Planning of New Initiative Receives Support

Wednesday, September 13, 2000

The National Security Education Program has awarded a grant of $75,000 to the NFLC to fund the development of a strategy leading to the establishment of "flagship" language programs at selected US colleges and universities.

The new National Flagship Language Program initiative will be designed primarily to produce baccalaureate or graduate degree recipients who have attained a language proficiency level of 3/3/3 in Category II and III languages (e.g., Swahili, Russian) or at the 2+/2+/2+ level in Category IV languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, Korean).

NFLC is uniquely positioned to work with NSEP on this critical issue by virtue of its mission to assess the strategic language needs of the US and to formulate policy to meet those needs. Moreover, NFLC has long been active in innovative language learning programming, program assessment, and strategic planning for language fields.

NFLC, working in close collaboration with NSEP, will identify three to five institutions with which to explore models for flagship language programs that will produce highly proficient individuals, prepared to enter federal service. Representatives of NSEP and NFLC will meet with administrators and faculty from sites through fall of 2000 to discuss strategies for implementing these flagship programs. The strategies may include access to programs for heritage speakers, innovative recruitment into language programs from within and without the campus, support of innovative summer intensive and study abroad programs, interdisciplinary approaches to specialized language learning at the upper levels, effective use of technology for self-managed language learning, and other strategies.

There is widespread agreement that the need for persons with significant language competence has reached crisis proportions in federal agencies involved with national security. More than 80 federal agencies and entities, extending from the Departments of Commerce, Energy, Defense, and State to the Intelligence Community, the US courts and immigrations systems have current and future requirements for linguistically qualified personnel, including not only interpreters and translators but applied scientists, engineers, lawyers, and area experts. Language readiness has for years been a challenge for the federal sector and the rapidly increasing complexities of globalization have further exposed this need. It is clear that the current training and recruitment system in both the federal and academic sectors must be enhanced with increased funding for language programs in critical languages and incentives for linguistically proficient students to enter federal service.