The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Michigan State University nearly $9 million in grants to support international education.
The four-year grants are targeted to MSU’s programs like the African and Asian Studies Centers.
MSU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies Director Laurie Medina says the grants acknowledge the university’s long-standing commitment to international studies.
“As well as the ongoing commitment of the president, the provost and deans across the colleges to continue to strengthen MSU’s international engagements,” Medina said.
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies gets almost $2 million in federal funding. Medina says among other things, the grant money will support study abroad programs.
There will also be additional language programs for less-commonly taught languages.
"For Latin America, those languages include Portuguese and Indigenous languages of the Americas, ” she added.
Along with those language offerings on campus, Medina says her center will be able to increase outreach to help K-12 and community college faculty in the region.
The African Studies Center got the biggest portion, $2.6 million. The Asian Studies Center grant is for $2.3 million.
The grants also include $1.2 million for the International Business Center in MSU’s Broad College of Business.
MSU has more than 4,500 international students, served by 30 different centers, units, and offices.
