Rutgers University established  a South Asian Studies Program(SASP) in 2003. Faculty members associated with SASP have chosen to define the term 'South Asia' broadly, to include the nations of Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet, as well as the bordering nations of Afghanistan and Myanmar. SASP seeks to promote the study of this region and its diasporic communities through the development of an interdisciplinary set of courses, speakers' series, and public events.