1991
Asian American Collegiate Organization is founded with political interests and begins to rally for an Asian American Studies Program.

1996
Students Promoting Asian American Concerns is formed and seeks the creation of a Chancellor's Committee

November 1999
A student-led organization called the Coalition for Asian American Studies (CAAS) is founded to lobby for an Asian American Studies program, a cultural center, and an academic support network.

April 1999
Approval for a Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Asian Americans is granted.

March 2000
CAAS hosts a protest and rally for these three items at UIC.
CAAS holds UIC's first Asian American Awareness Week.

August 2000
Visiting Professor Rocio Davis is hired for one year to teach Asian American Literature courses at UIC. She hosted UIC's first academic conference titled "Asian American Writing: Social History and Performance."

March 2001
CAAS holds UIC's first Asian American Awareness Month.

2001
An umbrella group of all Asian American student organizations on campus is formed, called the Asian American Coalition Committee (AACC), whose goals include a studies program and a cultural center.

2001-2002
AACC holds first year-round UIC Asian American film series, with Campus Programs.

November 2001
AACC submits business plan to the Provost for an Asian American resource and cultural center (AARCC) on campus.

February 2002
The establishment of the AARCC is approved, but a hiring freeze on the University of Illinois system postpones the search for a non-faculty director.

March 2002
AACC holds UIC's second Asian American Awareness Month. UIC AAAMonth reaches a deeper level, with events that include lecturers, community panels, film showings, performances, and collaborations with UIC departments and organizations.

The Department of English hires Mark Chiang from UPenn and Helen Jun from UCSD as UIC's first tenure-track Asian Americanist faculty. Jun is a joint hire also under the Department of African American Studies.

November 2003
Search begins for Director for a UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center

March 2005
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago conduct a
web-based survey of Asian American college students, focusing on their involvement in civic affairs. The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between various demographic, background, and individual-level factors and Asian Americans' participation in
organizations and opinions regarding public policies.

April 21, 2005
The Asian American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC) celebrates its grand opening at 101 Taft Hall.

Spring 2001
The History Department offered HIST 114, World History: The Asian American Experience. (Only Asian American courses in the English department had been offered up until this time.)

Spring and Fall 2001
Sociology has offered SOC 228, Sociology of Asia and Asian Americans.

Fall 2001 and Spring 2002
Introductory Hindu/Urdu is offered, joining Chinese and Japanese.

Spring 2002 LAS 301:
Making Sense of Globalization: Seminar in International Studies is offered.

Fall 2002
UIC's first tenure-track Asian Americanist faculty teach English classes covering Asian American studies.

April 2007
AACC successfully lobbies for the hiring of two professors in the social sciences that are approved by LAS for Asian American Studies