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 world language instruction at UWM, primarily focusing on less-commonly-taught-languages (LCTLs).  

Eligible LCTLs at UWM are Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Italian, Irish Gaelic, Japanese, Korean, Ojibwe, 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 TypeDescriptionEligibilityMax. Award Amount
Sociocultural Programming & Guest SpeakersSupports events to promote students’ sociocultural competence and language learning in multilingual and multicultural settings.
 
All foreign language instructors or programs$1,000
Professional Development for LCTL InstructorsSupports travel and attendance at regional and national workshops/conferences for proficiency assessment and language pedagogy trainings.LCTL instructors only$2,000
Course Enhancement for LCTL Courses**Supports the enhancement of LCTL courses at the 200-level or higher.Intermediate/Advanced LCTL instructors only$1,000
General Course Enhancement**Supports the enhancement of general world language-related courses, such as area study courses, foreign language across curriculum (FLAC) courses, and online curriculum.All foreign language instructors or programs$1,000
** Enhancing an existing course can look like:
– utilizing UWM’s new ICYAL library collection
– building in a faculty-led Study Abroad opportunity
– co-teaching
– redesigning to an online format
– other creative and innovative ideas that align with the mission and parameters of the NRC grant 

Support and Selection of Awardees

The NRC grant manager administer the awards, provide support to language faculty and staff before, during, and after the award period, and works alongside the grant’s evaluation team, Socially Responsible Evaluation in Education (SREed), to conduct evaluation and 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 and 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 manager before purchase. Purchases made without prior approval will NOT be reimbursed.

Important Dates

March 10, 2023: Application CLOSES

March 17, 2023: Recipients notified of award

August 1, 2023: Proposed activities must be completed, and expenses submitted to the NRC grant manager