June 5, 2006

Contact Bobbie Wilson at 608-796-3075 or bawilson@viterbo.edu

VITERBO RECEIVES $151,941 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GRANT

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Viterbo University has been awarded a $151,941 U.S. Department of Education Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language grant to be used to develop a Latin American Studies minor.

The grant will be used specifically by Viterbo to enrich and internationalize the selection of general education offerings, to create new study abroad and exchange opportunities in Latin America, to strengthen the Spanish department and improve language instruction, and to enhance cultural sensitivity in professionals serving an increasingly Spanish-speaking population in the United States.

The Latin American Studies minor will be accessible to all students, but especially students enrolled in professional fields. Faculty will develop and teach Latin American Studies coursework suitable for general education credit in broad field social studies, business, dietetics, environmental studies, literature, nursing, philosophy, and social work. New content-specific Spanish classes will also be created for students in business, health care, and social service programs.