Villanova Student Matthew Thorp, of Arnold, Md., Honored with Critical Language Scholarship

VILLANOVA, PA (06/13/2012)(readMedia)-- Villanova University student Matthew Thorp, of Arnold, Md., has received a full scholarship-funded through the Critical Language Scholarship Program and Project GO, the ROTC language and culture program-to study the Tatar language at the Critical Languages Institute in Kazan, Russia, for the summer of 2012.

Thorp is pursuing a bachelor's degree from the University's College of Engineering with a concentration in Russian Area Studies. He also spent the 2010-2011 academic year at the Kazan Federal University.

Launched in 2006, the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers and American Councils for International Education. The program offers intensive overseas study in critical-need foreign languages, such as Arabic, Japanese, Punjabi, Russian and Turkish.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's five colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them.