The Max Kade Institute's mission is twofold: first, scholarly research and documentation; and second, outreach to a broader audience. Ongoing research involves faculty and students from many departments (as well as visiting scholars) examining how German-speaking immigrants and their descendants have both shaped their North American environment and have been shaped by it. Outreach efforts center on bringing a better understanding of issues of German-American immigration, history, culture, and language to a general public as well as to school children.