Department of Defense renews KU designation

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas’ designation as a Department of Defense (DoD) Language Training Center has been renewed through 2019. KU received a $650,000 grant to provide specific language, regional expertise and culture training to select DoD personnel.

The Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) held an open competition this spring for the Language Training Center (LTC) Program. The LTC Program is a DoD initiative established in 2011 in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010 to accelerate the development of foundational or higher-level expertise in strategic language and regional studies for DoD personnel by leveraging U.S. institutions of higher education to meet the existing and demonstrated training needs of DoD units, offices or agencies.

“This grant will allow KU to continue to improve the language and cultural competencies of our nation’s military. Our students and their units appreciate the superior instruction they receive from KU. The service members we work with consistently compliment both the quality of our instructors and the classes they attend,” said Randy Masten, assistant director of KU’s Graduate Military Programs. “In turn, our instructors have found the military students to be excellent students and dedicated language learners.”

KU will be providing language instruction in multiple languages to military personnel stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado; U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, and summer intensive language programs conducted at KU’s main campus for members of the U.S. military. Additionally, the military students will receive regional and cultural instruction on the areas associated with the target languages. 

KU is one of eight institutions selected for the LTC Program, effective Aug. 1. The others are California State University-Long Beach; Concordia College; North Carolina State University; San Diego State University; George Mason University in collaboration with University of Maryland - Baltimore County; University of Montana, and the University of Utah. The LTCs partner with the Armed Services, Special Forces community, defense agencies, and Reserve and National Guard units to support their language and culture training.