Foreign Language and Area Studies

Introduction

Funds are allocated each year by the Office of International Education, U.S. Department of Education, under the provisions of Title VI legislation for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grants for study of the following Southeast Asian languages at SEASSI: Burmese, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Javanese, Khmer, Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese. Although these funds are allocated to Southeast Asian FLAS-granting institutions, they are pooled and are awarded on a national basis. FLAS awards consist of: 1) payment of the SEASSI tuition, and 2) a living stipend of $2500. The FLAS awards are made possible through the generous cooperation of the eight universities that receive U.S. Dept. of Education FLAS funding for Southeast Asian languages: Cornell University, Northern Illinois University, University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Hawaii, University of Michigan, University of Washington, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. These universities voluntarily forward their summer FLAS allocations to SEASSI so that FLAS funding can be made available to eligible graduate students across the United States.

Eligibility

Applicants for SEASSI FLAS awards must be American citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Currently enrolled undergraduate students, graduate students, and students admitted to a graduate program for Fall 2010 are eligible to receive FLAS awards. SEASSI FLAS fellowships will NOT be awarded to post-doctoral students. Those who have previously been awarded FLAS awards for study at SEASSI or for study of a Southeast Asian language during the academic year are eligible to apply.

Application

All necessary information and materials for applying for a FLAS award are contained in this application; there is no separate FLAS application form. The same application form is used nationally. Applications should be submitted to the SEASSI office at the UW-Madison Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all application materials are complete and submitted on time.

     Note to UCLA and UC-Berkeley students only: Please apply directly to your university's Center for Southeast Asian Studies for FLAS support for attending SEASSI. Link to UCLA summer FLAS application: http://apply.international.ucla.edu/?cseas. Link to UC-Berkeley summer FLAS application: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/financial/pdf/flas_summer_announcement.pdf.

 

Criteria for Selection

Applicants will be judged by the following criteria:

  • Commitment to a career relating to Southeast Asia or involving use of the language to be studied.

  • Academic performance.

  • Appropriateness of the applicant’s chosen program of academic study and experience to meet his or her stated goals.

  • Fit with SEASSI program as determined by language and level of language proposed to be studied in order to ensure appropriate enrollments in some SEASSI classes.

  • Undergraduate applicants only:  Preference will be given to students applying for 2nd or 3rd year language study.

**PLEASE BE AWARE: Because of the limited funds available, not all qualified applicants can be given awards.

Selection Procedure

  • Applications from students at FLAS-granting institutions are first reviewed by local committees. Final selection is made by the national SEASSI FLAS Allocation Committee.

  • Notification of awards, of alternate status, and of rejection are sent out by the SEASSI office by April 15th. Those offered an award must indicate acceptance by the date stated on the award letter. Those who have not indicated acceptance by the deadline stated on the award letter will automatically have the offer withdrawn.

  • The alternate list will be maintained even after SEASSI begins since some grantees have found it necessary to reject their awards even after the beginning of the Institute.

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Contact Us!
Please direct any questions to the SEASSI Program Coordinator:

Mary Jo Wilson
Center for Southeast Asian Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison
207 Ingraham Hall
1155 Observatory Dr.
Madison, WI 53706
phone: (608) 263-1755
fax: (608) 263-3735
email:
seassi@intl-institute.wisc.edu