Arabic Special Programs secures $5.9M in federal funding

— Tucson, AZ —

The University of Arizona is one of the nation’s leading providers of Arabic studies. It’s a rough financial landscape for such grant-funded programs these days. Still, principal investigator Sonia Shiri, director of Arabic Special Programs and professor of applied linguistics (MENAS), and her team have secured three new multi-year federal grants for a total of $5.9M.

 It’s a rough financial landscape for such grant-funded programs these days. Still, principal investigator Sonia Shiri, director of Arabic Special Programs and professor of linguistics (MENAS), and her team have secured three new multi-year federal grants for a total of $5.9M.

• The university is now one of only three institutions designated as Arabic Flagship Programs in the country (down from six in the previous grant competition) and awarded federal funding to support its activities and provide student scholarships for immersive study abroad. The program helps undergraduate students from any major reach advanced-level fluency in Arabic by graduation and prepares them to become global professionals.
• The U of A is now one of only two campuses in the U.S. that offer an Arabic Project Global Officer (Project GO). Project GO improves the language competency, regional expertise, and intercultural communication skills of ROTC students from the U of A and other campuses through summer study abroad and post-program language maintenance. The students, mostly in STEM fields, seek to expand their linguistic and intercultural expertise through Project GO.
• Also in 2024, MENAS was chosen as the sole provider of the Arabic Flagship Capstone Program — a yearlong study abroad program in Meknes, Morocco that serves students from the U of A and other Flagship institutions. The program includes intensive language study, homestays, and experiential learning experiences such as internships in various fields, including health care and law.
• Since 2019, the U of A has been home to the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA). CASA provides semester- and yearlong study abroad language and research training to advanced students and faculty in multiple disciplines. Founded in 1967, this consortium of 30 leading institutions has graduated experts and leaders in various fields focusing on the Middle East and North Africa. CASA has received four federal grants to support its programs in Jordan and Morocco.   

Most federal grants critical to these initiatives follow three- to four-year funding cycles, while some grants are competed annually. “We are grateful to our partners — on campus and around the world — for helping us secure the resources we need to train future experts and leaders with global experience,” says Shiri. “These prestigious, federally funded programs strengthen the U of A’s reputation in second language acquisition and teaching while expanding our impact on global and international education.”

Diane Awdeh, associate director of Arabic Special Programs, mentions seed funding from Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) as contributors to the successful renewals. “Funders always like to see that the university is financially committed, and RII awards demonstrate that,” she says.

"These learning experiences are life-changing,” Awdeh adds, explaining how students spend extended periods of time immersed in life with native speakers and engaging in professional learning experiences. “They come home ready to operate professionally in nearly any Arabic-speaking context.”