History of the Formation of the Language Institute
The formation of the UW-Madison Language Institute in 2004 represents the culmination of many years of cooperation and collaboration among the numerous units on campus that conduct research and provide instruction in world languages, literatures and cultures.
With support from the International Institute, Professor Gilead
Morahg, of the Department of Hebrew and Semitic Studies, and
cooperating faculty formally created the Global Language, Literatures
and Cultures Forum (GLLCF) in 1999.
This organization brought together faculty from across campus to discuss issues of common concern and to plan and organize conferences and workshops. These successful events, on topics such as "using languages across disciplines," "teaching literature across cultures," and "teaching cultural difference" provided important forums for exchanging ideas among faculty and students on campus and postsecondary and K-12 teachers from across the State.
Faculty, staff and students from the UW-Madison language departments and area studies centers have been working together and with other campus units in a diverse array of collaborative and interdisciplinary initiatives such as the PhD Program in Second Language Acquisition, technology projects including the T4 Foreign Languages Project, the annual orientation for incoming language TAs, and K-12 outreach, particularly World Languages Day and World Cinema Day.
The idea for the Language Institute originated in the office of the Dean of the College of Letters and Science (L&S), under Dean Phillip R. Certain, Deputy Dean Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, and then Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities Jane Tylus. It was actively supported by Gilles Bousquet, Dean of the Division of International Studies. Initial plans for the Institute were made by the Foreign Language Advisory Committee and a special planning committee composed of both L&S faculty specializing in languages, literatures and cultures and representatives from the Division of International Studies. The Language Institute was approved by the L&S Academic Planning Committee in May 2003, after consultation with the language departments and International Studies. Its implementation is overseen primarily by Magdalena Hauner, Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities.
The Language Institute, which is housed in the College of Letters and Science, was launched with a generous donation from the Schoenleber Foundation. Substantial initial and ongoing financial support is provided by The College of Letters and Science and the Division of International Studies.
The first Director of the Language Institute is Sally Magnan, Pickard-Bascom Professor of French. According to Associate Dean Magdalena Hauner, Professor Magnan was appointed to this important position because of her national status as a recognized leader in foreign language study and because of her creativity and drive. Professor Magnan will be assisted in running the Language Institute by the Associate Director, Dr. Dianna Murphy, who comes with a background in Slavic languages and computer-assisted foreign language learning and teaching.
The Language Institute is guided by an Advisory Committee consisting of faculty and staff from language departments, area studies programs and the Division of International Studies.
The Language Institute was inaugurated on April 29, 2004 at a reception and ceremony featuring speeches by Dean Phillip R. Certain, Dean Gilles Bousquet, Associate Dean Magdalena Hauner, Professor Gilead Morahg and Language Institute Director Professor Sally Magnan, as well as an international program of music and dance featuring local performing artists. The event was held in conjunction with the UW Less Commonly Taught Language Symposium and the national meetings of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages (NCOLCTL) and the African Language Teachers Association (ALTA) . These events were organized by Antonia Schleicher, Professor in the Department of African Languages and Literature, Director of the National African Languages Resource Center (NALRC) and President of NCOLCTL and Gilead Morahg, Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Studies and past President of NCOLCTL.
We thank all persons mentioned here and our colleagues across campus, whose interdisciplinary efforts motivated the creation of this Institute, and whose energies will drive it forward.
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