Bush Announces Foreign Language Initiative at University Presidents Summit

January 5, 2006

On January 5, 2006, President Bush launched the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI), an administration effort to address national security concerns by increasing the number of Americans learning “critical-need” foreign languages including Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindi, and Farsi. The program, details of which are still emerging, was introduced in remarks by the president at the opening event of the University Presidents Summit, a two-day meeting organized by the U.S. Departments of State and Education taking place January 5–6 in Washington, DC. The president’s speech was attended by summit participants, members of the press, foreign ambassadors, federal agency heads, key members of Congress, and leaders in international education, including NAFSA CEO and Executive Director Marlene Johnson.

With more than 100 university presidents and chancellors from all 50 states in attendance, the University Presidents Summit is expected to focus on issues related to study abroad and the recruitment of international students. NAFSA supported our members nationwide who were instrumental in preparing their university leadership for the meeting, including sharing with them information about NAFSA’s continuing efforts to promote a national program to ensure the international and foreign-language literacy of Americans through study abroad, and to restore the United States’ role as a magnet for international talent from around the world.

View a State Department fact sheet and briefing on the NSLI. Read NAFSA.news for further reporting on NSLI and the University Presidents Summit.