The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) at UC Berkeley serves to strengthen training in the major languages of East Asia in conjunction with area studies training in the field. It also maintains Berkeley's role as one of the nation's major centers for resources on East Asia.
The U.S. Department of Education supports the National Resource Center program as part of Title VI, Section 602(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
The general purpose of the NRC program is to establish, strengthen, and operate language and area studies centers or programs that will be national resources for the country. A National Resource Center should support:
- Instruction in modern foreign languages;
- Instruction in fields needed to provide full understanding of areas, regions, or countries in which the language is commonly used;
- Research and training in international studies;
- Language aspects of professional and other fields of study; and
- Instruction and research on issue in world affairs.
- Outreach and consultative services on a national, regional and local basis.
- Linkages with overseas institutions of higher education and other organizations that may contribute to the teaching and research of the Center.
- Specialized library collections
The International and Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education maintains a list of National Resource Centers around the country.
The Center for Southeast Asia Studiesat UC Berkeley, which is part of the Institute of East Asian Studies, is a National Resource Center for Southeast Asian Studies in a consortium with UCLA’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.