U.S. Department of Education

Office of Postsecondary Education

International and Foreign Language Education Office

Title VI Undergraduate International Studies and 

Foreign Language Program

CFDA 84.016A 

Grant Awards List and Project Abstracts

Fiscal Year 2020
2

Group Projects Abroad Program

FY 2020 Grant Awards List

Grantee Institution State Funding 

Amount

Page 

Number

Agnes Scott College GA $88,114 3

Bridgewater State University MA $82,170 4

California State University, San Bernardino and California State University, 

Sacramento CA $100,583 5

Calvin University MI $100,000 6

Clemson University SC $97,441 7

Coastal Carolina University SC $90,818 8

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University MN $73,395 9

Cornell University and Monroe Community College NY $100,000 10

Governors State University IL $85,000 11

Illinois College IL $93,082 12

Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and Ivy Technical 

Community College IN $100,000 13

Johnson County Community College KS $71,629 14

LaGuardia Community College NY $84,954 15

Long Island University – Brooklyn NY $85,236 17

Maryville College TN $100,000 18

Massasoit Community College MA $85,677 19

Montana State University Billings and Northwest College MT $101,946 20

Pacific University OR $99,914 21

Ramapo College of New Jersey NJ $69,847 22

Rowan University and Rowan College at Burlington County NJ $83,912 23

Sinclair Community College OH $92,369 24

University of Arizona AZ $98,050 25

University of Colorado Boulder, Tibetan and Himalayan Studies CO $97,990 26

University of Colorado Boulder, Latin American Studies CO $25,289 27

University of Denver CO $67,425 28

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign IL $99,042 29

University of Kentucky and Bluegrass Community and Technical College KY $100,000 30

University of Maine at Farmington ME $99,262 31

University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico Community College NM $100,000 32

University of North Texas TX $87,442 33

University of Pittsburgh PA $98,543 34

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA $98,474 35
3

Agnes Scott College

Enhancing Global-Mindedness at Agnes Scott College through Middle Eastern Studies

Project Director:

Dr. Mona Tajali

Assistant Professor of International Relations and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Agnes Scott College 141 E. College Avenue Decatur, GA 30030

Phone: 404-471-6532

Email: mtajali@agnesscott.edu

Agnes Scott College (ASC), a liberal arts college that educates women to think deeply, live honorably, 

and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times, requests funding for launching a new

minor in Middle Eastern Studies (MES) that will require mastery of Arabic at the intermediary level. This 

project builds upon the expertise of three interdisciplinary tenure- track faculty members in Middle East 

Studies who were all hired within the past five years: Dr. Reem Bailony (History), Dr. Mona Tajali 

(International Relations and Women’s Studies), and Dr. Roshan Iqbal (Religious Studies). These hires 

represent a significant investment by the College to provide educational experiences covering this 

important region of the World. ASC also recently launched a new general education curriculum, 

SUMMIT, which emphasizes global learning and leadership. As part of the SUMMIT program, each firstyear student travels abroad during her second semester at ASC. The MES program will contribute to this 

initiative through both curricular and co-curricular enhancements.

In addition to Arabic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies curricular components, this project provides 

funding to build a culture around Middle Eastern Studies both at Agnes Scott and in the greater Atlanta 

region. The objectives of this proposal are to:

(1) Provide students at ASC with more comprehensive coverage of the Middle East region 

(encompassing the Middle East, Northern Africa, and South Asia) by offering curricular 

and co-curricular programs related to the language, history, culture, and politics of the

region.

(2) Offer students additional opportunities to apply their knowledge of Arabic and 

Middle Eastern Studies (MES) in professional settings and through high-impact 

practices.

(3) Create a Middle Eastern Studies minor to serve as a model for other small liberal arts 

colleges.
4

Bridgewater State University

Pathways to the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) 

PROJECT DIRECTOR 

Madhu Rao, Ph.D. Professor, Geography

College of Science and Mathematics

Bridgewater State University

24 Park Avenue, DMF Room 223

Bridgewater, MA 02325-0001

508-531-2120 mrao@bridgew.edu

PRIORITIES: #1 and #2

Pathways to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at Bridgewater State University (BSU), MA. is a 

project designed to integrate several programs at BSU including foreign language instruction, 

international partnerships with MENA institutions, study abroad, undergraduate student research, 

faculty professional development and community engagement. While BSU already has a strong record in 

all these areas, it is proposed to leverage synergies across them and achieve a significant expansion of 

the international studies programs at BSU by launching the Pathways to MENA project. BSU is 

submitting for both competitive priorities as we are identified as an MSI and require two years of a 

foreign language for admittance.

Successful completion of the MENA project will lead to a significant increase in the interactions of the 

BSU students, faculty and regional community with the communities and cultures of the MENA region, 

and thereby promote international understanding of the people in this region. The programs included in 

the MENA project will afford new institutional and community members the opportunity to connect 

with the MENA languages and culture, strengthen undergraduate instruction in MENA studies, elevate 

the Arabic language instruction from beginner to an intermediate level, introduce the Modern Hebrew 

language and three new courses to reinforce the MENA studies minor.

The strategies to achieve the goals of the MENA project are designed to leverage the interlinks among 

the various activities directed at the four loci of the project, namely Curriculum Enhancement, Student 

Success, Faculty Development and Community Outreach. While Curriculum Enhancement involves 

introducing three new MENA courses, launch a new course on Modern Hebrew language and offer a 

professional certificate; goal two focuses on student success and the immersion of Arabic and Hebrew 

language learning overseas along with P2P – peer to peer interaction through networking and to gain 

field experiences in the Arab world through Study Abroad programs. Goal three captures the need for 

faculty professional development and research, while goal four engages K-12 teachers through summer 

institutes, conduct public seminars and panel discussions on the role of Arab women and the people of 

MENA. Twenty-two countries with a combined population of 372 million with the second largest religion 

Islam, this project will contribute to the effort of strengthening the connection between the U.S. and 

MENA through international integration and foreign languages.
5

California State University, San Bernardino and California 

State University, Sacramento

Spanish Language Proficiency and International Cultural Experience 

for Criminal Justice Professionals

PROJECT CO-DIRECTORS: 

Dr. Carmen Jany, Department of World Languages

cjany@csusb.edu - (909) 537-7386

Dr. Nerea Marteache, Department of Criminal Justice 

nmarte@csusb.edu – (909) 537- 52092

5500 University Parkway, San Bernardino, CA 92407

Two California State University campuses, CSUSB (in southern California) and CSUS (in northern 

California), will partner as a consortium to develop a new Certificate Program in Spanish for Criminal 

Justice Professionals, including the necessary specialized instructional materials and international 

cultural experience, to address the urgent need for linguistically and culturally prepared law 

enforcement workers serving the rapidly growing largest minority group in the state: Hispanics. This 

project responds to the UISFL focus of conducting research for and developing specialized teaching 

materials, including language materials.

The purpose of the Certificate Program is to develop specialized Spanish proficiency at an intermediate 

level or higher, while reviewing and broadening the grammar foundation attained in elementary 

Spanish. Therefore, the program is designed primarily for second and third-year Spanish courses. 

Moreover, many students have already developed basic Spanish proficiency in high school or at home if

they are heritage speakers. The Certificate Program will stress the development of linguistic, cultural, 

and behavioral demeanors appropriate for successful communication with persons of Hispanic heritage 

in a professional situation.

Both campuses will develop the Certificate Program in consultation with Criminal Justice faculty and 

professionals to be offered to undergraduates who are majoring or minoring in Criminal Justice. The 

instructional materials and culminating international experience will be developed jointly, while 

program implementation will slightly vary between the two campuses. CSUSB will develop three new 

courses and adapt four, and CSUS will adapt two current courses and develop four new ones. For this, 

the consortium will create specialized teaching materials consisting of a second-year Spanish language 

multimedia eBook, a third-year multimedia eBook that includes specialized terminology and case studies 

for Criminal Justice professionals, and a third-year specialized Hispanic culture multimedia eBook, each 

with authentic materials from various Spanish-speaking countries. The Certificate Program will also 

include practice in the local community and abroad.

CSUSB and CSUS will pilot the Certificate Program during the three-year grant period. Quarterly internal 

assessments and feedback from two external evaluators leading to revisions, as necessary, will ensure 

highest quality of the developed materials, which will be freely accessible on the Certificate Program 

website. Continuous recruitment and promotion efforts, as well as institutional commitment, will 

guarantee long-term sustainability of the Certificate Program.
6

Calvin University

Opening Doors to the World: 

Improving Access Foreign Language Learning and International Studies

Project Director: Dr. F. Corey Roberts, fcr3@calvin.edu, 616-526-7583

Calvin University seeks to expand instruction in several foreign languages through online education, 

increase international studies through a new certificate program, and enhance study abroad programs 

with international internship or research opportunities.

This project is the outgrowth of sustained efforts at Calvin University to internationalize our curriculum 

and to enhance foreign language and culture learning opportunities for students across disciplines. In 

semester abroad programs, international off-campus courses during our January term, and summer 

work and study abroad opportunities, there is already infrastructure in place for a range of international 

experiences.

To expand instruction, we will increase the number of students who gain novel access to foreign 

language and culture study by developing and launching 14 online course sequences at the beginner or 

intermediate levels in Chinese, Dutch, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese and at the advanced level for 

French, German and Spanish. This meshes with goals already spelled out in our most recent strategic 

plan and thus will meet with broad interest and support from across the university.

