VCU to host 2004 Summer Governor's Foreign Language Academies

By Malorie Burkett

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University has been chosen to host the 2004 Summer Governor’s Foreign Language Academies, a summer residential program for Virginia’s highly motivated and talented foreign language students.

This is the first time all six Governor’s Foreign Language Academies -- French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Latin -- will take place simultaneously at one institution.

“This is an opportunity for VCU to further strengthen its ties to foreign language students and educators throughout the state for the ultimate benefit of foreign language education from kindergarten through college,” said Dr. Paul Dvorak, professor of German in VCU’s School of World Studies and overall coordinator and liaison for the academies. Dvorak will be assisted by other members of VCU’s language faculty.

The 2004 Governor's Summer Residential Foreign Language Academies: A Global Village is unique to Virginia and provides an enhanced program unavailable in the regular school environment. In the context of the foreign language that they are studying, high school students take part in programs that promote global awareness, multi-cultural understanding and international education.

Participants studying German, French and Spanish will be enrolled in a full immersion program in which all classes, social activities, entertainment and daily conversations will be conducted in the languages of study for the entire three-week period. Given the difficulty of Japanese and Russian and the limited availability for study at the high school level, students studying these languages participate in semi-immersion programs. Students of Latin are provided an intensive experience that complements the many excellent programs throughout the state by learning about the cultural heritage of the classical world in plays, performances, film, food and games.

VCU’s School of World Studies will run the Global Village project. Meals, instruction, recreation and transportation will be provided. In addition, the academies’ students and staff members will be housed on the VCU Academic Campus.

Students are nominated by their public and private high schools to compete in a statewide selection process for the program. The teaching staff will be made up of Virginia public secondary school teachers, who also are selected on a competitive basis. Native speakers, college majors or former academy students will assist faculty in instruction and chaperoning the dorms.

VCU was selected in a competitive process during a site visit by the state selection committee, and was able to demonstrate its exceptional facilities and ability to meet the stringent academic and logistical requirements of the six academies.

Hosted in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Education, the six academies will run from June 26 to July 18.

Virginia’s first Governor’s Full Immersion Academy was held in 1986. Since then, approximately 6,000 students have participated in the programs. For more information on the academies visit http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Language/.