University of Kansas students awarded State Department Critical Language Scholarships

LAWRENCE, KS (05/09/2013)(readMedia)-- Four University of Kansas students have been awarded national scholarships that will fund overseas study this summer. They received a Critical Language Scholarship, a U.S. Department of State program.

There were more than 5,000 applicants for the 610 Critical Language Scholarships in 2013. The awards are for the study of 13 critical-need foreign languages.

KU students Nicholas Kellum, a junior from Baxter Springs, and Alexis Knutsen, a junior from Overland Park, will study Arabic in their host country of Oman. Erik Hornberger, a graduate student from Lancaster, Pa., will study Japanese in Japan, and Matthew Visser, a senior from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., will study Punjabi in India.

As CLS participants, the KU students will spend seven to 10 weeks in intensive language institutes this summer.

The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. It provides fully funded, group-based summer intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

Finalists for the 2013 CLS Program hail from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia and represent more than 200 institutions of higher education from across the United States, including public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, minority-serving institutions and community colleges. CLS is extremely competitive, with nearly 5,000 applicants for the approximately 600 scholarships available for summer 2013.