Grappling with the loss of Title VI funding

Alysia Martinez, a recent University of Kansas psychology graduate, calls her Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) experience “life changing.” Funded through now-canceled Title VI grants, FLAS supported 68% of students in eight languages taught by KU’s area centers from 2018–2024, with nearly $14,000 invested per fellow. Over four consecutive fellowships, Martinez studied Kaqchikel—an endangered Mayan language spoken by about 410,000 people in Guatemala—while pursuing research and sharing the language and culture with the Lawrence community.

Fri, 10/10/2025

Dan Oetting

The University of Kansas is facing a period of uncertainty regarding its longstanding role as a leader in less commonly taught languages and area studies following the sudden withdrawal of Title VI funding. The area centers at KU learned about this funding news in September, impacting students, faculty, and several critical language programs.

A legacy of language leadership

For decades, KU has been recognized along with a select handful of universities in the nation for its support of critical languages and area studies instruction, thanks in part to Title VI grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Awarded almost continuously since 1959, these grants have enabled the university to offer instruction in languages rarely taught elsewhere, such as Uyghur, Tibetan, and indigenous languages of Latin America. KU is the only institution in the Great Plains able to teach 33 critical languages and has been the only university in the region with four or more National Resource Centers serving the state and nation.

How Title VI worked at KU

Each Title VI award was composed of two parts: the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grant, which provided fellowships and tuition support for students, and the National Resource Center (NRC) grant, which funded language instruction, faculty research, library acquisitions, and outreach.

Funding cancellation

The federal government has canceled Title VI funding nationally, a decision announced Sept. 10, with no indication of future reinstatement. The funding has been designated for other federal programs. The Department of Education’s recent staffing reductions, which have halved its workforce, may have influenced the decision.

With the revocation of funds, KU has lost more than $2 million in internationalization support, including $901,000 in fellowships covering tuition and living stipends for FLAS fellows and $152,000 in student employment. Another $202,000 has been lost for language instruction, affecting 27 instructors and support personnel, while nearly $179,000 for faculty research, partnerships, and curriculum development has been taken away.

Associate Vice Provost for International & Global Engagement Megan Greene explained that the immediate effect on students has varied. Some students have sought alternative support, with a few choosing to drop out or reconsider their plans for the semester. “It's been disruptive. A few have dropped out of area studies due to affordability, though many are continuing with their plans,” Greene noted.

Broader implications

The change affects more than individual students. KU’s area centers bring expertise to Kansas, supporting the state’s competitive advantage, preparing students for careers, and contributing to economic development. The Center for East Asian Studies, for example, played a key role in Kansas securing Panasonic’s 300-acre lithium-ion battery plant in De Soto, the largest economic development project in state history.

KU’s language programs also support national security by maintaining instruction in strategically critical languages. The funding cancellation impacts this capacity. “By offering as many critical languages as we do, we help Kansans develop and support those who come to Kansas to study, providing knowledge and linguistic capacity for service in government, business, or academia,” Greene said.

Looking ahead

KU has redirected limited scholarship funds where possible. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, and the Office of Graduate Studies are providing temporary, partial assistance to help some FLAS fellows remain enrolled this semester. Even with this temporary support, some students have withdrawn from classes, taken on greater debt, or extended their time to degree.

The leader of International Affairs, Charles Bankart, sees the sudden loss of Title VI funding as both a setback and an opportunity: "This is a time to take inventory of what matters most in our work, and chart a strong course forward with our area studies centers.

"We remain in a position of strength and have support from the highest levels of leadership at KU. That’s not to be taken for granted. The capacity we've built over decades regarding language and area studies is core to supporting KU’s mission as an international research university.

"Together, we will work to ensure our area centers remain hubs for our internationalization efforts. From partnership development, curriculum innovation, and supporting international research projects, to empowering local community partners as they engage with the world, we have strong purpose and an ever-bright future."