The University of Hawaii has received a $1 million grant from the National Security Education Program to help increase the number of students with advanced levels of proficiency in languages critical to national security. UH language proficiency
program gets federal grantStar-Bulletin staff
The grant will fund a three-year pilot program under a joint effort between UH's Second Language Studies Department and the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department.
The grant will initially fund a group of 12 undergraduate and graduate students to improve their proficiency in Korean. UH will be the national flagship program in Korean language instruction. Students will take between 18 months and two years to complete the program.
"They will have professional competence in the language," said Michael Long, professor in second language studies.
Moneys also will be used to fund overseas internships. In two years, Long said, the departments hope to include Chinese and Japanese language instruction in the program.
"The federal government has made it a priority to build on the university's strong program to educate a work force with the advanced professional expertise to communicate and understand the languages and cultures of world regions critical to national security," said U.S. Rep. Ed Case.
"I am particularly pleased UH will be an integral part of the solution to our nation's serious deficit in language expertise."
Long said Korean language instruction is tentatively scheduled to start in the fall.
Second Language Studies Department
East Asian Languages and Literatures Department