Federal grants reflect preeminence in international studies

The International Institute has been awarded nearly $12 million over three years (2003-2006) in federal Title VI grants under the National Resource Centers (NRC) program and the Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

These latest awards underscore UW–Madison’s leadership role nationally in federally funded area and international studies programs.

“This is an incredible achievement by the faculty and staff in our area studies programs,” Peter Spear, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, says. “It reflects UW–Madison’s preeminence in international studies and language instruction.”

The number and size of the awards, unprecedented in UW–Madison’s history, go to eight of the institute’s area and international studies programs, including seven existing federally funded centers at the institute, plus a new International Studies center.

“These are highly competitive grants among universities nationwide,” says Gilles Bousquet, dean of International Studies at UW–Madison. “The fact that we not only received large increases in funding for our current centers, but were awarded an eighth International Studies center devoted to global citizenship, confirms UW–Madison is a powerhouse nationally in area and international studies.”

According to Bousquet, while UW–Madison has had NRCs on a continuing basis since their genesis in the 1960s and 1970s, it is unusual and especially prestigious to have so many at one campus.

Bousquet also points out that past success in receiving funding does not guarantee subsequent awards. Each center, he says, must compete against others nationally every three years, a process that involves peer review by scholars from other colleges and universities.

Bouquet says the Title VI funding will enable UW–Madison to continue offering a wide range of activities that provide depth and breadth in international training, and close collaboration across the UW–Madison campus, in business, law, the health sciences, agriculture and education, as well as the humanities, social sciences and languages. The centers also program extensive training and outreach activities for K-16 teachers and the general public.

Existing centers that were re-funded are the African Studies Program; the Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA); the Center for East Asian Studies; the Center for South Asia; the Center for Southeast Asian Studies; the Center for European Studies; and the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS). The funding for 2003-2004 for the NRCs, including the new International Studies center, is $2,021,649. FLAS fellowships for the centers represent an additional $1,929,000 for a combined annual total of $3,947,649. (See attached funding breakdown.)

NRCs are funded by the U.S. Department of Education to establish, strengthen and operate centers with either a regional or an international studies focus. NRCs train students in the history, culture and politics of a particular region, support language instruction, and serve as a resource on that world region to public and other constituencies through outreach, research and access to library materials on the region and in regional languages.

FLAS fellowships are awarded to graduate students to allow them to study targeted modern foreign languages, especially those traditionally considered less commonly taught.

UW–Madison offers among the largest number of languages of any university worldwide, with particular strength in less commonly taught languages. At least 40 languages are taught at any given time from a possible pool of more than 65.

The grants are managed by and support the activities of their corresponding programs, all of which are members of the International Institute, a cross-college venture of the Office of International Studies and Programs and the College of Letters and Sciences. Created in 1996, the institute serves as a “federation” of 16 member programs (including the eight that now have NRC grants) to promote cooperation and collaboration on issues in area and international studies. The institute has developed innovative teaching, research and outreach projects that link area and global topics. Hundreds of faculty and students participate in workshops, conferences and symposia on different regions as well as global studies, comparative cultures, international relations and the global economy.

NRC funding and FLAS fellowships 2003-04

African Studies: $548,000
NRC: $250,000
FLAS: $298,000

Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA): $471,149
NRC: $266,149
FLAS: $205,000

East Asian Studies: $438,000
NRC: $245,000
FLAS: $193,000

European Studies: $464,000
NRC: $240,000
FLAS: $224,000

International Studies: $426,500
NRC: $240,500
FLAS: $186,000

Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS): $496,500*
NRC: $260,500*
FLAS: $236,000
* Funding split with UW-Milwaukee to be determined.

South Asian Studies: $615,500
NRC: $279,500
FLAS: $336,000

Southeast Asian Studies: $488,000
NRC: $240,000
FLAS: $248,000

TOTAL: $3,947,649
NRC: $2,021,649
FLAS: $1,926,000