An international Cambodia Studies conference was held at Northern Illinois University this past week. I was drawn into the public events offered throughout the weekend, beginning with an exhibit of Burmese music and photography from Cambodia and Burma at the NIU Art Museum in the Altgeld Hall gallery.

Visiting the opening of the art exhibit Thursday, I learned of events being held Friday and Saturday evenings – a film viewing and concert. NIU has the strongest Cambodia Studies program in the U.S., according to Center for Southeast Asian Studies director Judy Ledgerwood.

NIU has five faculty members who work on Cambodia with specialties in anthropology, foreign languages, history and political science. Through the center, NIU has regular field schools that take students to Cambodia, and agreements with universities there that help bring students from Cambodia to study at NIU.