from Richard and Susan Rogel.
Since its inception, the center has served a wide range of constituencies. Primary among these are students and faculty at the University of Michigan, but many faculty associates have engaged in public service, appearing as commentators on China in the national media or providing expert testimony at Congressional hearings. Others have assumed leadership roles in scholarly and exchange organizations at the national level or have served, inter alia, as consultants to the State of Michigan, US Department of State, World Bank, and even the White House. The center thus serves as a major intellectual hub for understanding China, serving both the university community and the public at large.
LRCCS brings together over thirty active faculty associates who take the study of China as the major focus of their work. Our associates represent the full range of humanities and social science disciplines, from anthropology and art history to political science and psychology. This disciplinary range enables the center to offer a unique, interdisciplinary MA degree in Chinese studies which provides specialist training while preparing students to make effective use of both social science and humanistic methodologies. It offers as well a joint MA/MBA degree with the Ross School of Business Administration, and accommodates student-initiated dual degree programs with other schools and departments on campus.
Over the years the center has benefited from strong university-level support so that Michigan can boast one of the finest arrays of China-related resources in the nation..
