The Office of Global Outreach is Awarded UMSN’s First Grant Dedicated to Foreign Language
UMSN is one of 17 institutions to receive a portion of a $1.5 million grant committed to improving undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign language.
The Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program (UISFL) grant will be used in several ways to build and support intercultural learning for nursing students, including adding a Global Health component to UMSN’s core Community Health Nursing course. UMSN Director of Global Outreach, Dr. Leslie Dorfman Davis said, “It’s a really exciting opportunity to create new language learning tools and exercises for our undergraduates. This grant will help strengthen our dedication to faculty and students interested in global health.”
An important component of the grant will support UMSN faculty, particularly those who teach undergraduates, in developing their own language skills and global experience. “This will enrich the pool of nursing faculty qualified to lead academic or service programs abroad. In this way, we intend to become a leader in providing healthcare-focused international programs while also increasing the number of our BSN students who graduate with the language skills required to lead and advance meaningful Global Health work,” said Dr. Antonia Villarruel, UMSN Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Global Affairs.
"The United States is a long way from being the multi-lingual society that so many of our economic competitors are," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said when the grant was announced. "Every child deserves a world-class education, and today, more than ever, a world-class education requires students to be able to speak and read languages in addition to English."
