UMW To Host Governor's Language Academy

• Press Release from Office of News and Public Information, University of Mary Washington

The University of Mary Washington has been selected as host of the 2011 Governor’s Foreign Language Academy in German by the Virginia Department of Education.

This summer, 45 Virginia high school students who have excelled in language study will reside on UMW’s Fredericksburg campus from June 25-July 17. The program provides students with a three-week foreign language immersion intensive environment.

Marcel Rotter, associate professor of German, said the university’s dedication to foreign language studies makes Mary Washington a fitting site of the program. Rotter, who developed the grant proposal for the German academy, will be the program coordinator.

“UMW has a strong commitment to liberal arts education, including foreign language education,” said Rotter. “We have a language requirement that provides all graduates at least an intermediate knowledge of one foreign language. The recent restructuring of the Office of International Academic Services is additional evidence.”

During the academy, use of the English language is forbidden. Participants agree to strictly speak German for the duration of the program.

“Language immersion is the next best thing to actually going to the countries where the language of study is spoken,” said Rotter. “We have data evidence from tests that the Goethe-Institut administers every year that the students make huge progress during the three weeks of instruction.”

At UMW, students will take morning classes designed around project-based learning and student-centered activities to further develop their understanding of the German language. In addition, students will participate in clubs, film screenings and guest lectures.

The German academy teaching staff consists of Virginia public secondary school teachers and has a student to staff ratio of 5 to 1. The program also is staffed by native speakers and German language majors.

Participants must be high school sophomores or juniors and are nominated for the program by a public high school or accredited private school. Chosen through a state selection process, German language students also must have completed at least level three of the language prior to beginning the academy and have a proficient understanding of the language.

Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education, the Governor’s Foreign Language Academies offer high school students concentrated study in one of five languages on a college campus within the state. This is the first year UMW has been selected as a host site for an academy.