Asian Community in Atlanta

The Asian and Asian American population has grown dramatically in recent years in Georgia and Atlanta is now home to a vibrant Asian community. After increasing by 128% in the 1990s, the number of individuals of Asian descent in Georgia grew by another 81.6% since 2000 bringing the total number to 310,004 in 2010 (Census 1990, 2000, 2010). Most of this growth occurred in metropolitan Atlanta, which currently has an Asian population of 279,112.

Asian community networks in this area include organizations of Asian Americans, ethnic chambers of commerce, consulates and cultural centers, professional networks, the media and religious congregations.

This growing Asian community is also reflected in the student body at Georgia State University. At the undergraduate level, there were 2,616 Asian American students at GSU in fall 2010, comprising 11% of the total undergraduate population. According to Diverse Issues in Higher Education, GSU is ranked 48th in the nation in bachelor’s degrees granted to Asian-American students, higher than any other institution in Georgia. A high proportion of GSU’s international students also come from Asian countries. According to the Office of Institutional Research, in 2010, a total of 918 of the 1,531 international students at the university (60%) were from Asia. Asian countries comprise 5 of the top 6 countries represented on campus.

The Asian Studies Center at GSU seeks to bring together students, faculty and the larger community to address opportunities provided by the emerging Asian presence in the local and global community. This section of the website includes a list of community organizations and on-going events in the greater metro Atlanta area. See the Student Organizations section of this website for more information on Asia-related student groups on campus.

Reflecting a rising interest in Asia among both faculty and students at Georgia State University, the Asian Studies Center was established in 2003.

Lotus

The Mission of the Center is:

  • To coordinate cultural, artistic and scholarly activities related to Asia and Asian Americans through travel, teaching and research
  • To promote undergraduate education on Asia via an Asian Studies major and curriculum
  • To support research and teaching among the various faculty and programs at GSU which have an Asian component
  • To sponsor lecture and speaker events by national and international scholars, as well as cultural and other events
  • To enhance Asian student life at GSU
  • To integrate the University with the life of the larger Asian community For further information on Asia Center activities, please visit other portions of this website.