FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             

CONTACT: Brenda Lange
Associate Director of Communication
215.248.7110

Chestnut Hill College (CHC) is developing an interdisciplinary minor in European Union and European Studies thanks to a two-year grant from the Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Languages Program (UISFL). The UISFL program funds projects that create, plan, develop, and implement programs to improve undergraduate instruction in international studies and foreign language. 

The $148,797 grant from the Department of Education, which the College will match with in-kind contributions, will further develop the College’s strategic vision by enabling the College to create local and global connections. Over the two-year project period, Chestnut Hill College will launch a new undergraduate minor focused on the European Union (EU); a pilot Language Across the Curriculum (LAC) model; distance education technologies to increase academic collaborations; professional development for faculty; and EU-related seminars. The project will be guided by Mary Helen Kashuba, SSJ, D.M.L. professor of French and Russian and chair of the Foreign Language and Literature Department.

“European Union and European Studies is a relatively new field of study that makes us unique in this region,” said Sister Mary Helen Kashuba, D.M.L., project director. “We hope also to provide a model for institutions similar to ourselves.  The grant will help many departments here at the College and encourage the study of world languages.  The support of the U.S. Department of Education brings great honor to the College and adds validity to our enterprise.”

CHC is delighted to expand foreign language learning opportunities through the LAC model. The LAC model will allow French, Spanish, German, and Italian students to strengthen their language skills and become familiar with the cultural context and legacies of European peoples through issue-relevant courses. In addition, CHC will expand professional development for faculty involved in course development and LAC. The College will host EU-related seminars that will be open to area K-12 teachers, community college faculty, and South Eastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education college faculty. 

“I am grateful for this grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the valuable educational opportunities it will offer to both our students and faculty,” said President Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D. “Having the ability to offer an interdisciplinary minor in European Union and European Studies at the College while expanding foreign language learning opportunities through the LAC model will only serve to further develop our student’s cultural awareness and ability to interact within a global community.”

CHC will collaborate with partner universities in the EU to integrate the new curriculum. At least seven European Partners — Aarhus in Denmark; Howest in Belgium; American Business School and Sorbonne in France; Liverpool Hope in Britain; Salamanca and Alicante in Spain; and Czech University of Life Sciences — will participate in enhancing the knowledge and expertise of student and faculty by hosting lectures and providing study abroad opportunities. More details about the UISFL grant award and the complete list of institutions which received funding from the U.S. Department of Education for this initiative, may be found here: UISFL program.

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About Chestnut Hill College

Celebrating more than 90 years of tradition and risk, Chestnut Hill College is a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition that offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master’s and doctoral programs. The College has been rated by US News & World Report as among the best master’s universities in the North, as among the best Northeastern colleges by The Princeton Review, and has been classified as selective by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Since 1924, the College has offered a rigorous curriculum that provides students with a broad background in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The goal of Chestnut Hill College has been to prepare students for life’s challenges by helping them to grow intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and socially.