As part of her many efforts to promote multilingualism, Dr. Gay Rawson, French professor and chair of world languages and cultures, met with several lawmakers to help shine a spotlight on the need for more support of language education across the United States. These meetings were part of Language Advocacy Days (LAD) 2023, hosted by the Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS).
The aim of LAD is to build relationships with members of Congress and to discuss the ways language education, educators, and programs across the nation can be better supported. The main goal of JNCL-NCLIS is to advocate for equitable language learning opportunities, both for new language learners and for heritage speakers, in a world that is becoming increasingly globalized. They see the need for increased language instruction and outreach to better serve our future leaders and global community and want to help shift the connotation of language learning from being a luxury to being an everyday reality.
LAD 2023 posed four challenges to Congress:
- Pass the World Language Education Assistance Program to establish an innovative world language grant in the U.S. Department of Education and build a language educator pipeline
- Support the Biliteracy Education Seal and Teaching (BEST) Act, which will provide federal funding for programs that allow every student in America equal access to the opportunity to achieve a Seal of Biliteracy
- Pass the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Act that would create a grant program helping undergraduate students to study abroad, aiming to increase the number of minority students, first-generation collegegoers, and students with disabilities who study abroad and to increase students who study in nontraditional destinations
- Preserve and expand existing investments in programs including an additional $15 million for World Language and Readiness Program in 2024 and at least $3 million for the Native American Language Resource Center in the U.S. Department of Education
Rawson met personally with Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong, and North Dakota Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer. Rawson was also given a surprise visit by Dreyton Rud, a former French student. Rud is a 2022 Concordia graduate who majored in political science with a French minor and now works as Sen. Cramer’s assistant.
Working continually for better language support and access, Rawson has attended LAD in previous years and always has projects in the works to help language programs thrive. She wants people to know that it is never too late to start learning a language with many potential financial and career opportunities brought along by language, as well as benefits to your brain. Beyond this, knowing another language and culture opens the world. Through language, you can learn to be a better neighbor and friend, whether you stay at home in your small town or travel the world.
Written by Emma Skuza ’22, World Languages and Cultures and Graduate & Continuing Studies Administrative Assistant