"Improving the quality of social and cultural life in the Northern Plains ... achieving a better understanding of the region, its heritage, and its resources ... and stimulating interest in the solution to regional problems through the application of knowledge areas of concern to the Center for Western Studies." – CWS Constitution
Founded by author and Augustana College (now Augustana University) English Professor Herbert Krause, the Center serves as a repository for over 500 substantive archival collections and maintains a library in excess of 36,000 volumes on the American West.
In addition, the Center holds an extensive art and artifact collection and sponsors annual events such as the Boe Forum, the Dakota Conference, and the Artists of the Plains Art Show and Sale.
With more than 75 publications to its credit, the Center is a major academic publisher in South Dakota.
