San José State’s Global Studies Initiative, a unit of International and Extended Studies, has been awarded a federal grant of $158,789 to enhance the implementation of its new bachelor’s degree program. Entitled “Global Studies: Students Discovering the World,” the grant runs from 2005 until 2007. According to director Mike Conniff, this represents 47 percent of all funds devoted to this project, compared to 53 percent ($ 176,725) provided from non-federal sources. Every year the Department of Education provides funding to improve international and foreign language studies at about thirty post-secondary schools.

            Conniff said that the main activities supported by the grant will be improvements in the delivery of foreign language instruction, new study-abroad opportunities, new courses, library acquisitions, and seminars led by outside experts working with SJSU faculty. Mark Novak, Associate Vice President for International and Extended Studies, called the grant “a big step forward for internationalization of our campus, by creating global experiences for all our students.”

For more information on the Title Vi Grant, contact Michael Conniff