Local foundation awards study abroad scholarships

Friday, June 22, 2012

The German Language and Culture Foundation recently awarded $44,000 in scholarships to support study abroad in Germany during this summer and the 2012-13 academic year.

Twenty-one scholarships were presented, with 20 going to University students majoring in German language. The scholarships will support immersive language study in a German-speaking country at a Goethe Institute in those countries that offer home-stay opportunities for students.  The German Language and Culture Foundation (GLCF) scholarships will supplement these four-week study abroad experiences.

The foundation also gave a $7,500 scholarship to Neil Luebchow, a German major and Russian minor. A native of Lewisville, Luebchow will spend the upcoming academic year on an exchange in Bielefeld, Germany. He said the foundation’s support is important as he is funding his education by working during the summers and through student loans.

GLCF president Kurt Waldthausen presented the scholarships to Provost Joan Lorden during a recent visit to campus.Waldthausen has been instrumental in the partnership between the GLCF and UNC Charlotte Office of Education Abroad; to date, nearly 50 UNC Charlotte students have studied abroad through GLCF scholarships.

Brad Sekulich, director of the Office of Education Abroad in the Office of International Programs, noted the impact these scholarships have for students and the German language program. “The number of German majors has risen sharply since the onset of these scholarships. Not only do our students benefit from the advantage study abroad gives them in their future academic and/or professional careers, GLFC supporters will see huge dividends in their investments as these student enter the workforce with linguistic and intercultural skills that can only be obtained through the first-hand experience of study abroad.”