Washington, D.C. - The University of Hawaii will receive $1,022,923 from the United States Department of Education, Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) announced today. Benefitting from the grant monies will be UH-Manoa’s National Foreign Language Resource Center, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for Pacific Islands Studies, and East Asia Council/School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies.

Senator Akaka supports federal funding to these programs because of UH’s commitment to advancing the teaching and research of Pacific Island and Asian languages.

"Our world-class language centers at the University of Hawaii stand out as models in the effort to improve language education. I am very pleased that federal support for our four centers has been renewed so that they may continue in their excellent work," said Senator Akaka.

"I am concerned that the United States as a whole lags behind much of the world with respect to language education, and our workforce faces a shortfall of individuals who can speak other languages and understand the cultures of other nations, which is particularly distressing for pressing national security and American competitiveness concerns."

As a result of his interest in language education, Senator Akaka is working to advance his bill, the Homeland Security Education Act, S. 2450, which lays out critical programs to begin language education at an early age, increase the number of language teachers and provide them with training and professional development programs, award scholarships to students who study languages in college, and establish college courses that combine the teaching of science and technology in languages other than English.