FLAS Awards

All You Wanted to Know About: Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS) University of Hawaii at Manoa 2009-2010

Fellowships Coordinator
School of Pacific and Asian Studies
University of Hawaii at Manoa
1890 East-West Road, Moore 321 Honolulu, HI 96822
phone: (808) 956-2210 fax: (808) 956-6345
email: chizuko@hawaii.edu

How can I get an application form?

Follow the links below or contact Fellowships Coordinator above. Please note that each of the five areas (China, Japan, Korea, Pacific Islands, and Southeast Asia) has its own form. 2009-2010 forms will be available in December 2008.

• Southeast Asia: .doc

• China: .doc

• Japan: .doc

• Pacific Islands: .doc

• Korea .doc

Who can apply for FLAS awards?

You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and a full-time classified graduate student at the University of Hawaii. The academic year FLAS recipients must engage in both modern language and area/international studies while the summer FLAS must focus on language training. Summer applicants must be enrolling in a formal program of intensive language training with 120 contact hours in advance language, or 140 contact hours in intermediate language. Following federal guidelines, Ph.D. dissertation research or write-up will be given lower priority. Students who already possess fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in that particular language are NOT encouraged to apply.

What are the languages that can be studied under the FLAS program at UHM?

East Asian languages: Chinese (third year or higher), Japanese (third year or higher), and Korean

Pacific Island languages: Maori, Marshallese, Samoan, Tahitian, and Tongan

Southeast Asian languages: Cambodian, Ilokano, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese

Please note that FLAS requires modern language training, and NOT classical language.

What does the fellowship package include?

Academic year FLAS provides a $15,000 stipend (usually given in ten monthly installments) and tuition for up to 10 credits per semester. Summer FLAS for East Asia and Southeast Asia consists of a $2,500 stipend and tuition cost up to $4,000. FLAS awards are subject to funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

When is the application deadline?

February 17: China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia* for academic year 2009-2010 and summer 2009 awards

March 2: Pacific Islands FLAS for academic year only

*SEASSI (Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute) in Wisconsin has an early deadline. Check its web site at: www.seassi.wisc.edu.

Is it possible for FLAS awardees to study abroad?

Yes, it is possible for both academic year and summer FLAS awards. In fact, intensive in-country language training is strongly recommended for summer Southeast Asia FLAS. If studying abroad in the academic year, both language (usually at the third-year level or higher) and area studies courses must be taken. Applicants who wish to study abroad must provide the following information on their FLAS application: the name and location of the overseas institution/program, the web site of the institution/program, the dates of the study/travel, the level and title of the course, and the tuition. After selected, the study abroad plan must be approved by the U.S. Department of Education.

How many awards are given?

The number varies from year to year based on availability of US Department of Education funds and tuition support from UH units.

Who selects FLAS awardees, and how soon are they notified of the committee decision?

Each year, FLAS selection committees at five Centers (Centers for Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, Pacific Islands Studies, and Southeast Asian Studies) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa review and rank respective applications. For China, Japan, and Korea, the East Asia Council, comprised of the three Centers, make final decisions on FLAS awards. The decision making process takes a month or two. The fellowship coordinator notifies decisions to applicants.

What are the selection criteria?

High academic achievement and promise are the basic criteria. The selection committee looks at the quality of your statement of purpose, the level of your scholarly records, and the strength of faculty recommendations. In addition, the committee reviews your plan to take appropriate language and area studies courses. Because FLAS supports language training, lower priority will be given to those who are writing Ph.D. dissertations as well as those who already possess fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in the target language.

What are the responsibilities of a FLAS recipient?

Recipients must abide by the intent of their language study program as stated on the application. If there are any changes whatsoever, they must inform the fellowship office in Moore 321 immediately. They may not be eligible for continued funding if they change plans without approval. A fellowship will be terminated if the student is not making satisfactory progress, is no longer enrolled, is no longer in good standing at the institution, or if he or she fails to follow the course of study promised, unless a revised course of study has been approved.

What if a student who receives an award cannot fulfill the study? Are there alternates?

Alternates are selected and are told they are alternates. Although there is no assurance, alternates sometimes are notified of awards, usually before the academic year begins.

Are students eligible to apply for FLAS awards even though they have been awarded before?

Yes, they can reapply.

11/08