The Canadian Studies Center is supported by Title VI funding from the U.S. Department of Education, and works closely with the program officers who administer the funds and support our many programs and initatives. Our longtime Title VI program officer Carolyn Collins shares her thoughts on leaving a career at the U.S. Department of Education:
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The International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office, including my position, has been eliminated in the recent Reduction in Force at the U.S. Department of Education.
It is with sadness that I share that the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office, including my position, has been eliminated in the recent Reduction in Force at the U.S. Department of Education. When I started as a program officer in 2015, I was so excited to have the opportunity to serve the American public by working on initiatives to strengthen international and foreign language education in the United States. My work contributed every day to national security and economic competitiveness by helping institutions to develop and strengthen their offerings in foreign language education, especially less commonly taught languages, and in international and area studies.
As someone who benefited immensely—both personally and professionally—from learning other languages, traveling to other countries, and connecting with other peoples and cultures, it was an honor to do my small part to help build the infrastructure for U.S. students and teachers to gain global competencies through the administration of Title VI and Fulbright-Hays grant and fellowship programs. I truly believe that learning other languages and expanding one’s horizons internationally can have a profound and lasting effect on the way a person sees the world, and it is critical—now more than ever—that we all learn to understand people who are different from ourselves. I have seen the impact of Title VI and Fulbright-Hays funding on U.S. students, teachers, schools, and communities, and I hope these initiatives will continue even though I will no longer be with the Department of Education.
I have been inspired over the years by the dedication and commitment of my colleagues in the Department of Education and at my grantee institutions, and I am grateful to have had the chance to be part of this community that cares deeply about helping students gain the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st century. I hope to be able to continue working in the field of international and foreign language education in the future.