The mission and objectives of the AAAI are listed as follows:
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To serve as a liaison among campus and community organizations in addressing issues that relate to Asians and Asian Americans regionally, nationally, and internationally;
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To function as a resource center to engage in and promote research and scholarship on Asian and Asian American culture, history, languages, arts, economics, politics, and society;
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Disseminate information on local, regional, national, and international programs of special interests to the University, and the community.
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To provide curricular leadership, skills, interviewing techniques, and self-promotional strategies to enhance visibility and ensure success of Asians and Asian Americans in business, education, public policy, and the communities at large;
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To establish community and corporate partnerships to develop and promote Asian and Asian American activities, programs, research, and scholarships for students, faculty, and other constituencies at Cal State LA and beyond.
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Collaborate with APA centers and entities at USC (Asian Pacific American Student Services), CSULB and CSUN (Asian Studies Programs), and UCLA (Asian American Resource Center) to promote Asian and Asian American research, programs activities, and endowments.
AAAI places community engagement at the core of the Institute's mission, very much in alignment with the strategic plans of the university. To this end, AAAI will continue to engage with campus community and local Asian and Asian American communities to promote research and scholarships on the history and cultures of Asia and Asian America regionally, nationally, and internationally, provide curricular training and leadership skills among faculty, staff, students and community members, and expand community and corporate partnerships for the success of Asians and Asian Americans in business, education, and public policy.
Dr. Xing was appointed the new executive director in Spring 2017. With the new leadership, a number of activities were reactivated or initiated over the past year, which include:
- Convened a board meeting on November 15, 2017. Four of the six members, consisting of both community leaders, missed the meeting due to unexpected schedule conflicts;
- Sponsored two Asian and Asian American studies faculty members, Juily Phun and Jason Chiu, for the Chinese American Museum Annual Dinner event on September 14, 207;
- Co-sponsored the stating of the play, “Houseguest from Xiangjiang” on campus on October 21 and 22, 2017;
- Organized two field-learning trips to the Chinese-American museum on February 9, and the Japanese American National Museum on February 16, 2017;
- In collaboration with International Programs, a service-learning seminar in China is being planned for Summer of 2018;
- A field-learning trip to the historic Filipino-town in Echo Park is planned for April 20, 2018;
- A public lecture on Korean Americans in Los Angeles is being planned, in co-sponsorship with the Center for Korean American and Korean Studies, for April 13, 2018;
- A public lecture by Dr. Lane Hirabayashi, Endowed chair in Japanese American Studies at UCLA, is being planned for Fall semester of 2018;