Three Pitt UCIS Centers Receive U.S. Dept. of Education Funding

Three University Center of International Studies (UCIS)-affiliated centers at the University of Pittsburgh recently received funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The centers are the Center for Russian and East European Studies (REES), the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), and the International Business Center (IBC).

The funding awards follow the Pitt Global Studies Program’s recent first-time designation as a National Resource Center (NRC) by the Department of Education.

REES received a first-time designation as a Title VI Comprehensive NRC—it was formerly designated an Undergraduate NRC, with funding primarily focused on undergraduate education initiatives. The center’s NRC grant of approximately $1.08 million acknowledges the excellence of REES’ graduate and professional school programs, in addition to its traditionally strong undergraduate programs. REES also received about $1.45 million in Title VI funding for Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships.

CLAS received its largest NRC grant to date—$288,796. The Department of Education also gave CLAS an additional $283,500 in funding for Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships. CLAS has held the NRC designation since 1979.

The IBC, a joint venture of Pitt’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and UCIS, received a four-year grant totaling approximately $1.53 million. The grant will allow the center to expand programming that focuses on emerging markets, the understanding of engineering and technology, and global corporate social responsibility.