Georgia Southern University Receives $180,000 Two-Year Federal Grant to Enhance International Education

Georgia Southern University has received a two-year $180,000 Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand its focus on international teaching and learning both at home and abroad. The grant targets the segment of the student body that has not yet had the opportunity to experience international education.

The grant proposal was developed by Charles Crouch and John Steinberg, senior faculty in the Department of History. Their proposal includes four objectives:

-internationalization of the curriculum, beginning in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) and working its way across the University;
-enhancement of world languages competency (Language Across the Disciplines);
-faculty development seminars aimed at providing faculty with the skills needed to internationalize their courses;
-and outreach to the community and region including an Internationalization Speakers Bureau, made up of faculty experienced in internationalizing the curriculum and available to share their expertise with local K-12 schools.

Activities under the Title VI grant will take place collaboratively with the Global Citizens Initiative, a required First-Year Experience seminar that is expected to increase freshman interest and participation in international programs.

This grant builds on the success of Georgia Southern University’s Center for International Studies, established in 1990, and is the University’s second Title VI grant. The first was used to establish an Africana Studies Center which continues to be an active program. Georgia Southern is also parts of a seven-member USG consortium that recently received a Title VI grant to create a new, online degree program in Transatlantic Studies.