The School of Literatures, Cultures & Linguistics recently received funding as one of 10 projects as awarded by the University of Illinois System’s Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities.

The SLCL proposal is titled “IC@Illinois: The Illinois Intercultural Competence Initiative”. L. Elena Delgado, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and Director of the School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics, is the Principal investigator, but the proposal was presented on behalf of the School. The project will receive $171,000, plus another $25,000 from the College of LAS.

IC@Illinois intends to make the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics, and by extension the University of Illinois System, a hub for intercultural communication and intercultural studies. The proposed initiative is predicated on an IC model that is Humanities-centered, includes explicit public engagement, and has a joint focus on international and domestic diversity (Global/Public Humanities+ US Diversity). The project therefore will address both the specific trajectories and histories of U.S Minority populations, as well as the larger issue of relationships among different cultures and the importance of transnational processes and connections.

IC@Illinois has three primary and interconnected areas of activity: curricular innovation, training and public engagement. Undergraduates will be able to earn certification in Intercultural Competence, which refers to the ability to interact and function effectively across cultures. Graduate students, academic professionals and faculty will have roles, too, contributing to the development of courses, workshops and teaching modules. IC@Illinois will also foster collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago and Springfield, Humanities Research Institute, Illinois Global Institute and Discovery Partner’s Institute, all of which support the initiative.

The Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities was launched by President Tim Killeen to enhance and celebrate the arts and humanities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and University of Illinois Springfield (UIS).

“The arts and humanities enrich our lives and help us understand the human condition in an increasingly complex world. This has been illustrated to us all, once again, with vivid clarity over the past 15 months of the pandemic and societal upheaval. I believed it was vital to create this fund in order to support projects that help ‘light the path’ forward for all of us, and I am proud that the U of I System is now providing a second round of funding for such important work,” Killeen said.