In an effort to strengthen UW-Madison's area and foreign language studies programs, officials are eyeing federal funds, hoping to create a Middle Eastern Studies department.
UW-Madison professors and administrators will attend a conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 4 and 5 to lobby for such interests.
Middle Eastern Studies is the newest addition to the list of foreign language and area studies programs here at the university, according to history Professor Michael Chamberlain, head of the program and a faculty member who will travel to the nation's capital.
\We are the only region on campus which doesn't have federal funding,"" Chamberlain said. ""We want to go to the federal government to ask for a Title VI grant to build a respectable program.""
Title VI is a federal grant that aids in the progression of abilities and aspirations of programs at U.S. universities.
""Title VI is a major training program in the United States which offers technical assistance from the National Resource Center,"" said Cynthia Williams, development program manager of UW-Madison's International Institute. ""[The NRC] give[s] foreign language and area studies graduate fellowships.""
Specifically, the grants give resources to ""strengthen institutional capabilities to provide training in language and area studies,"" she said.
UW-Madison's International Institute, a joint venture between the Office of International Studies and Programs and the College of Letters and Science, was awarded more than $6.1 million over the last three years in federal Title VI grants under the NRC program.
According to David Trubek, dean of the Office of International Studies, no other U.S. college or university received more NRC grants. UW-Madison tied at the top of the list with the University of Washington and the University of California-Berkeley.
In reference to the sum of money the institute was awarded, Trubek said, ""This is a remarkable achievement. This confirms the UW-Madison's top national ranking in area studies.""
Williams said departments, after the acquisition of a Title VI grant, usually have the resources to add courses to the curriculum and bring experts to speak.
With the federal grant Chamberlain hopes to receive, he said he would like to make two main additions to Middle Eastern studies.
""We could have a main core of people with expertise on a region that people across the state can draw on,"" Chamberlain said. ""Also, an outreach program could be instituted to allow high school teachers who want to learn how to teach about the Middle East can do so, and we can handle it.""
Chamberlain said other matters to be discussed at the conference were how programs have changed, what new priorities are and what the government expects from the programs.
In terms of UW-Madison's Middle Eastern studies program, Chamberlain said its popularity has grown greatly in the past years.
""We have double the number [of students enrolled] than four or give years ago,"" he said.
