Centers compete, keep funds

After the launch of Sputnik, the United States government created federally funded National… After the launch of Sputnik, the United States government created federally funded National Resource Centers at colleges throughout the country, including Pitt.

Though the competition between Russia and the United States has died down, the National Resource Centers have survived, providing students with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of other cultures, according to Dr. William Brustein, director of the University Center for International Studies at Pitt.

Every third year, colleges that house the National Resource Centers are reevaluated by the U.S. Department of Education to determine if the schools are still worthy of funding. Universities throughout the country are constantly updating their Centers for International Studies, so there is tough competition to retain the status.

“You aren’t always redesignated,” Brustein said. “Some schools get knocked out. Each time, it gets tougher and tougher.”

After nearly two decades of national funding, the U.S. Department of Education again redesignated Pitt’s Asian Studies Center, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Russian and East European Studies and the Center for West European Studies as National Resource Centers this year.

The area-studies programs are housed within the University Center for International Studies, more commonly referred to as UCIS.

The redesignation followed an intense, peer-reviewed competition that considered student interest, faculty quality and holdings in the library, all relating to the center’s specific area of study, Brustein said.

Pitt currently has 481 faculty associates and usually offers between 600 and 800 courses each term within UCIS. There is a large amount of student involvement within the courses, as well.

“Typically, each year, we look at the number of students who are earning certificates of study, and the number is over 1,000,” Brustein said.

The newest addition to UCIS is the Global Studies Certificate, which was created two years ago. In one year, the number of students earning degrees in the program grew to 140. Brustein said he hopes this center will earn National Resource Center status after the next evaluation.

Schools are supplied with this distinction through Title VI of the Higher Education Act and contracted through the U.S. Department of Education’s International Education and Graduate Programs Service. Those universities that have notable National Resource Centers receive grants from the Department of Education so that they may continue to improve and expand upon the area of international studies, according to a press release issued by UCIS.

In addition to the four National Resource Centers, the University also houses a nationally recognized International Business Center.