Language Grants

Since 2014, UWM’s Center for International Education (CIE) has facilitated the use of U.S. Department of Education National Resource Center (NRC) funds to support initiatives that strengthen foreign language instruction at UWM, primarily focusing on less-commonly taught languages (LCTLs).  

LCTLs at UWM are Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese and Russian.

Award Types

Below is an overview of award types, more details for each award will be provided on the application.

Award Type	Description	Eligibility	Max. Award Amount
Sociocultural Programming	Supports events to promote students’ sociocultural competence and language learning in multilingual and multicultural settings.	All foreign language instructors or programs	$1000
Professional Development for LCTL Instructors	Supports opportunities for proficiency assessment and pedagogy training including but not limited to workshops, only conferences, certifications and trainings.	LCTL instructors only	$2,000
Intermediate or Advanced LCTL Courses	Supports the development of new LCTL courses at the 200-level or higher, or enhancement of existing LCTL courses at the 200-level or above.	LCTL instructors only	$3,000
Development of Foreign Language Across Curriculum Course (FLAC)	Supports the development of new courses that incorporate a foreign language into traditionally non-language focused area (e.g. an engineering course taught in Arabic). The course must be taught in a foreign language. UWM has not implemented this concept so faculty are open to taking their own creative approach to FLAC. Click on the links to see examples from Binghamton University, Cornell University and The College of New Jersey.	All foreign language instructors or programs	$3,000

Support and Selection of Awardees

NRC grant managers administer the awards, provide support to language faculty and staff before, after and during the award period, conduct evaluation, and complete federal reporting on NRC funded activities in the languages.

The Language Project Review Committee is responsible for reviewing the proposals and selecting awardees based on contribution to language learning, campus globalization at UWM, alignment with NRC grant goals and interests, and feasibility of implementation. Selection criteria specific to each award is included on the application.

Applicants are responsible for working with their supervisor, department chair, and/or dean to ensure proposed activities have necessary campus support and approvals for the activity/course to occur.  All expenditures must be approved by the NRC grant managers before purchase. Purchases made without prior approval will not be reimbursed.

The call for proposals typically begin in September of each grant year.