Two centers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have received federal grants totaling $2.4 million to support international education programs.
UWM’s Center for International Education received nearly $1.8 million in Title VI funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will support faculty work in less-commonly taught languages — Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, and Russian — including instructor certification and course development and redesign.
The grant also will support curriculum development in the Global Studies program and outreach programs to K-16 and technical colleges. Another portion of the grant will provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing studies in the less-commonly taught languages. It is the first time the Center for International Education has received one of these grants.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies received a separate $600,000 grant in partnership with UW-Madison’s Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Studies Program.
The National Resource Center grant will support research and teaching across campuses, along with public engagement projects, including regional and national outreach programming for K-16 educators.
The funding will also provide scholarships for students studying the less-commonly taught languages of the Americas, including Portuguese, Haitian Creole and other indigenous languages.
UWM offers classes in 20 different languages, with majors in eight.