There are presently twelve regional centers for the study of the Middle East receiving operational grants from the Office of Education under its language and area centers program. These grants range In amounts from $50,000 to $114,000 per year with the average falling somewhere around $92,000 yearly. Although there is a yearly competition, most centers receive funding for a minimum of three years. Of the presently funded centers, two (University of Arizona and Portland State) are funded as undergraduate programs, with the remainder serving the graduate sector as well. Government guidelines stipulate that 15% of the total grant must be spent in the area of “outreach” services to agencies, organizations and individuals outside the university interested in the resources of the center. Funding criteria for fiscal 1976 published in the Federal Register (Vol. 41, No. 20, Feb. 9, 1976) further specifies that “Centers shall provide such “outreach activities” in two or more of the following areas, at least one of which shall be either (1) or (2) below:(1) Assistance to other institutions of higher education including public and private four-year colleges, particularly those with teacher education programs, and two year colleges (such as sharing of library resources, faculty workshops, and cross-registration of students); (2) assistance to state and local elementary and secondary educational agencies (such as in-service teacher training, bibliographic assistance, textbook evaluation, curriculum development, and direct instructional services; (3) assistance to the business community (such as workshops and special courses) and (4) sharing of resources (such as general lectures, films and book and art exhibits) with the community at large.”