The 2025 Mongolia Society Annual Meeting

Sponsored by The Mongolia Society, the Embassy of Mongolia to the USA, the Mongol American Cultural Association (MACA), and Mr. Tony Ettinger

Meeting and Panels Schedule꙳

Friday, October 3, 2025

(Time TBD) — A guided tour of the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution

To register, please contact Susie Drost, monsoc@iu.edu.

1:00-3:00 pm Two Decades of Smithsonian Research in Mongolia, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution

When Mongolia opened up to the West in the mid-1990s, the Smithsonian was one of the first institutions invited to propose research programs. In 2001 the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies center initiated studies of Mongolia’s Bronze Age deer stone monuments, which at that time were undated but were thought to have Scythian connections. Our first project in 2001 was sponsored by Ed Nef who had met Tsaatan reindeer-herders. Over the next 20 years, deer stone studies broadened into ethnographic research on the Tsaatan by Paula DePriest, empire cultures by Dan Rogers, Bronze Age burial ceremonialism by Bruno Frohlich, and landscape and cartographical studies by Dan Cole. Our panel will explore the field studies, collaboration with Mongolian colleagues, the creation of museum exhibits, results obtained, and the future of Mongolian-American collaboration.

Chair: Dr. William Fitzhugh (Smithsonian Institution)

Panelists:

Dr. William Fitzhugh, “Smithsonian-Mongolia Enterprise: 25 Years of Research, Public Education, and Scholarly Exchange”
Mr. Dan Cole (Smithsonian Institute, retired), “Landscape Archaeology: Memoirs of a GPS Tracker”
Professor Emeritus Richard Kortum (East Tennessee State University), “Altai Petroglyphs: 20 Years in the Field”
Dr. Paula DePriest (American Center for Mongolian Studies/Smithsonian Institution, retired), “Spirits of the High Places: Horse Treks with Tsaatan”

National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Smithsonian Institution, 10th St. and Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20560

4:00-5:00 pm Collection Display at the Asian Reading Room, Library of Congress by Susan Meinheit.

Ms. Susan Meinheit, the Tibetan & Mongolian Area Specialist in the Asian Division of the Library of Congress, will have a selection of special items from the Asian Division’s Mongolian collection on display for participants attending this year’s Mongolia Society’s Annual Meeting.

Library of Congress, Jefferson Building, 10 First Street SE, Ground level, Asian Reading Room, First floor, LJ150, Washington, DC 20540; https://www.loc.gov/visit/directions

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Embassy of Mongolia in the United States, 2833 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

8:30 am Annual Meeting of The Mongolia Society

Call to order: Ambassador (Ret.) Michael Klecheski, Mongolia Society President
Opening Remarks: His Excellency Batbayar Ulziidelger, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the USA
Mongolia Society Annual Business Meeting: Ambassador (Ret.) Klecheski
Book release, Occasional Papers, Number 30, Reflections on the Checkered Century:
The Memoirs of a Mongolian Ambassador by Uriankhan B. Jargalsaikhan

9:30 am-12 pm U.S. Ambassadors to Mongolia: A Roundtable on the Bilateral Relationship

Moderator: Mr. Ronald Deutch (Charge d'Affaires, 1997-8)

Panelists, US Ambassadors to Mongolia:

Amb. Richard L. Williams (1987-1990); *Amb. Joseph E. Lake (1990-1993); *Amb. Donald C. Johnson (1993-1996); Amb. Alphonse F. La Porta (1997-2000); Amb. Pamela J. H. Slutz (2003-2006); *Amb. Mark C. Minton (2006-2009); *Amb. Jonathan Addleton (2009-2012); Amb. Piper A. W. Campbell (2012-2015); Amb. Jennifer Z. Galt (2015-2017); Amb. Michael S. Klecheski (2017-2022); *Amb. Richard L. Buangan (2023-Present).

