Although not officially established as a Department until the 60s, Uralic and Altaic Studies has a long history on campus. During World War II, an Army Specialized Training Program for Central Eurasian studies began at IU. Later, a program in Uralic-Altaic was established within the Graduate School. Growing interest led to the establishment of a full Department in 1966. Although the original focus of Uralic and Altaic Studies was language and linguistics training, it was not long before faculty decided to widen its scope and began teaching and performing research in area subjects. In 1993 the name was changed to the Department of Central Eurasian Studies.
From the guide to the Indiana University Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies Chairman's records, 1964-1988, (Indiana University Office of University Archives and Records Management http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives)
