Institute of American Studies stemmed from Section of American History founded in 1979. In 1981, Professor Ding Zemin and other scholars successfully applied for M.A. program that was later known as History of Regions or Countries in World History, which began to take in graduates in following yeas. Thereafter, the number of researchers increased; there mainly are Professor Ding Zemin, Professor Wang Guizheng and Professor Tian Xiguo. In 1984, Wang Xu and Bian Linan joined faulty members after they completed their graduate studies. Bian Li Nan went to study in America in 1989 and settled there since then. The librarian was Ye Wei and was later replaced by Ms. Hu Jinshan. So there were seven staff members working in the Institute of American Studies . With the authorization of Northeast Normal University , the name of the Institute was changed to its current name. After 1991, some adjustments were made in the Institute of American Studies and members of staff mainly included Ding Ze Min, Wang Xu, Tian Xi Guo, Liang Mao Xin, Hu Jin Shan, Han Yu, etc. In the year of 1999, upon the agreement of Northeast Normal University , the Institute of American Studies has added research fellows in non-history fields. Faculty members were Ding Zemin(passed away in 2001), Liang Mao Xin, Yu Qun, Dong Xiao Chuan, Li Ye 、 Sun Qun Lang Gao Song,Yuan Gui Lin, Huang Ji Ying, etc., Major research areas covered include American Diplomatic History, Ecclesiastical History, Immigration History, Urban History, Regional History, Political History, Economic History, American Culture, Education and Economy, Chinese and American Trade Relations, etc. For years more than twenty doctorate students and thirty M.A. graduates students graduated from the Institute since 1981. Currently more than thirty graduates are on M.A. programs and another fifteen doctorate candidates are on Ph.D. program. Faculty members in the Institute have opened courses in the fields of American History, American Diplomatic History, History of International Relations, Reading of Historical Documents, etc. At the same time, Institute of American Studies initiated great efforts to promote extensive academic communications with research organization within or without the country. During the past dozen of years the Institute hosted five telephone-academic conferences with American scholars, invited American Fulbright scholars come to give lectures annually, and established long-term relationship with University of Wisconsin , Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and Edwards cities respectively. More than forty academic visits were made to universities in the U.S. , Japan , Austria , Australia , and Hong Kong , etc., to attend international academic conferences, seminars or to conduct academic research as Fulbright scholars or visiting scholars. Among them, there are 9 scholars who received the American Fulbright programmer's financial support.