Sixty-four recipients of the prestigious Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships were recognized on November 16 with virtual congratulatory messages from Ohio State leadership and representatives from the U.S. Department of Education and Ohio’s Congressional delegation.

The recognition video launches the Office of International Affairs’ series of virtual events to celebrate International Education Week, November 16 – 20, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote learning opportunities that prepare students to be global citizens by strengthening their global competency and cultural understanding.

The East Asian Studies Center, Center for Latin American Studies and Center for Slavic and East European Studies awarded more than $1.5 million in FLAS fellowship grants this year to Ohio State students spanning 16 graduate programs and 13 undergraduate majors in their pursuit of intensive language study. Funding for FLAS Fellowships comes from the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI of the Higher Education Act and is subsidized by generous matching funds from Ohio State’s Graduate School.

“It’s our goal at Ohio State to increase international learning experiences for all our students at home and abroad that inspire cross-culture exchange and challenge world views,” said Gil Latz, vice provost for global strategies and international affairs. “The FLAS fellowship affords students the opportunity to pursue advanced language study and increase their knowledge of area studies so they are prepared to actively participate in and contribute to the globally minded world in which we live.”

This year’s FLAS fellowships support students’ development of area studies knowledge and language fluency in 12 languages.