12 pm (noon)–1:30 pm Lunch

1:30-2:30 pm Changing Mongolian Language

Chair: Prof. Christopher Atwood (University of Pennsylvania)

Panelists:

Dr. Saruul-Erdene Myagmaryn (Library of Congress), “The Influence of Written Language on Spoken Language: The Example of Mongolian Song Lyrics”
Mrs. Tserenchunt Legden (Indiana University), “An Analysis of Exercise Systems in Mongolian Language Textbooks for Foreign Learners (Elementary Level)”
Mr. Daniel Lindbergh Lang (Johns Hopkins University), “Global Curricula Practiced Locally: Pearson English and Teacher Training in Mongolia”

2:35-3:35 pm Mongolia in the World: Modern Influences

Chair: Prof. Melissa Chakars (St. Joseph’s University)

Panelists:

Mrs. Enkhsanaa Khenmedekh Sommers (National University of Mongolia), “Owen Lattimore’s Interdisciplinary Role in Bridging Empires and Globalizing Mongolian Studies”
Prof. Jay Nathan (Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University), “Mongolia’s Modernization and Development with Global Engagement”
*Mr. Temuulen Altangerel (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels Belgium), “Cultural Diplomacy in the Making: The Bottom-up Application of Mongolian Cultural Diplomacy in Belgium”

10-minute break

3:45-4:45 pm Mongolia in the World: Premodern Connections

Chair: Prof. Uranchimeg Tsultem (Indiana University)

Panelists:

Mr. Hada (University of Pennsylvania/ Renmin University of China), “Persian-Manchu Translation Bureau and the Decline of Mongolian as Lingua Franca”
Prof. Nancy S. Steinhardt (University of Pennsylvania), “The Türk Shrine”
Dr. Prof. Sumiya Dorjpalam (Institute of Language and Literature, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Mongolia), “The Role of Kavyadarsha in Shaping Mongolian Literary Aesthetics”

4:50-5:50 pm Mongolia’s Many Transitions

Chair: Prof. Orhon Myadar (University of Hawai'i)

Panelists:

Mr. Michael Lake (Independent Scholar), “Mongolia’s Transition Revisited: Agency, Aid, and the Myth of Neoliberal Shock Therapy”
*Mr. Nuri Lewis-Pichler (East Bay International High School, Emeryville, California), “The Reintroduction of the Bichig Mongolian Script: Precedents and Opportunities”
Ms. Byambasuren Enkhee (University of Cambridge, UK), “Breaking Taboos: Community and ‘Women’s’ Stand-Up Comedy in Ulaanbaatar”

6:30 pm Reception hosted by the Embassy of Mongolia to the United States

Embassy of Mongolia, 2833 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

* - Designates a Zoom panelist

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꙳Attendance Fees

We ask those who attend or present at the 2025 Mongolia Society conference to pay a fee to help defray the cost of organizing it.

Early bird attendance fee (before September 1, 2025)

Early bird attendance fee for Mongolia Society members to attend in-person, is $75. and $125 for Non-members, before September 1, 2025* (Pay Online)
Early bird attendance fee for students and Mongolians living abroad to attend in person, is $60, before September 1, 2025* (Pay Online)
Early bird attendance fee for non-members to attend in-person, is $125, before September 1, 2025* (Pay Online)

Regular attendance fee (after September 1, 2025)

Regular attendance fee (after September 1, 2025) for Mongolia Society members to attend in-person is $90 for all membership types. (Pay Online)
Regular attendance fee for non-members to attend in person, is $140 (Pay Online)

Free Attendance via Zoom!

Thanks to a generous donation, Zoom access to the Annual Meeting will be available free of charge.

Registration is required: https://www.mongoliasociety.org/2025-annual-meeting-zoom-registration

*New Member Discount: The Society is offering a special discounted membership rate when new members join and pay the Annual Meeting Attendance Fee at the same time.

Before September 1, 2025, It will cost only $100 for new U.S. members, $80 for new US student members, $110 for new foreign members and $90 for new foreign student members to both join the Society and attend the Annual Meeting and Panels;
After September 1, 2025, it will cost $115 for new US members, $100 for new US student members, $125 for new foreign members and $110 for new foreign student members to both join the Society and attend the Annual Meetings and panels.

New Member Special Rates:

Annual Meeting + Regular Membership (US) - (Pay Online)
Annual Meeting + Regular Membership (Foreign) - (Pay Online)
Annual Meeting + Regular Membership (US Student) – (Pay Online)
Annual Meeting + Regular Membership (Foreign Student) – (Pay Online)

THE MONGOLIA SOCIETY, INC.

HLS Global & International Studies, Room 3034, Indiana University, P.O. Box 2552, Bloomington, IN 47402; E-Mail: monsoc@iu.edu; Web: www.mongoliasociety.org