To engage more students in global and international studies and learning about other cultures, we will 

create and offer a certificate in international studies. We will create a new identity and brand, the Calvin 

Academy for International Studies (CAIS), to launch and sustain this five- course (15-credit hour) 

certificate that will pair and leverage existing and new foreign language and culture courses offered oncampus and online.

Finally, we will develop the plan and begin the groundwork to enhance our Study Abroad Programs, with 

the goal of increasing students and broadening participation, especially among underserved and 

underrepresented populations such as community college students and bachelor’s-level professional 

and STEM students. The plan will leverage the new foreign language online offerings and international 

studies certificate program while building new opportunities to augment study abroad through an 

internship or research opportunity with international organizations or businesses. During the grant 

period, agreements will be developed with international organizations (business and nonprofit) and a 

small number of internships will be piloted with select students. This plan will lay the groundwork for 

additional university progress.
7

Clemson University 

Engineering Language 

The proposed project builds upon ongoing efforts at Clemson University to establish an interdisciplinary 

curriculum to produce engineers who are both proficient in foreign language and culturally adaptable in 

a global workplace.

In alignment with the institution’s Clemson Forward strategic plan, faculty in Engineering and Modern 

Languages have collaborated to create new programming that integrates global learning into the 

curriculum. The pilot program will be a Mechanical Engineering (ME)+German degree. Key components 

of this novel degree will include: 1) a technical foreign language course and two Math courses taught at 

Clemson University in German; and 2) both a semester abroad and an internship in an international, 

German-speaking context. To better prepare students for their work abroad, the technical German and 

Math courses will feature International Virtual Exchange (IVE) components that will enhance students’ 

language proficiency, cultural awareness, and intercultural communication competency.

In Year 1, the grant team will implement the curriculum for the ME German program, validating modules 

for International Virtual Exchange (IVE) for the technical German and Math courses, as well as growing 

the program’s network of industry partners and student internship opportunities. In Year 2, the team 

will conduct training workshops for faculty and staff to expand the program beyond ME and German, 

starting with the less-commonly taught languages of Chinese and Japanese. Lastly, comprehensive 

evaluation and assessment will be conducted to improve and inform future iterations of Engineering 

Language programming.

CU is submitting this proposal under Competitive Preference #2.
8

Coastal Carolina University

Building Collaborative Area Studies through an Interdisciplinary Language Resource Center

Project Director: Dr. Gary Schmidt (phone: 843-349-2741; e-mail: gschmidt@coastal.edu) 

The proposed Interdisciplinary Language Resource Center (ILRC) will create and maintain opportunities 

for students to actively apply language skills to other areas of study in concrete, real-world tasks directly 

relevant to their future careers. The ILRC will foster active interdisciplinary engagement by bringing 

together students and faculty from the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies and other 

disciplines, including but not limited to Political Science, Intelligence and National Security Studies, 

History, and English.

The ILRC will accumulate, maintain, and disseminate resources related to language learning and area 

studies that will assist students and faculty in engaging in curricular and co- curricular learning activities, 

including collaborative interdisciplinary courses and projects that allow students to apply language 

proficiency directly to the study of other disciplines central to area studies. Hardware and software will 

promote students’ acquisition and application of advanced proficiency, and the center director will 

serve as a mentor for students and faculty in utilization of the resources for individual study and 

collaborative projects. The center will include a computer lab that can be reserved for class use, an 

office for the director, a common area equipped with technology where events can be held, a collection 

of media and software related to language learning and language acquisition available to both faculty 

and students, as well as subscriptions licenses for foreign media and news sources.

Examples of activities to be scheduled in the event space include discussions of contemporary 

international events, international news viewings, language conversation groups, student club meeting, 

film screenings, reading groups, lectures, and telecollaborations with foreign partners. The ILRC Director 

will advise all area studies minors, identify and collect language learning resources, facilitate 

interdisciplinary collaborations, and coordinate student advising in the following areas: study abroad 

opportunities; applications for Critical Language Scholarships, Boren Awards, and other opportunities; 

results of Stamp4s language proficiency assessments and identification of resources available for 

improvement of language skills. The director will also coordinate programming, collaborating with 

faculty to identify opportunities for webinars, guest speakers, and professional development activities 

(including grants, workshops, and conferences).

Project goals are as follows: 1. Increase number of CCU students enrolled in international area studies 

minors; 2. increase number of CCU students who complete at least four semesters of study of a critical 

language (Arabic, Chinese, or Russian); 3. increase numbers of applications and awards for major 

scholarship such as the Critical Language Scholarship, Boren Awards, Gilman Scholarships, and Fulbright 

Language Teaching Assistantships. 4. Increase number of interdisciplinary courses that include both a 

modern foreign language and international area studies component; 5. Increase the number of CCU 

graduates with demonstrable advanced proficiency in at least two skill areas (reading, writing, listening, 

and speaking) in a modern foreign language as measured by the Stamp4s exam.
9

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University

Global Health Minor

Project Director: Ellen Block, assistant professor (associate professor as of Fall 2020) of Sociology, 

(320) 363-3193, eblock@csbsju.edu

College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University (hereafter “CSB/SJU”) proposes a new 

interdisciplinary global health minor that will strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in 

international studies and foreign languages by providing international and transnational perspectives on 

issues pertaining to healthcare practice, advocacy, and policy using a liberal arts approach. UISFL funding 

will support initial development of the minor, which will significantly strengthen CSB/SJU’s foreign 

language programs, area studies programs, and pre- professional programs in health-related fields. The 

proposed project will include (1) revision of two existing courses that will serve as the two required 

interdisciplinary courses for the minor; (2) creation of three new elective courses for the minor; (3) 

strengthened institutional partnerships with organizations and institutions in South Africa and 

Minnesota; (4) faculty professional development around teaching global health; (5) enhanced study 

abroad opportunities in South Africa that include health-related experiential learning opportunities and 

foreign language study; and (6) new Minnesota-based health-related experiential learning opportunities 

for students with advanced Spanish language proficiency.

The overall goal of the proposed project is to develop and implement a new minor in global health that 

(1) meets student interests in social-scientific and humanistic approaches to global health issues; (2) 

offers an in-depth exploration of the economic, political, and social factors that impact health care 

globally; and (3) better prepares students for graduate school or health-related careers with culturally 

diverse populations both locally and globally. CSB/SJU has established the following objectives to meet 

this goal:

1. Develop a global health minor curriculum that will increase students’ global and cultural 

competency and foreign language proficiency, especially among students who graduate with 

degrees in health-related fields including pre-professional programs in medicine, physician 

assistant, physical therapy, and other fields.

2. Enhance the interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise of CSB/SJU faculty in global health and 

best practices in advising students in global health.

3. Strengthen existing partnerships and establish new partnerships with domestic and 

international organizations and institutions where students can pursue further language training 

and gain ethically grounded, relevant field experience in global health.

Anthropologist Ellen Block will serve as project director, and the project will be carried out by an eightperson Global Health Steering Committee that includes Block, Barb May (Department of Academic 

Affairs), Karlyn Forner (Department of Academic Affairs), Jeffrey Anderson (peace studies), Brittany 

Merritt (history), Roy Ketchum (Hispanic studies), Manuel Campos (biology), and Kevin Clancy (Center 

for Global Education). Libby Smith of University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Applied Research Center will serve 

as the project’s external evaluator.
10

Cornell University and Monroe Community College

Creating an Africa Nexus: Building Networks at Home and Abroad to 

Strengthen Undergraduate African Studies and Languages

Institute for African Development, Cornell University in Consortial Partnership with Monroe Community 

College, Muna Ndulo, Principal Investigator 190A Uris Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853 Mbn5@cornell.edu; tel. 

607-255-930

The Institute for African Development (IAD) at Cornell University is applying for a UISFL consortial grant 

with Monroe Community College (MCC) to strengthen African studies and languages at Cornell and 

Community College (CC) partners through the creations of new meaningful, effective, and sustainable

learning opportunitiesfor undergraduates on campus as well as in Africa. The focus is on establishing 

cohesive and multi-layered Cornell “hubs” in Zambia and Ghana serving as anchors for broader

programming throughout the region, creating a network of African-based alumni mentors offering 

research and internship opportunities to students of diverse disciplines, as well as on offering new 

innovative on-campus language and cultural pre- departure courses and reflection seminars. The 

initiative includes:

• Develop and support two new opportunities for undergraduate students to take faculty-led 

study abroad courses that provide innovative learning opportunities in Zambia and Ghana

• Build and enhance strategic partnerships with IAD Alumni fellows and institutions in Africa

• Provide and support new opportunities for undergraduate students in humanities, social 

sciences, and sciences fields to work in summer internships or conduct honors thesis 

research in Africa

• Create innovative African language and culture courses particularly for science students 

who may not otherwise study a foreign language

• Create conversation hours for African languages offered in an informal, low-pressure 

atmosphere

• Recognize undergraduates for their achievements and provide them an opportunity for 

reflection after their experiences in Africa

• Engage undergraduate students in discussion and awareness of current events and issues 

and facilitate collaborative programming with regional Minority Serving Institution

(MSI)/CCs

• Increase African studies content at regional MSI/CC partners.

