Diverse Languages | Diverse Learners | Diverse Teachers
Language teachers can be the greatest advocates that our educational system has when it comes to promoting international awareness, global competence, respect for all kinds of cultural variation, and a commitment to inclusion. Our graduate students, alumni, and faculty already represent over 20 target languages, but the field of language teaching is far less diverse than it could be. The new Strategic Plan for Michigan State University includes both Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Success as primary goals. With those efforts and our own mission and vision in mind, the Online Graduate Programs in Foreign Language Teaching are very pleased to announce that as of Summer 2022, we will be offering two types of fellowships that are designed to increase the diversity of our student and alumni community and their impact on the teaching and learning of all languages.
Linguistic Diversity Recruitment Fellowships
$2100 will be awarded to each of up to 5 incoming students each semester
Who is eligible? Applicants must meet the admissions criteria for the MAFLT Program and also have two or more years of teaching experience and proficiency of at least Intermediate-High (for LCTLs) or Advanced-Low on the ACTFL scale or at least B1 on the CEFR scale. Priority will be given to applicants who are:
- Teachers of a less-commonly-taught language
- Teachers of heritage language learners
- Members of an under-represented population, i.e., BIPOC language educators in the U.S.
How do I apply? When you complete your application for the MAFLT Program, indicate in your Academic Statement that you want to be considered for this financial aid opportunity. Also, under additional documentation, submit a form using the template provided. Recipients will be selected each semester when the Admissions Committee reviews all current applications. The amount will pay for a total of 3 credits in your first three semesters.
Download the Form
Instructions and due dates for MAFLT applications are provided at https://maflt.cal.msu.edu/admissions. We also encourage you to start a conversation with us by sending an email to maflt@cal.msu.edu.
Linguistic Diversity Completion Fellowships
$4200 will be awarded per Experiential Module project selected for the annual fellowship
What projects will be considered? These fellowships will be distributed to projects that are specifically intended to support the teaching of less-commonly-taught languages (LCTLs) and the teaching of heritage language learners in and beyond your own classroom and context. Typically, these projects will be designed to meet an existing need by designing materials, instructional sequences, online modules, assessments, or teacher training experiences that will be shared as open educational resources (OERs).
How do I apply? To apply for a fellowship that will pay for the course credits as you complete your Experiential Module and Final Portfolio, you must complete the Experiential Module Application by the announced due date prior to the semester in which you want to begin your EM (TBA), indicate on the application that you wish to be considered for the fellowship, and also complete the application in sufficient detail and quality to demonstrate that your project will support linguistic diversity and that you will be able to complete and share it within the proposed time frame. Also, one of the core faculty members or an affiliated faculty member must agree to mentor you as you work on the project and provide a letter of recommendation in support of your application for the fellowship. Reach the EM Application through the D2L MAFLT Community or the MAFLT Students group in Teams or SharePoint. See: Current Student Resources.
Questions? Send an email to maflt@cal.msu.edu.
