The University of Utah, in partnership with Brigham Young University, was awarded $7 million from the US Department of Education to support international education and language study over the next four years. The National Resource Center Title VI and Foreign and Regional Language Studies grants will provide funding directly to the Center for Latin American Studies, the Asia Center, and their counterparts at BYU and will allocate $4.5 million to scholarships. This is the fourth time the Asia Center has received these four-year grants and the third time the Center for Latin American Studies.
“Designation as a National Resource Center is a great honor and a testament to the excellence of our faculty, our broad and rich course offerings across all disciplines, and our outreach programs with partners such as districts K-12 schools, Salt Lake Community College, and community organizations. across the state and nation,” said Susie Porter, professor of history and director of the Center for Latin American Studies. “We are excited to continue this important work and provide support to faculty, students, and community members in their language and area studies. »
The Foreign and Regional Language Scholarships will provide more than $600,000 each year for the next four years to U undergraduate and graduate students of all disciplines to study America’s less commonly taught languages Latin and Asian. The funds typically cover full tuition plus a stipend and help ensure wider access to college regardless of student financial need.
“Cultural and language skills are essential in our globalized world and these prestigious scholarships recognize the U as a national leader in these areas,” said Hollis Robbins, dean of the College of Humanities. “Our college, through the Center for Latin American Studies and the Asia Center, plays a vital role not only on campus and in the community, but also globally, as we support the education and learning of international students in many countries. This ensures that Title VI funds are felt far beyond campus.
Through contributions from the faculty and resources of these centers, both housed in the College of Humanities and supported by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences—Utah leads the nation in K-12 bilingual immersion programs. Currently, there are over 45,360 K-12 bilingual students in 265 schools across Utah. With support from U and BYU, these students, as well as native language speakers, can enroll in a bridging program – college-credit courses that serve as a gateway to college. Higher Education. As these students enter U or BYU, they receive a solid graduate-level language education (including five Indigenous languages), area studies, and access to Culture and Language Across the Curriculum – a credited program that combines language skills with various non-linguistic languages. courses – to become fully bilingual and multilingual university graduates ready to use their language skills in the professional world.
“Our centers, especially our excellent faculty and staff, equip students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines with language and cross-cultural skills for successful careers in areas of national need ranging from diplomacy to national security, health world, higher education and humanitarian work,” said Kim Korinek, professor of sociology and director of the Asia Center.
Internationally, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Asia Center fund and support many student activities. For example, the Center for Latin American Studies sends future U nurses to train in Latin American countries, including Guatemala, where they learn from local midwives. Next summer they will send students to Colombia to learn how nations deal with and heal from violent conflict. The Asia Center enriches international education opportunities through connections with partners across Asia. These include programming at Campus U Asia in Incheon, South Korea, international exchanges and internships with Thai and Cambodian universities, as well as a collaborative online course and learning abroad on the legacy of the Vietnam-American War, co-taught by Korinek, Stormy Shepherd History Professor and Professor at Fulbright University Vietnam. The Asia Center also supports the study of languages and cultures that span East, South, Southeast, Central and West Asia, Russia and the Pacific.
About the Intermountain Consortium for Latin American Studies
The partnership between U’s Center for Latin American Studies and BYU’s Latin American Studies program, known as the Intermountain Consortium for Latin American Studies, promotes language and area studies to enhance the offering programs, professional training and local and national awareness. The consortium has 191 affiliated teachers and offers 227 language courses and 30 language study programs. There are 1,951 students in the consortium following 27 Latin American language study programs and approximately 8,870 students enroll in language courses each year.
Intermountain Consortium for Asian and Pacific Studies
The partnership between the U’s Asia Center and BYU’s Asian Studies program, known as the Intermountain Consortium for Asian and Pacific Studies, promotes language and area studies to enhance curriculum, professional training, and local and national awareness. The consortium has 230 affiliated teachers and offers 305 language courses enrolling 6,868 students each year in 32 Asian language study programs. The consortium currently has 1,384 students pursuing Asia-related majors, minors, and certificates.