Over 400 IAD Alumni Fellows are working across Africa in a wide range of disciplines. Building on existing 

partnerships and collaborations, the initiative seeks to create an African Nexus including a new Alumni 

Mentor Network in Africa as well as a network of African scholars on campus and regional MSI/CCs 

partners. In doing so it seeks to increase enrollments of undergraduate students in on-campus African 

studies and language classes particularly from the STEM fields. It also seeks to increase the number of 

undergraduate students with experiential learning in Africa, and, more broadly, generate greater 

interest in the study of Africa.
11

Governors State University

Making Spanish and Global Studies Accessible to All

Project Co-Directors: 

Novia Pagone, npagone@govst.edu, 708-235-7435 

Jelena Radovic-Fanta, jradovic-fanta@govst.edu, 708-235-3987

The College of Arts and Sciences (the College) at Governors State University (GSU) is applying for a grant 

under the Department of Education’s Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language 

Program (UISFL) to develop off-campus study and curricular, co- and extra- curricular opportunities to 

expand its existing programs in Spanish and Global Studies. Both Spanish and Global Studies support 

GSU’s mission to offer “an exceptional and accessible education that prepares students with the 

knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed in a global society.” In Fall of 2019, the average age of our 

undergraduate population (3,136) was 27 years old and included 63.3% women, 59.8% students of 

color, 49.1% Pell Grant recipients, 39.8% first-generation college students, and 62% military-connected

students. Our main challenge at GSU is offering meaningful opportunities to connect with the global 

public square that also are accessible to our undergraduate student population. The vast majority of 

GSU students come from economically under-resourced backgrounds, with many balancing study, work, 

and family responsibilities. This means they have few resources available to participate in activities 

outside the classroom that will provide skills, knowledge, and experience to be competitive in the 

employment marketplace and in graduate programs. As a minority-serving public regional institution, 

GSU and its faculty are committed to offering a rich curriculum that prepares our students for success 

after graduation.

Building on the early success of our Spanish and Global Studies minors, a UISFL grant will contribute to 

our ability to make off-campus study accessible to students, to enrich our Spanish for the Professions 

courses, and to further infuse global programming into campus life. Our proposed project will contribute 

to the College’s capacity to:

1. Create a new Global Studies course—Afro-Latino Cultures of Latin America—with a builtin study abroad component.

2. Develop open access materials for our Spanish for Professions courses – Spanish for 

Business Professions and Spanish for Health Professions.

3. Support current Spanish faculty in becoming certified to conduct the ACTFL (American 

Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Oral Proficiency Interview in order to provide 

official proficiency level credentials to students minoring in Spanish upon graduation and 

the ability to evaluate students’ language proficiency for placement in language courses and 

for Prior Learning Assessment credit.

4. Establish a language resource archive containing digital and physical materials (books, DVDs, 

streaming films, software) for use by students, community members, faculty, and staff; and

5. Expand existing series of cultural events, including the “Making Global a Local Concern” 

on-campus film festival, Voices of Spring bilingual visiting poet, speaker series, and visits 

to the National Museum of Mexican Art, Pilsen mural tour, Chicago Latin American Film 

Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.
12

Illinois College

Integrating Caribbean Culture, Language, and Ecology into the Curriculum

Project Director Contact Information: Dr. Devin Bryson, Associate Professor of Modern Languages—

French; Illinois College, 1101 W. College Ave., Jacksonville, IL 62650.

Illinois College (IC), the first college to award degrees in Illinois, is a top- ranked, private, four-year 

institution. The college is in Jacksonville, Illinois, a community of 18,749 (U.S. Census, 2018). Students 

can choose from 32 academic majors leading to Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees. Student 

participation in international experiences is high. Thirty-six percent (36%) of the Class of 2019 

participated in aninternational experience. Since 2016, Illinois College has had five Fulbright Scholars, a 

strong achievement for a small institution.

The proposed “Integrating Caribbean Culture, Language, and Ecology into the Curriculum” project 

(ICCLEC), will provide critical resources to expand Illinois College’s institutional relationships within the 

Caribbean region, a major and exemplary focus of the college’s global education work; engage faculty 

across the curriculum in incorporating Caribbean Studies into their course content while expanding their 

own intercultural competency; and expand language learning and hands-on, multilingual, group study 

abroad experiences for Illinois College students.

Specific Objectives: The project will be guided by the following five objectives that relate to the UISFL 

program purpose of planning, developing, and carrying out projects to strengthen and improve 

undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign languages in the United States.

1) Develop and implement a Caribbean Studies concentration in the Global StudiesDepartment 

that is focused on the cultural and social contexts of ecological issues in theCaribbean.

2) Improve the teaching of Global Studies at the undergraduate level through a faculty training 

framework designed to support the research and development of Caribbean Studiesteaching 

materials and to increase the overall intercultural competency of IC faculty.

3) Expand and enhance course offerings in the Global Studies Department and in coursesacross 

the curriculum to increase undergraduate students’ intercultural competence and language 

proficiency.

4) Increase the number of undergraduate students participating in international andintercultural 

experiential learning activities related to Caribbean Studies.

5) Build the long-term capacity and effectiveness of existing international partnershipswithin the 

Caribbean and develop opportunities for new or enhanced partnerships.
13

Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and 

Ivy Technical Community College

Building Global Learning Foundations: 

Developing Global Engagement Pathways for Freshman and Transfer Students

PROJECT CO-DIRECTORS: 

Dr. Hilary Kahn, (Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs and Associate Professor, IUPUI, 

hkahn@iu.edu) 

Dr. Russell Baker (Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ivy Tech, rbaker80@ivytech.edu)

Project introduces freshmen and transfer students to global skills and competencies by buildingGlobal

Learning Foundations at both institutions. These global learning foundations will allow first-year students 

to encounter and successfully navigate four global engagement pathways (international studies, world 

languages, global career, and study abroad pathways) to help them achieve the necessary international, 

intercultural, and multilingual skills for academic and career success. The global foundations will be 

created by 1) integrating high-impact global practicesin the first-year curriculum and transferstudent

transition orientation, including in world language courses, 2) providing high-quality and sustained 

professional development to faculty, and 3) training academic and career advisors about the benefits of a

global skillset. The goal is to provide equitable access to global learning for all, particularly to those who 

may not have traditionally had access to global learning, such as transfer and underrepresented minority

students.

The potential impact of transforming the first-year experiences of both campuses is monumental. In 

addition to deliberately internationalizing 20 one-week preparatory freshman Bridge Programs and 20 

First-Year Seminars (FYS) annually by the end of the grant, IUPUI will also be introducing students to 

global learning across all sections of IUPUI’s 160 FYS by integrating a module about the importance of 

global skills and the resources available to IUPUI students to achieve them. Ivy Tech will also introduce 

global learning into its statewide IVYT first-year seminar. First-year language courses in Arabic, Chinese, 

Japanese, and Spanish will be enhanced through the integration of high-impact practices, with the goal of

creatingmore engaging learning environments as well as pathways to intermediate and advanced 

language learning. Lastly, the project will introduce global pathways into the IUPUI Transition Student 

Experience. With academic and career advisors at both institutions also being trained to lead students 

toward global engagement pathways, the grant will have a wide and long-term impact.

Three annual professional development workshops will prepare faculty and staff from IUPUI and Ivy 

Tech, and curricular and collaborative connections between the two institutions will be fostered to 

facilitate this project. Further, a Transition Scholarship will be made available for studentstransferring

from Ivy Tech to IUPUIto study abroad.
14

Johnson County Community College

Expanding Global Awareness through STEM Curriculum and Study Abroad

Project Director: 

Dr. Tom Patterson, Director of International Education

12345 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS 66210

tpatte12@jccc.edu

913-469-8500, ext. 3496

Johnson County Community College (JCCC) requests funding through the Department of Education’s 

Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language grant program to support infusing 

international education, expanding study abroad opportunities, and enhancing Japanese Language 

acquisition for its students. The proposed project will integrate international education across STEM 

education. The project will recruit 16 faculty from Math and Physical/Life Sciences, as well as Industrial 

Technology (Welding, Engineering, and Construction Management) and Computer Science/Information 

Technology. These faculty will participate in professional development on how to globalize their courses 

and travel abroad to support their effort. These faculty will create modules to bring international 

content into their courses.

Additionally, the project will include the development of three new study abroad programs focusing on 

STEM topics. These include exploring the Netherland’s technological advancement in flood mitigation 

and manufacturing, Sweden’s historical contributions to chemistry and biology, and medicine, space 

exploration, and architecture in India.

Finally, the project will enhance Japanese language instruction for students. The project outcomes will 

include the development and piloting of a new one-credit hour Japanese course for true beginners. This 

course may serve as a prerequisite for students to participate in a new study abroad program to Tokyo, 

Japan. This study abroad trip will have students attend Genki, a Japanese language school, and visit 

Video Game and Web Development companies in Tokyo.
15

LaGuardia Community College

Redesigning Foreign Language Instruction and Forging Overseas Institutional Partnerships

Project Director: Dr. Arthur Lau; (718) 482-5626; alau@lagcc.cuny.edu

Few cities have experienced the level of migration flows, cross border experiences, and manifestation of 

global heritage more than the borough of Queens in New York City. Queens boasts a population of 2 

million, the majority of who are either foreign-born, children of immigrants, or second-generation 

immigrants.

