CGS FLAS Program Description
Applications are due February 15, 2008.
Eligible Languages
Applicant Eligibility
Selection Criteria
Application Procedures
FLAS Contact
The Center for Global Studies (CGS), a National Resource Center under a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education, administers academic year and summer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships. The objective of the CGS FLAS program is to provide students with the skills they need to deal effectively with global issues in their future roles in business, the professions, health, education, government, non-governmental associations, and intergovernmental organizations. The CGS awards FLAS fellowships to graduate students of exceptional promise who plan to enter the professional world upon graduation in fields related to globalization.
Students in all disciplines are eligible to apply for Global Studies FLAS awards. Students in professional fields, such as engineering, business, economics, health, agriculture, library and information science, social work, planning, education, and communications are especially encouraged to apply. Preference is given to students concentrating in an international area within their discipline. What is unique about the Illinois global studies FLAS program is that University of Illinois graduate and professional students can now learn a language and culture relevant to their projected professional work, yet not necessarily be expected to teach the language or be engaged in area studies. A model for the program is a scholar in the College of Medicine who has been studying advanced Portuguese under a FLAS fellowship in order to use this skill to learn more about emerging infectious diseases.
The Center for Global Studies typically awards six academic year fellowships and four summer awards. The following languages have been approved for study on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Funding for the 2007-08 academic year fellowships is pending CGS' FLAS Grant application to the U.S. Department of Education. FLAS recipients are required to enroll in language study in the Fall and Spring semesters. In addition, Fellows are requried to enroll in an approved Global Studies course each semester.
ACADEMIC YEAR AWARD: Tuition and all non-refundable fees, plus a stipend of $15,000. (Students are required to pay all refundable fees, approximately $27 per semester.)
SUMMER AWARD: Tuition and fees, plus a stipend of $2,500. (NOTE: Room, board, travel, and miscellaneous fees MAY NOT be included in the tuition and fees payment, but must be covered by the student's stipend even if the program bills those as part of the "fee.")
Program tuition and fees, including approximatly $350 in UIUC fees cannot exceed $4,000.
Eligible Languages
| At the first-year level and above: | |
| Arabic | Polish |
| Bulgarian | Portuguese |
| Czech | Russian |
| Hebrew | Serbian or Croatian |
| Hindi | Swahili |
| Korean | Turkish |
| Italian | Ukrainian |
| Lingala | Wolof |
| At the third-year level and above: | |
| Chinese | |
| Japanese | |
Applicant Eligibility
* FLAS fellowship applicants must be degree-seeking students in good academic standing enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Illinois. * Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents (green card).
Selection Criteria
CGS seeks candidates who give promise of becoming leaders in their field of study and professional work. Applicable measures include the applicant's academic record with emphasis placed on graduate work, extra-disciplinary and professional activities, and supportive materials, including letters of recommendation from close observers of the applicant's achievements. The statement of purpose should clearly indicate how the FLAS fellowship will advance both the professional career and potential for leadership within the candidate's field of specialization or in the performance of public service.
Applicants will be evaluated based upon the following:
- Evidence that language training is needed to further the applicant's study of international issues and problems;
- The extent to which the applicant's current planned academic program is focused on international issues and problems;
- The applicant's academic performance to date;
- The persuasiveness of the applicant's letters of recommendations.
In evaluating an application:
- 20 points are assigned to academic achievement;
- 10 points to the relation of the FLAS Fellowship to the academic degree pursued by the student;
- 10 points to the projected leadership prospects of applicants with respect to their disciplinary or professional fields and to their contribution to public service.
The following U.S. Department of Education guidelines will be used to rank candidates with similar credentials as evaluated with the above criteria:
priority will be given to more advanced levels of language training in readily available languages and to less commonly taught languages at all levels; Church Slavonic, or other ancient languages are usually NOT approved;
priority will be given to applicants who intend to pursue careers in a professional field or public service.
The following U.S. Department of Education guidelines also apply:
- overseas awards are for advanced and intermediate levels only, beginning level training can be funded only if courses are unavailable in the US;
- academic year FLAS awards for dissertation research abroad are subject to the prior approval of U.S. Department of Education Program officers, as is all travel abroad. FLAS fellows are responsible for initiating this approval process at least 60 days prior to departure. They must also remain enrolled at UIUC;
- academic year FLAS fellows approved for on-campus language study must also be enrolled in appropriate area studies courses;
- students may receive fellowships for multiple award periods if they compete successfully in each discrete competition;
- CGS can set its own FLAS rules and requirements beyond the legislation and regulations, including limiting the number of FLAS awards a student may receive, as long as the rules do not conflict with the statute, federal regulations, the selection procedures outlined in the application narrative or the institution's guidelines and policies.
Summer FLAS Awards:
- are only for intensive language training (140-180 contact hours) and cannot be used for research abroad;
- for programs abroad must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education and are typically only approved for intermediate and advanced language study (FLAS fellows are responsible for initiating this approval process at least 60 days prior to departure).
PRIOR APPROVAL REQUIRED FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
- For ALL FLAS awards to be used abroad, including research;
- For ALL domestic dissertation research/writing awards;
- For a ruling on a specific request for study in Latin, Sanskrit, Greek, Classical Chinese, or language not on the CGS approved FLAS language list.
UIUC FELLOWSHIP POLICY AND GUIDELINES
- Campus Policy: no one on limited status can hold a fellowship;
- Students with EXs and Fs on their records are not assigned equal status in the competition with students who have completed their course and program requirements. EXs and Fs should be explained as part of the application.
Application Requirements
- Application Cover Sheet
- Completed Application Form (Online for current UIUC students or paper for entering students)
- Three letters of recommendation: one must be from your academic advisor and, except for students applying for beginning language instruction, one must be from your most recent language instructor
- Graduate and undergraduate transcripts (copies from your departmental file are acceptable)
- Statement of Purpose Essay of no more than 2 pages: CGS applicants must address the following topics in their essay.
- How does the language and global / area studies coursework relate to your long term professional goals?
- How does the language and global / area studies coursework relate to your academic program?
- Address any F or No-Credit grades on your transcript.
FLAS Contact
If you have questions about the CGS FLAS program, please contact Steve Witt at swwitt@uiuc.edu or 217-265-7518.
