Bill Text: HI SCR111 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: East Asian Language Center; UH; Feasibility Study

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-10 - (S) Referred to HRE. [SCR111 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SCR111-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	111
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting a feasibility study for the establishment of an asian language center at the university of hawaii at manoa campus.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the East-West Center is an education and research organization established by the United States Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, the East-West Center has successfully engaged in cooperative study, training, and research on critical issues concerning the United States and the Asia Pacific region; and

 

     WHEREAS, in addition to a campus on the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the East-West Center has an office in Washington, D.C., to enhance the United States' engagement and dialogue with the Asia-Pacific region through access to the programs and expertise of the Center and policy-relevant research, publications, and outreach activities, including those of the United States Asia Pacific Council; and

 

     WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii at Manoa has the largest East Asian languages department in the country and offers a depth and breadth of language options, especially in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is a shortage of professionals with skills in critical languages to meet the business, national intelligence, cultural, and other needs that are necessary with increasing globalization; and

 

     WHEREAS, a flagship East Asian Language Center that builds upon the successes and strengths of the East-West Center and the University of Hawaii at Manoa could serve as the nation's premiere center for instruction in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, meeting the need for critical language linguists and linking students to economic, cultural, political, and academic opportunities around the world; and

 

     WHEREAS, a flagship East Asian Language Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and in partnership with the East-West Center could take advantage of each institution's existing contacts and programs and may include programs to participate in language immersion programs overseas, United States Department of State consulate internships, Hawaii State Legislature internships, Chamber of Commerce in-country internships, and language course teacher assistantships in Hawaii's public schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, a flagship East Asian Language Center may also benefit the state public education system by generating opportunities and interest for language studies in K‑12 education, implementing more advanced placement courses in high schools, creating scholarships and automatic program acceptance for graduates of Hawaii high schools who meet certain requirements, establishing summer professional development opportunities, and offering bachelor's degrees and master's degrees for professionals in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the House of Representatives concurring, that the University of Hawaii College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature is requested to conduct a feasibility study of establishing a flagship East Asian Language Center at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in cooperation with the East-West Center; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the feasibility study is requested to include but not be limited to:

 

     (1)  Which languages are expected to be most highly in demand over the next ten years;

 

     (2)  The advantages and disadvantages of training students and professionals in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages;

 

     (3)  Estimated costs of establishing the Center and an estimate of the expected demand and size of the program;

 

     (4)  Ways to collaborate with the Department of Education to offer a K‑12 curriculum that works in collaboration with the Center's programs; and

 

     (5)  A timeline for the development of the Center; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii is requested to submit a report of its feasibility study findings to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2011 Regular Session; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature, President of the East-West Center, the Superintendent of Education, and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

East Asian Language Center; UH; Feasibility Study