Representing a diverse linguistic and cultural heritage that is embedded within the fabric of local life, 

Queens is considered by many to be the epitome of ethnographic pluralism in the United States.

Located in Long Island City in Queens, LaGuardia Community College has educated students for over 50 

years. While its mission to provide equitable education to economically underprivileged and 

academically underprepared students remains unchanged, the demographics of the student body has 

seen substantial shifts. For example, an increasing number of students from South and Southeast Asia 

are observed on campus today, replacing students from Southern and Eastern Europe who made up a 

large proportion of students just a few decades ago. Changes are observed even among Latino students, 

who now constitute 50% of the student body, with an increasing representation of students of 

Dominican, Mexican, and Ecuadorian descent.

An overarching theme of the proposed project is to modernize our modern language and international 

studies curricula while building international partnerships on both classroom (pedagogical) and 

institutional levels to better serve our students. LaGuardia Community College seeks Title VI UISFL 

funding to pursue four independent yet interconnected objectives to accomplish this goal:

Project Objectives

Goal 1: (Curriculum development in LCTLs) Provide professional development for faculty in Less Commonly 

Taught Languages (LCTLs), including (modified) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI or mOPI) certificate training. 

Recruit heritage students in such LCTLs as Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Bengali, Nepali, Russian, 

Tibetan, Urdu/Hindi, Uzbek, and Haitian Creole in collaboration with local ethnic-based

organizations. Develop a new two-year sequence in some LCTLs (Bengali and Urdu/Hindi).

Goal 2: (Formalized Overseas Institutional Partnership) Establish an overseas institutional partnership that 

has an analogous International Studies/LA Program through a formalized agreement. This partnership may 

take the form of a dual degree, awarded to students by higher education institutions in both countries, and 

an extension certificate, awarded to students based on a specific course sequence/course completion in 

either one of the partner institutions.

Goal 3: (Collaborative Online International Learning) Introduce Collaborative Online International 

Learning (COIL) to targeted International Studies and Modern Language courses. Provide professional 

development training to two faculty cohorts and subsequently implement COIL modules in their courses.

COIL is an experiential, accessible and sustainable form of global learning pedagogy whereby 

students residing in different countries collaborate on course projects using a variety of virtual 

platforms.
16

Goal 4: (Co-curricular Program Design) Design and implement co-curricular and experiential international 

programming to promote the above-mentioned project goals. The co-curricular projects include but are not 

limited to Model UN, COIL showcases, and workshops for Gilman and CLS study abroad scholarships. 

Partner with local, external agencies to recruit 1.5 and 2nd generations in the local ethnic communities to 

college-level education.

Since its founding in 1971, LaGuardia has served the highly diverse low-income immigrant communities 

residing in Queens and New York City. LaGuardia students represent 153 different countries of origin 

and over 100 home/heritage languages. Ethnically, 85% of our 20,000-degree students are of Hispanic, 

Asian, or Black descent, with Hispanics comprising the largest group at 43%. 
17

Long Island University – Brooklyn

"Words Matter! Building Innovative Professional Diplomacy through Diplomatic Communication 

and Language Skills"

Project Director: Dalia F Fahmy, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, Long Island University –

Brooklyn

Long Island University – Brooklyn, a Title III-eligible campus characterized by a low-income, highly 

diverse and recent immigrant student population, proposes an innovative curriculum (“Words Matter”) 

to enhance the Five Core Foundation courses and 28 core curriculum courses with 5 UN critical 

languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish). This new approach will support the growth of 

LIU’s recently created International Relations & Diplomacy (IR/D) Major, lead to a Certification in 

“Diplomacy of UN Languages” for students, and result in a UN- Diplomacy Curriculum Guide to assist 

other universities promote active understanding of the central role languages play in IR/D.

The goal of “Words Matter” is the development of an interdisciplinary International Relations program 

with a foreign language component focusing on diplomatic language skills. The Objectives are threefold: 

a) Strengthen the IR/D Curriculum through New Course Development. 

b) Expand foreign language offerings at LIU to include language professionalization in the official 

languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish) and 

c) Provide enhanced qualifications (Training) in foreign languages and diplomatic fluency for 

faculty in IR and ten faculty across the college to infuse within non-language courses.

The Curricular approach includes a. Critical [UN official] language infusion (Symbolism, Etymology and 

Phraseology, and Communications theory), b. Building an interdisciplinary community of practice, and c. 

Training. By example, Dr. Fahmy (PI), then at Rutgers, wanted to expose students to language and the 

“power of slogans” that students were seeing emerge out of Tahrir Square in a way for them to 

understand the history. To that end, Dr. Fahmy incorporated three language labs into the semester. 

These labs were a break from the non-language based instruction and during three 85-minute sessions 

students were exposed to: 1) the history of the Arabic alphabet and script through maps and movement 

of language throughout time 2) the concept of 3-letter root words in Arabic and how their derivatives 

create cluster meaning (e.g., freedom and democracy have the same root) 3) lost in translation, how 

core elements slogans and statements are lost when translation is used.

The project will take a similar approach with the formalization of the training and curriculum achieved 

through an expert Advisory Board/Training Experts from the Middlebury Institute of International 

Studies who will work with faculty at LIU. An experienced evaluator joins this effort, and the support of 

the institution is clear and substantive.
18

Maryville College 

Global+: Global Competencies Across the Curriculum

Project Director: Dr. Lori Schmied, chair of the International Programming Committee, professor of 

psychology, coordinator of neurosciences, Sutton Science Center 127 Maryville College, 502 E. Lamar 

Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN, 37804; Phone: (865) 981-8162; Email: 

lori.schmied@maryvillecollege.edu

The project goal is to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies (IS) and 

foreign language (with an emphasis on Spanish) at Maryville College (MC) by increasing 

global/intercultural competencies across the curriculum. We will develop the Global+ program (Global+ 

is shorthand for infusing global competencies), to: (1) strengthen and expand the curriculum in 

international studies and foreign languages through integration with other disciplines, (2) develop and 

enhance global competencies among faculty and their ability to develop integrated courses (Total=80), 

and (3) engage students in acquisition of global competencies (Total=250/year). Activities will include: 

(1) create a Global+ program (G+) with faculty coordinators and affiliated faculty and staff that will 

integrate functions of the existing programs and serve as the campus hub for promoting global 

competencies across the curriculum and co-curriculum; (2) redesign IS and Spanish majors to include a 

revised INT 201 introductory course and the INT 401 capstone course, easier integration with core 

curriculum and other majors, and development of applied language options such as courses in 

translation/interpretation and Spanish for business; (3) create the Certificate Program in Global 

Competency that allows students from any major to achieve global fluency while pursuing their chosen 

field. It can be earned within the IS major but does not require students to choose that major track. The 

Certificate will include coursework, study abroad, and co-curricular activities designed to increase global 

competencies in cross-cultural and language fluency; (4) develop G+ courses: create at least one 

language plus course and one IS plus course each year. Examples of these integrated courses that couple 

advanced language training or international studies with other disciplinary course content include 

Spanish + business; Spanish + criminal justice; and incorporate travel-study programs, such as global 

child welfare (international studies + psychology); (5) develop a specific travel-study program in Costa 

Rica that adheres to G+ program principles (either IS+ or Lang+) as a 6-week residential program, 

building upon current study abroad partnerships during the summer led by MC faculty using partnership 

arrangements in-country; (6) use mini-grants to incentivize faculty members to develop G+ program 

courses (to create new courses or revise existing ones - 10/yr.) to incorporate student learning goals and 

support activities to enhance global competencies; (7) conduct one faculty workshop in Year 1 on global 

competencies and strategies to embed them in courses. In Year 2, the workshop will be replaced by an 

embedded session at the annual faculty retreat. A culminating G+ summit of faculty and staff who have 

participated will occur at the end of the grant period. (8) Students will develop global competencies by 

enrolling in G+ program courses. Specific engagement activities targeting students will also add depth to 

their skills, knowledge, and attitudes, and promote interaction with diverse populations. Direct support 

for students studying or interning abroad will take the form of individual scholarships to reduce the 

financial burden, especially among groups traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs. 

Competitive Preference Priority# 2 is requested.
19

Massasoit Community College

The MAGGIE Project: Massasoit Goes Global: Internationalizing Education

Project Director: Dr. Sawsan Zahara E-mail: szahara@massasoit.mass.edu Telephone: 508-588-9100

Massasoit Community College, an inner-city community college that serves a highly diverse low-income 

student population, is committed to preparing its students for membership in a global society. The 

proposed MAGGIE Project will result in the development of a new Global Studies Certificate credential, 

30 new or enhanced courses, and Study Abroad programs to two destinations with Less Commonly 

Taught Languages.

The MAGGIE Project has two strategic objectives that support the improvement and expansion of 

international studies and foreign languages:

1. Globalize curriculum across disciplines and introduce one interdisciplinary Global Studies 

certificate to enhance professional and pre-professional degrees.

2. Increase institutional capacity to offer study abroad programs by adding two credit- bearing, 

inter-disciplinary courses that incorporate travel to countries with less commonly taught

languages.

