 In the most recent competition for Department of Education's Title VI funds in 2014, the Center was awarded both NRC (National Resource Center) and FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) grants, which support courses, extracurricular programs, educational outreach, and graduate student fellowships.The primary function of the Center is to stimulate and coordinate research and teaching about the Middle East region across the University, regardless of discipline.This is accomplished informally in the social atmosphere of the Fazlur Rahman Common Room and in formal settings, such as the Center's lectures, conferences, symposia, and panel discussions.