The new courses will come as a new push to develop Southeast Asian studies at Harvard, and the university's Department of South Asian Studies will look to hire three preceptors to teach the languages for the 2023 – 2024 academic year. Elizabeth K. Liao, executive director for the Harvard Asia Center, expressed her hope that these new hires would significantly impact the center's "long-term mission to build Southeast Asian studies at Harvard, as well as the university's engagement with the region".