To achieve these objectives, the college will provide training in curriculum globalization for faculty in 

disciplines across the college. To ensure that students in any professional or pre- professional major can 

select from an adequate number of elective courses to earn a Global Studies certificate on their way to 

an associate degree, faculty from across disciplines will develop or substantially revise 30 courses to 

qualify as Global Studies electives. The inclusion of foreign language as a requirement of the Global 

Studies certificate and a component of the study abroad course will help to increase enrollment in 

foreign language courses. To ensure that our diverse students can access and benefit from a full 

complement of international experiences, Massasoit will build on an existing co-curricular study abroad 

framework to design a template so that faculty from any discipline can contribute to the design a multidisciplinary, module-based Study Abroad seminar that will enhance the Global Studies certificate and 

that can be paired with any college degree program.
20

Montana State University Billings and Northwest College

Global Skills Certificate Program and International Studies Minor 

Project Director: 

Dr. Paul M. Foster

paul.foster4@msubillings.edu

(406) 247-5785

Montana State University Billings and Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming are seeking funds to 

increase opportunities for undergraduate students to grow their global skills by: 1) accessing a new 

interdisciplinary focusing on East Asian studies and 2) increasing faculty expertise in Global Skills 

learning outcomes and East Asian studies in service of these programs. There are 7 main objectives of 

this project: 1) increase faculty expertise in global studies and East Asia; 2) create new and revise 

existing MSUB and NWC courses with focus on global studies and East Asia; 3) develop and implement 

an interdisciplinary Global Studies Certificate Program; 4) increase participation in Study Abroad 

Programs in Korea, Japan, and China; 5) develop language programs in less commonly taught languages 

(Chinese, Japanese, Korean); 6) develop a bi-annual Global Studies Seminar; and 7) form a Global Studies 

Advisory Committee.

This proposal addresses all three program priorities: 1) Competitive Preference Priority 1 (application 

from a consortium of higher education institutions including community colleges). 2) Competitive 

Preference Priority 2 (requirement that graduating students in the program to earn two years of postsecondary credit in a foreign language). In addition, the project will create a new track in an existing 

International Studies Minor program to focus on one world area (East Asia) and include training in Less 

Commonly Taught Languages, thus addressing the Invitational Priority of the Program. The objectives of 

the project are to strengthen and improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and 

foreign languages at both institutions. Grant funds will be used to revise and update curricula, develop 

faculty expertise and add language instruction at both institutions. Some funds, less than 10% of the 

total budget, will support student study abroad in East Asia.

The MSU Billings UISFL project will greatly enhance faculty expertise in international studies and East 

Asia in Montana and Wyoming. 27 faculty will receive funds to revise curricula and to travel to East 

Asian partner universities. Over 6,000 undergraduate students in a largely under- represented area will 

have full access to the activities and outcomes of the project (Global Studies Certificate, International 

Studies Minor – East Asia Track, Study Abroad, language instruction), thereby increasing their career 

prospects, especially in relation to service in areas of national need. MSUB and NWC have developed 

considerable strengths in International Studies and have fully staffed professional offices to support 

campus internationalization. East Asia is the most important trading partner with Montana/Wyoming 

and the source of much investment resources in the region. MSUB has existing, active partnerships with 

three universities in East Asia (Beijing, China; Kumamoto, Japan; Chuncheon, Korea) who support this 

project. The bi- annual Global Studies Seminars will bring together national experts in East Asian studies 

and consortial partner students, faculty, and community members. A Project Advisory Committee will 

provide faculty and administrative oversight.
21

Pacific University 

Global Scholars Program

Project Director: Erica Andree, Center for Language, and Int’l Collaboration; 2043 College Way, Forest 

Grove, OR 97116; andr5108@pacificu.edu; 503-352-1607

The Global Scholars Program at Pacific University is an emerging effort to internationalize the 

undergraduate curriculum and to expand and diversify study abroad so that every student has equitable 

access to the benefits of global learning. Serving the global community is an important element of 

Pacific University’s mission. We seek to educate students to become global leaders who think, care, and 

pursue justice in our world. In keeping with Pacific’s mission, we seek to expand opportunities beyond 

our current undergraduate degree requirements--4 credits of foreign language and 2 credits of 

coursework with the International and Diverse Perspectives (IDP) designation. By comparison, students

participating in the four-year Global Scholars pathway, will take a deep, multidisciplinary dive into global 

learning across their core curriculum. The Global Scholars Program will offer students majoring in any 

discipline a pathway to internationalize their education by completing their core coursework with IDPdesignated courses, participating in study or internship abroad, and integrating their global experience 

through an internationally focused senior capstone project. Moreover, the Global Scholars program 

adds minimal credits for students and minimal costs to the university.

With $199,688 in funding support from the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language 

program, we propose to develop three aspects of the Global Scholars Program: (1) to establish the firstyear global learning curriculum which consists of a Global Scholar First Year Seminar and companion 

Global Explorations faculty-led travel course, with an equity-informed focus on early, scaffolded 

exposure to global learning, (2) to expand the selection of International and Diverse Perspectives 

courses across the undergraduate core curriculum, and (3) develop equitable opportunities for diverse 

students to apply their global education through study or internship abroad. The proposed first-year 

seminar will prepare students to study abroad by providing internationally focused course content 

aligned with U.S. foreign policy goals as well as intercultural and logistical preparation for the 

subsequent winter-term Global Explorations travel course. Early, scaffolded international experience in 

the first year will provide a globalizing framework for students’ subsequent pathway toward an 

internationalized Global Scholars core curriculum. This will concurrently build students’ capacity to 

participate in future study and internship abroad opportunities.

Pacific University is a small, liberal arts college in rural Oregon, and a designated Asian American Native 

American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). About 80% of our roughly1800 undergraduates 

qualify for needs-based financial aid and about 30% receive federal Pell grants. Nearly 50% of Pacific 

students identify as non-white or multi-ethnic. Thanks to their multi-cultural backgrounds, many of our 

students already practice intercultural skills such as code- switching or bilingualism. Meanwhile, these 

same diverse students tend to be underrepresented in global learning. We recognize an opportunity to 

increase equitable access to the benefits of global learning by identifying and valuing students for their 

intercultural strengths and recruiting them to participate in the Global Scholars Program.

The resulting Global Scholars will be globally informed graduates who are prepared to think, care, and 

pursue justice in the world. This equity-informed, multidisciplinary approach to global learning may 

serve as an example to other small liberal arts colleges seeking to internationalize the curriculum and 

improve global learning outcomes for all students.
22

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Improving Cross-Cultural Communication Between Patients and HumanServices Professionals

Project Director:

Natalia Santamaria Laorden, Ph.D. 

Associate Professor of Spanish 

Ramapo College of New Jersey 

201-684-7426

nsantama@ramapo.edu

The purpose of this UISFL request is to enhance key components of a new Certificate in Spanish for 

Health Care and Human Services Professionals at Ramapo College of New Jersey, launched in 2018. The 

project we propose will create three new courses for the certificate (on narrative medicine, on 

interpretation, and a bridge course in Spanish language for health care), a study abroad and internship 

course with aphasia centers in the US and Spain, and by holding a symposium on narrative medicine.

Given the success of enrollment in our certificate we will continue efforts to address the specific 

communication gaps that occur between Spanish speaking patients and non- Spanish health care 

providers by implementing a course on interpretation for psychologists and social workers and creating 

a low intermediate course on Spanish for Health Care to help students bridge the proficiency gap 

required of the certificate. We will work with anthropology, biology, social work and psychology faculty 

to create the new course on narrative medicine that will address the need of less-taught languages and 

cultures in the medical field and expose the difficulties in communication between patients and health 

care providers in cross-cultural contexts. The course will be delivered in English but will introduce a 

component of digital storytelling in public health, open to different languages and cultures.

We will create a study abroad program built on Ramapo students’ internships at local aphasia centers 

that raised the interest of national organizations to acquire linguistic proficiency and cultural 

competence to meet the needs of their bilingual members.

A symposium on narrative medicine will allow us to meet with colleagues and share best practices.

