A Native American Studies department has been established at UC Davis, the first such department in California and in the UC system, and one of a few at major universities nationwide. UC Davis officials cite compelling reasons for creating the department from an existing Native American Studies program, including academic strength, international reputation, increasing student interest, faculty excellence and geographical location. The faculty in the department, which is part of the College of Letters and Science, have research and teaching interests that include the study of Mayan civilization, ethnohistory of native people in Middle and South America, and native higher education, art and literature. "The vision of the department is unusual in that it deals with the indigenous experience throughout the Americas," says Robert Crummey, dean of the College of Letters and Science. The department's faculty "pioneered the hemispheric approach to studying indigenous people, believing much of the culture has a common thread and that existing nation-state boundaries cut across native nationalities," says Jack Forbes, faculty member and director of Native American Studies.