The original university memo establishing the Soviet and East European Center in 1971 -- what would eventually become today's McDowell Center. [Click image to view full-size.]

The Charles T. McDowell Center for Critical Languages and Area Studies was founded in 2010 as a result of a generous endowment by Mrs. Betty Ruch and her late husband Roger in honor of their long-time friend, Dr. Charles T. McDowell.

After a distinguished career in the U.S. Army and retirement at the rank of Colonel, Charles McDowell devoted the next forty years of his life to UTA beginning in 1959 and ending with his retirement in 2005. He eventually came to head both the Russian language program and what was then known as the Center for Soviet and East European Studies. Under Dr. McDowell’s direction the Russian program flourished as a one-of-a-kind area studies approach within the College of Liberal Arts. Influencing several generations of students in the instruction of all things about Russia, and taking both students and community members alike on over forty summer study abroad programs in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, Australia, and New Zealand, McDowell left an enduring and memorable legacy. Today that legacy finds expression in the expansion of the Center’s mission to include Critical Languages (those for which there are fewer speakers than there is a need), and Area Studies generally. The McDowell Center provides coordination of international study programs for the UTA community, funding for students who wish to study abroad, and supports and assists faculty whose research and scholarly interests are beyond our shores.

The Ruch endowment has provided the means for funding a number of scholarships for study abroad, academic excellence, and instructional programs including a summer program in conversational Arabic. Students who are interested in enhancing their degree experience with a period of study abroad, as well as faculty whose research interests have international focuses are encouraged to apply to the Center’s various programs.

The Center is headed by Dr. Mark A. Cichock, Professor of Political Science. Dr. Cichock worked and traveled extensively with Charles McDowell for 20 years.