Following the 2018 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report 

entitled “The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in Higher 

Education”, professor Rita Charon and lessons learned from world language theories, like Saphir-Whorf, 

our projects aims “to improve healthcare by increasing the accuracy and scope of clinicians’ knowledge 

of their patients and deepening the therapeutic partnerships they are able to form.”
23

Rowan University and Rowan College at Burlington County

Global Security and International Studies

PROJECT DIRECTORS

Dr. Lawrence P. Markowitz 

Professor of Political Science

Chair, Department of Political Science & 

Economics

317 Robinson Hall, 201 Mullica Hill Road 

Rowan University

Glassboro, New Jersey 08028 USA Office Tel: 

856-256-4889

Email: markowitzL@rowan.edu

Dr. Kelly M. Duke Bryant

Associate Professor, Department of History 

Coordinator, International Studies and Area 

Studies

Rowan University 201 Mullica Hill Road Glassboro, 

NJ 08028

856-256-4500; 53972

Email: duke-bryant@rowan.edu

The Rowan University and Rowan College at Burlington County (RU-RCBC) Consortium is seeking a threeyear UISFL grant for a project that integrates a targeted study of global health threats, environmental 

dangers, and emergency response into its International Studies Program. As global security becomes 

increasingly complex, institutions of higher education are called upon to provide a mix of language 

training, regional knowledge, and specialized technical expertise. Through interdisciplinary programming 

in global security that focuses on health, environment and emergency response, coupled with 

strengthening foreign language training and building international studies, this project will enable RURCBC to become a leading undergraduate center in global security for years to come. Rowan University 

(RU), a public university in southern New Jersey established in 1923, has undergone several recent 

transformations enabling it to become a Carnegie-ranked, comprehensive public research institution 

that remains committed to undergraduate education with its consortia partners. Rowan College at 

Burlington County (RCBC), a public two-year university established in 1966, has become a leading 

community college in southern New Jersey, developing innovative partnerships and degrees that enable 

its graduates (many of whom go on to study at RU) to succeed across the region. Building on faculty 

strengths in international studies and global security, strong student demand for language courses and 

international programs, and extensive support for Rowan University’s International Studies Program, a 

UISFL grant will enable the RU-RCBC Consortium to develop a set of integrated, dynamic undergraduate 

programs that enables its students to meet 21st century global security challenges.
24

Sinclair Community College

Growing Asian Language and Global Learning Opportunities

Dr. Derek Petrey, Project Co-Director

Assistant Director of Center for Teaching and Learning, Director of Global Studies Program 

derek.petrey@sinclair.edu | (937) 512-2092

Yufeng Wang, Project Co-Director

Lead Professor of Chinese, Professor of History yufeng.wang@sinclair.edu | (937) 512-2248

Dayton, OH

Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH) seeks a single-institution UISFL grant of $185,716 for the 

Growing Asian Language and Global Learning Opportunities project. Sinclair is an education and 

workforce training leader in the southwest Ohio region, with a full-time Fall 2019 enrollment of 18,797. 

The College recognizes the need to continually grow language and global programming to meet the 

needs of regional businesses and industries. Major employment sectors include manufacturing, 

information technology, and healthcare. These industries play a key role in the economy, and 

increasingly, they operate across national borders.

This UISFL project design, Growing Asian Language and Global Learning Opportunities, includes 

increasing faculty and institutional capacity to internationalize the curriculum, developing new foreign 

language courses and international studies curriculum, and launching intercultural programming that 

will be sustained beyond the grant period. This project aligns with Sinclair’s International Education 

Strategic Plan and the goals of the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program. 

Over the two-year project period, Sinclair will:

1. Launch an “Internationalizing the Curriculum” professional development 

track to train 24 faculty in developing international studies modules

2. Develop 10 university-parallel foreign language courses: Beginning and 

Intermediate Chinese and Japanese I and II, and Business Chinese I and II

3. Develop an 18-credit hour Business Chinese short-term certificate

4. Create new Asian Studies modules for dissemination in programs across 

multiple disciplines

5. Launch annual Immersion Fairs at Sinclair, bringing together Sinclair and K-12 

students, community based cultural organizations, and business and industry

partners

6. Develop two new short-term study abroad programs to China and Japan
25

University of Arizona

Central American Studies: Undergraduate Student Engagement in Human Security, 

Environment, Health and Migration

Marcela Vásquez-León, mvasquez@email.arizona.edu

The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) at the University of Arizona (U of Arizona) seeks funding 

from the U.S. Department of Education to create a program of activities and learning opportunities in 

support of a Central America Studies and Indigenous Language undergraduate certificate. Central 

America (CA) is at a critical moment. Compared to the 1980s, the region has achieved a measure of 

political stability, has become a strong economic partner of the US, and armed conflict in the region has 

declined. Despite the positive trends, about half of the population lives in poverty, and violence linked 

to crime and weak judicial systems is endemic. Poverty and violence drive out-migration, which tends to 

flow towards the US. As of 2017, there were more than 3.5 million Central Americans living in the US; 

the majority came after 2000.

The crisis in CA, framed in the US as both a national security concern and a humanitarian crisis, poses a 

serious threat to Hemispheric stability and impacts U.S. strategic foreign policy and economic interests. 

More than ever, it is in the national interest of the U.S.to expand its global educational outreach to 

teach its citizenry about CA. We propose to prepare undergraduate students and future professionals in

Central American culture and Indigenous languages, as well as to provide outreach programs to larger 

audiences, contributing to the promotion of international understanding and diplomacy and to the 

strengthening of democratic processes and poverty alleviation in CA. This is even more critical when 

considering that the U.S. has largest Central American population outside of CA. Also, at a regional level, 

Southern Arizona and the American Southwest have directly faced the impact of the Central American 

migration. For instance, in the past year, more than 20,000 asylum seekers, mostly Central American 

families, have passed through migrant shelters in Tucson after release by immigration authorities. At 

least half of those migrating from Guatemala are Indigenous and speak little or no Spanish, Language 

diversity is not only critical to understanding the region, but within the U.S., Mayan languages are 

among the top languages requested at US immigration courts.

The proposed program aims to achieve the following:1. Create a new interdisciplinary Central American 

Studies Certificate open to students from across campus, which includes pathway programs for students 

transferring from Arizona Community Colleges. 2. Enhance Mayan Languages Training and increase 

student enrollment, with a focus on online curriculum development, cultural competence, and 

specialized language courses. 3. Increase International Engagement Opportunities for undergraduates 

by expanding existing study abroad programs; community-based research and internship opportunities 

in CA. 4. Promote a greater understanding of Central American cultures and Indigenous languages via 

campus and community outreach through the establishment of the UA Central American Scholars 

Network; free/public events on CA (lectures and cultural events); K-16 professional development 

workshops; and more. The U of Arizona is particularly well suited to develop a strong Central America 

Studies Program. start a critical languages program.
26

University of Colorado Boulder, 

Tibetan and Himalayan Studies

Creating a Certificate Program in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies 

Tim Oakes, Project Director 

toakes@colorado.edu

Danielle Rocheleau Salaz, Co-Director

salaz@colorado.edu

303-735-5312

CU Boulder is one of the world’s centers of excellence in research on Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. 

This excellence is recognized in terms of the quality of research faculty; strength of graduate research in 

Tibetan and Nepali studies in cognate departments of Anthropology, Geography, and Religious Studies; 

and in the university’s support for the Tibet Himalaya Initiative, a multidisciplinary hub for research, 

teaching, and public engagement on Tibet and the greater Himalaya region which is housed within CAS. 

CU is also one of the world’s leading institutions for research and teaching on alpine environments, 

climate systems, and human- environmental interactions in alpine regions. CU Boulder thus already 

attracts many students interested in both human and environmental alpine systems.

The proposed project seeks to match, at the undergraduate level, CU Boulder’s expertise in human and 

environmental alpine systems with international and area studies expertise on the world’s largest and 

most extensive alpine region of Tibet and the Himalayas. The project begins with the recognition that 

our strengths in Tibet and Himalayan Studies research and graduate training have yet to be fully realized 

in the undergraduate curriculum. The project will thus build an undergraduate curriculum in Tibetan and 

Himalayan Studies, including language study, that will complement existing research strengths.

The proposed project aims to develop an undergraduate certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. 

The project is designed to do this by meeting three key goals:

Goal 1: Build a sustainable area studies curriculum in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. This goal will be 

met by 1) hiring a new part-time Asian Studies instructor to teach an introductory level civilization 

course on Tibet and the Himalayas, and regional courses on Tibetan and Nepali culture, society, politics, 

religion, literature, and economy; 2) offering professional development grants to faculty for enhancing 

curriculum; and 3) generating student interest through enhanced programming through the Tibet 

Himalaya Initiative.

Goal 2: Enhance DILS language instruction in Tibetan and Nepali for undergraduate students. This goal 

will be met by 1) creating consistently taught, credit-bearing versions of existing introductory Tibetan 

and Nepali Directed Independent Language Study (DILS) courses; 2) supplementing our existing 

colloquial Tibetan DILS with literary Tibetan DILS; and 3) developing a series of open access online 

learning modules for teaching Tibetan and Nepali DILS.

Goal 3: Expand study abroad and other language study opportunities for undergraduates studying

Tibetan and Nepali. This goal will be met by 1) providing language study scholarships targeted at 

students looking to continue their Nepali and Tibetan language training beyond the introductory level 

offered by the DILS classes; and 2) developing a new undergraduate global seminar in Nepal, India, or

Bhutan.
27

University of Colorado Boulder, Latin American Studies

Building Institutional Continuity in Latin American Studies

The Latin American Studies Center (LASC) at the University of Colorado Boulder is requesting grant 

funding for the purpose of supplementing its Undergraduate Certificate Program in Latin American and 

Latinx Studies. More specifically, LASC seeks to strengthen the feasibility of this Program through 

interdisciplinary training for faculty, support for existing and new courses, and activities that will 

enhance student recruitment, retention, and completion of the Program. In applying for UISFL funds, 

LASC has three particular objectives: first, to enhance its interdisciplinary and international curriculum, 

attracting all students and better representing the growing Latinx population of the state of Colorado; 

second, to offer a sequence of 3 semesters of courses in an endangered Latin American indigenous 

language, Quechua.; and third, to support a steady study abroad program with an indigenous language 

component in Latin America.

With respect to the objectives, LASC intends to support its interdisciplinary curriculum by providing 

course releases and training for faculty teaching LAMS 1000 (Introduction to Latin American and Latinx 

Studies, the core course of the program). In addition, LASC intends to hire a part-time instructor to 

create and teach a sequence of new Quechua language courses, which will fulfill the university’s foreign 

language requirement; and to promote both the Quechua courses and the Program by increasing library 

holdings in Latin American Indigenous Studies, by carrying out activities and events that aid with 

recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, and by awarding travel grants to undergraduates 

studying indigenous languages. In sum, UISFL funds will enable LASC to provide crucial support for the 

University of Colorado’s mission with respect to diversity and equal access for all.
28

University of Denver 

Expanding Core Strengths in Middle East Studies 

Project Director: Andrea L Stanton, Religious Studies (CAHSS), andrea.stanton@du.edu; 303-871-3503

Project Co-Director: Nader Hashemi, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

To support undergraduate interest in learning about the history, religion, culture, politics, and languages 

of the Middle East, the University of Denver is applying for UISFL federal funding to support its new, 

interdisciplinary Middle East Studies minor. It will be jointly directed by two faculty members: Andrea 

Stanton and Nader Hashemi. It addresses the invitational priority.

This project will involve five mutually-reinforcing activities: support the establishment of an 

interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in Middle East Studies based on the 25+ courses regularly taught 

by faculty across six units; broaden and deepen Middle East language instruction by expanding Arabic 

and Hebrew and introducing Turkish; support the development of new Middle East-focused courses 

with course development grants; support and encourage undergraduate study abroad in the region with 

stipends for language training, research, community-engaged learning, and internships; and organize 

quarterly teacher outreach workshops. Specifically, it will:

Support the establishment of an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor in Middle East Studies, housed in 

the Korbel School of International Studies and administered by the Center for Middle East Studies. The 

minor will require students to complete five, four credit-hour courses in at least two departments 

(including Art History, History, International Studies, Judaic Studies, and Religious Studies), as well as 

completing two upper-level language courses in Arabic or Hebrew.

Broaden and deepen the University’s Middle East language instruction by expanding Arabic to a third 

year, systematizing the Hebrew offerings, and offering a full year of introductory Turkish. It will support 

the Center for World Languages and Cultures in offering Persian and Egyptian Arabic through its directed 

independent language study program, as well as in developing proficiency and placement exams for 

these languages.

Increase existing course offerings in Middle East studies, by providing course development grants. To 

encourage disciplinary diversity, one grant per cycle will be open to faculty in any department or school, 

and one per cycle in the first year will be reserved for faculty applying from programs with fewer than 

four Middle East Studies courses.

Support and further encourage undergraduate study abroad in the Middle East by offering supplemental 

study abroad stipends to students who have committed to studying abroad in the region, to be used to 

extend their time or deepen their experience with additional language study, a local internship, 

community-engaged learning, or scholarly research.

Systematize previous K-12 outreach efforts by hosting one teacher workshop each quarter. 
29

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Enhancing Undergraduate Middle Eastern Language and Cultural Studies at the University of 

Illinois

Project Director: Hadi Salehi Esfahani, CSAMES, esfahani@illinois.edu

The Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign seeks a single institutional UISFL grant to meet the following objectives:

Objective #1: Enhance and expand Middle Eastern language instruction and learning opportunities for 

students:

1.A. Hiring a Director of Persian who will work on establishing a minor in Persian, that will include 

the addition of Persian culture classes along with elementary, intermediate and advanced 

levels of language classes.

1.B. Hiring a graduate assistant for the Arabic program

1.C. Hiring a teaching assistant for the Turkish program

1.D. Providing online language tutoring by native speakers for students of Arabic andPersian

1.E. Funding the Arabic Debate

1.F. Supporting summer intensive language study of Arabic, Persian and Turkish

Objective #2: Encourage student study, research and application of the languages and cultures of the 

Middle East:

2.A. Developing a study abroad course to Jordan on refugee and immigrant experiences

2.B. Developing a study abroad course to Turkey on Turkish language and culture

2.C. Offering scholarships for undergraduates to do summer language study and to take

study abroad courses or conduct field research abroad

2.D. Organizing career workshops on working in international development and government

Objective #3: Strengthen and enhance non-language curriculum on the Middle East:

3.A. Developing an online course on Introduction to Middle East Studies

3.B. Developing a course on the Modern History and Politics of the Persian Gulf

3.C. Developing a course on Digital Humanities Tools for data management; providing an 

opportunity for students to use Cline Center’s Global News Index database

Objective #4: Increase student awareness and public understanding of Middle Eastern languages and 

cultures:

4.A. Sponsoring a documentary film series on daily life in the Middle East

4.B. Collaborating with Yunus Emre Institute on events on Turkish language and culture

4.C. Engaging teacher education students through events on teaching about the Middle East

4.D. Collaborating with the Military Education Council for events serving ROTC students

4.E. Organizing a workshop on the U.S. military interventions in the Middle East 

This proposal addresses Competitive Preference Priority 2.
30

University of Kentucky and 

Bluegrass Community and Technical College

CLIME: Consortium for Language and International Majors’ Experiences

The importance of giving students a global lens through which to study STEM curriculum is a vital in 

creating the next generation of the STEM workforce. As recognized by the President’s Committee on 

STEM Education of the National Science & Technology Council: “Moreover, the modern workplace itself 

is convergent; people with different perspectives, life experiences, knowledge, and understandings 

innovate and drive work forward in ways that monolithic groups often cannot. America stands to benefit 

from education systems that produce STEM-literate talent capable of asking and answering meaningful 

local or global questions that blur disciplinary boundaries.” This project directly speaks to this need for 

students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math in a global context.

Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) and University of Kentucky (UK), responding to 

worrisome trends in enrollment in International and language majors and participation in study abroad, 

propose CLIME: Consortium for Language and International Majors’ Experiences. CLIME meets 

Competitive Preference Priority 1 as we seek to improve foreign language instruction at the community 

college campuses, and Competitive Preference Priority 2 as the community college partner offers two 

years of postsecondary credit in several foreign language (currently Spanish and French but we hope to 

add more as part of this project). CLIME guarantees students in four target majors (Anthropology, 

Hispanic Studies, International Studies and Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures) 

an internationally- oriented experience as part of their degree and expands the menu of options beyond 

study abroad to include internships, service learning, and research both abroad and locally, with an 

international focus. The guarantee is accompanied by comprehensive faculty support via new curriculum 

and co-curricular programming designed by Faculty Facilitators. Three core objectives shape our project: 

to deepen learning via internationally oriented experiences for students in the 4 majors, to increase 

enrollment in these majors, and to increase retention and graduation in these majors. Addressed in 

these objectives is the recognition that under-represented minorities, first generation, high financial 

need, and transfer students are all less likely to take advantage of high impact experiences such as study 

abroad. As such, all aspects of our collaboration are designed to close gaps in participation, retention, 

and graduation for students from these traditionally under- represented groups. CLIME will reshape the 

two-campus ecosystem for these majors by placing internationally focused experiential learning at their 

core and expand opportunities for all students to experience meaningful global engagement, and the 

success it brings to their education.
31

University of Maine at Farmington

Global Classrooms to Promote International and Foreign Language Studies 

Project Director: Linda J. Beck

Linda.Beck@Maine.edu

Tel. 207-778-7292, Fax. 207-778-7879

The national decline in the study of foreign languages is cause for concern with implications for US 

National Security that depends on the training of the next generation of regional studies experts with 

proficiency in foreign languages. There are a growing number of universities that are responding to this 

trend through the offering of Global Semesters to their first-year students. This is not an option, 

however, for a public liberal arts institution like the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), where a 

large percentage of the student body come from low to lower-middle income families for whom tuition 

is already daunting without the additional costs associated with a semester abroad program.

Promoting international and foreign language studies in this context is particularly challenging. It 

requires innovative approaches such as the two-year project “Global Classrooms to Promote 

International and Language Studies” that UMF is proposing. Project activities include: revision of eleven 

current courses to include Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) to create virtual global 

classrooms by allowing UMF courses to collaborate on group activities and/or projects with faculty and 

students at a university in another country; professional development focused on the incorporation of 

COIL in curricula across campus with extensive training for at least sixteen faculty members; the creation 

of a new Global First Year Seminar Program (GFYS) to be piloted by four UMF faculty with an initial twoweek program in Japan and Senegal; and faculty development and curricula review of World Language 

and World Language Education to strengthen the impact of these innovations on foreign language 

proficiency and enrollments in international and language studies courses.

The three primary goals of UMF’s Global Classrooms project are: 1) to foster the internationalization of 

the curriculum; 2) to increase student interest in international and foreign language studies; and 3) to 

provide professional development to faculty in order to achieve those goals. UMF’s project meets the 

invitational priority by including the promotion of the study of a less commonly taught language, 

Japanese, through the GFYS course in Japan as well as an assessment of the World Languages and World 

Language Education programs that include both Japanese and Mandarin to improve teaching and 

enrollments. Student exposure to Wolof in Senegal may also encourage them to take an online, summer 

or study abroad course in this less commonly taught language.

The Global Classrooms Project will jumpstart the development and revision of courses that incorporate 

COIL approaches into the UMF curriculum to provide an affordable, and thus sustainable, way to 

increase student interest in international and foreign language studies. By focusing on faculty training, 

curriculum development, and strengthening UMF’s international partnerships, this will ensure that the 

project has a life beyond the grant. Initial funding for student participation in the GFYS courses will 

create the basis for marketing future offerings to incoming students and establish a basis for 

approaching potential donor support for student scholarships, with continued funding guaranteed 

through UMF’s Global Education Fund.
32

University of New Mexico and Central New Mexico 

Community College

Project Title: Building Global Learning and Student Pathways in New Mexico 

Project Directors: Ronda Brulotte and Zachary Shank

Project Contact: Krista Savoca | atsirk@unm.edu | 505.277.7044

The University of New Mexico (UNM) will partner with Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) 

to form a consortium dedicated to building global learning and student pathways both within and 

between partner institutions. This proposal is an outgrowth of the need for increased collaboration 

between two-year and four-year colleges in New Mexico, where economic and demographic trends 

dictate that many New Mexican students will begin their higher education trajectory at the community 

college level. It is designed to foment global knowledge and language capacity at every level of the 

student pathway, not only to build a strong network of support for students transferring from CNM to 

UNM, but also to increase the overall global literacy of students at both institutions. The five areas of 

development proposed are as follows:

1. UNM and CNM Area Studies Curriculum Development: UNM will develop one new 

course each year in each of the two geographic regions involved in the grant (Latin 

America and the Middle East). CNM will develop one new LAS focused course per

year, prioritizing those that engage new modes of technology and teaching, and will 

also fund the redesign of two general education courses to include LAS and 

international content.

2. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Courses: Following a content and 

language integrated learning (CLIL) model, UNM will develop and offer a 3-credit 

hour course focused on one of the three thematic areas (climate change & 

development, migration, and food systems) with a corresponding language section 

taught in Arabicand Portuguese on the same subject.

3. UNM and CNM Study Abroad Development: Partner institutions will develop a total 

of six summer study abroad courses. Aligning with the umbrella themes, UNM

summer study abroad programs will travel to Brazil in 2021 (focusing on climate 

change and development), Colombia in 2022 (focusing on migration), and Oman in 

2023 (focusing on food systems). CNM summer study abroad programs will travel to 

Guatemala or Mexico, focusing on geographic areas with faculty strength and 

studentinterest.

4. UNM and CNM Less Commonly Taught Language Offerings: UISFL funding will 

support UNM’s offering language instruction of two less commonly taught Latin 

American Indigenous languages, Quechua, and Nahuatl, which will be available to 

students at both institutions. Funding will also support enhanced curriculum in two

others: U.S. State Department identified critical languages, Arabic and Portuguese.

5. CNM Transfer Student Support: Building on an initiative established through a grant 

from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, “New Mexico Humanities Now!,” UISFL 

funding will aid in increasing the number of students pursuing associate’s and 

bachelor’s degrees in the humanities and to support the transfer of humanities 

students from CNMto UNM; this includes creating degree transfer pathways, hosting 

humanities focused programming on CNM’s campus, provide graduate student 

mentors, and building summer academies to support student transfer.
33

University of North Texas 

Globalizing the Educational Experience: The College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism

Project Director: Pia Wood, Ph.D.; (940) 565-2197; Pia.Wood@unt.edu

The University of North Texas is requesting $180,371 over two years to develop, implement, and assess 

the proposed project.

The University of North Texas (UNT), located in Denton, Texas (36 miles north of Dallas) is a 

comprehensive research university of approximately 40,000 students and 4,600 faculty and staff. The 

diversity of the student body is noteworthy with some 8,800 Hispanic students, 5,400 African American 

students and 2,700 International students. The institution applied for and received the designation of 

Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) from the Department of Education in 2020. The College of 

Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism (CMHT) is a highly ranked college with 2,200 + students. CMHT 

houses the largest merchandising program in the nation

and one of the largest Hospitality and Tourism programs. The mission statement of CMHT is “to 

transform learning, research, and engagement for a global experience economy” and the faculty 

members of the college fully understand that students following this career path must be prepared for a 

global workplace. The purpose of the proposal Globalizing the Educational Experience: The College of 

Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism is to give its students the skills and knowledge to thrive in the 

increasingly interconnected and global workplace.

Project objectives and outcomes are:

• Objective I: Internationalize the CMHT curriculum by re-designing 12 existing courses 

to include international studies perspectives and developing two new internationally 

focused courses.

• Objective II: Develop one new course in Japanese Language and one new 

course in Spanish Language targeted at students in CMHT but open to all 

students. Develop a Culture and Language in the Global Workplace certificate 

offered on-line through Sales Boost, open to all students.

• Objective III: Develop two study abroad programs: one to Costa Rica and one to 

Japan where students can engage in language, culture, and discipline-based

content.

• Objective IV: Develop and provide internship opportunities in San Jose, Costa Rica 

and in Tokyo, Japan though our existing partnerships.

• Objective V: Introduce International Cocurricular Programming to Support 

Student Learning

The University is strongly committed to diversifying and internationalizing the campus. Globalizing the 

Educational Experience: The College of Merchandising, Hospitality & Tourism is a collaborative, 

interdisciplinary project among two colleges, four academic departments, international affairs, the study 

abroad office and the Center for Learning Experimentation, Application, and Research (CLEAR). While 

activities listed in the objectives will positively impact the educational experience of CMHT students, 

they are also open to the general student population.
34

University of Pittsburgh

Strengthening African Studies and African Languages at Pitt

Project Director: Dr. Macrina C. Lelei, Tel 412-258-2058, email: macrina@pitt.edu

The African Studies Program (ASP) at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is applying for FY 2020 grant 

under the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) program to support 

initiatives that will strengthen and improve African languages, instruction in African Studies, and study 

abroad and immersive learning opportunities in Africa for undergraduate students. We are requesting 

$197,087 for the two-year grant period to support proposal goals.

The specific goals of the Proposal are to:

Goal 1: Enhance Pitt African language program through increasing levels of instruction offered in

the existing languages(Swahili and Amharic). We plan to do this by hiring a visiting instructor to 

teach Amharic for two years and strengthening our Swahili courses by hiring a part-time 

instructor to teach Swahili 5 & 6.

Goal 2: Develop two new study abroad programs in Ethiopia and Tanzania that will focus on 

language and immersive learning giving students the opportunity to experience firsthand the 

country and practice the language on the ground and helping them to develop a deeper 

knowledge of the respective host cultures and societies.

Goal 3: Improve student engagement and knowledge of the African Union by developingone 

new course “Introduction to the African Union” that will connect to participation of students in 

the International Model African Union Conference hosted in Washington D.C. where they will 

have the opportunity to link theory to practice. We will hire a part-time instructor to develop 

and teach the course and serve as faculty advisor.

Goal 4: Expand opportunities for study abroad by offering scholarships to give studentsmore 

financial ability to study in Africa. Furthermore, as previously stated we will be building two 

study abroad programs that will give students more chances to study in Africa.

The proposed project is firmly grounded in the African Studies Program goals of enhancing African 

Studies for students to engage and experience depth of African language and courses as well as through 

experiential learning both in Africa and domestically in D.C. via the Model African Union conference. We 

will build on the assets and structures already in place at Pitt and abroad by leveraging current resources 

with the Less Commonly Taught Language Center, Study Abroad Office, Africana Studies Department,

The University Center for International Studies, and our partners in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

The proposal meets the competitive preference priority 2 in that Pitt requires entering students to have 

successfully completed at least two years of secondary school foreign language instruction. The proposal

also meetsthe invitational priority because our project includes a strong commitment to improving 

language training and the development of study abroad programs in Ethiopia and Tanzania that will also 

have a strong focus on language study and cultural immersion.
35

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Enhancing STEM Curriculum with Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Principal Investigator: John Starosta Galante, PhD

Salisbury Labs, Office #234 Worcester Polytechnic Institute 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA 01609 

Email: jsgalante@wpi.edu

Phone: 508-831-5246

To meet key future challenges, STEM students will require skills that reach across geographic, cultural, 

and disciplinary borders—and that transcend language barriers. This project leverages existing efforts at 

Worcester Polytechnic Institute in project-based learning and real-world problem solving, to fill a gap in 

the institution’s training of students with interest in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) languages, 

culture, history, technology, and development. First, curriculum development will create courses in I) 

Spanish language and literature, (ii) history and international studies, and (iii) socio-economic 

development. We will use these courses to introduce a minor program in Latin American and Caribbean 

Studies. We will develop modules related to Latin America into STEM courses to build more robust 

curriculum tracks in LAC studies. The second pathway will expand on-campus programming by 

institutionalizing a Hub for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (H-LACS). This hub will I) expand an 

event series that brings together internal and external interdisciplinary expertise related to the region, 

ii) coordinate on-campus activities and training related to LAC Project Centers, and iii) engage in 

outreach with other Area Studies and Global Studies on campus. The third pathway will develop offcampus relationships to promote student development and community engagement. This will include 

pertinent events that inspire local, Worcester-area participation, as well as programming partnerships 

and network development with peer HEI’s. We will also work with community partners and sponsors in 

Cuenca, Ecuador and Buenos Aires, Argentina to offer junior and senior students in-depth and impactful 

project-based learning opportunities.

Throughout the project, we will integrate an extensive adaptive evaluation, that will assess ongoing 

project results and use this data to improve activities and augment outcomes. This project will 

coordinate efforts across the diverse interests in LAC history, culture, politics, and language among 

WPI’s faculty, staff, and STEM students, as well as the Worcester community.