Arabic-L:PEDA:Plea for funding transparency in STARTALK and other program calls for proposals

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 02 Oct 2014
Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <dilworth_parkinson at byu.edu>
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1) Subject: Plea for funding transparency in STARTALK and other program
calls for proposals

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1)
Date: 02 Oct 2014
From: Christopher r Stone <cst at hunter.cuny.edu>
Subject: Plea for funding transparency in STARTALK and other program calls
for proposals

On September 13, 2014, the National Foreign Langauge Center posted a call
for proposals on the Arabic-L list serve for its STARTALK program.

The CFP is impressively detailed, but no where does it mention the source
of funding for STARTALK.

The CFP also has a number of links for those who need more information.
None of these, including a FAQ page (https://startalk.umd.edu/faq/proposals/)
state clearly who funds the program.

>From most of the pages that theses links send one, however, one could
always press the “About STARTALK” button.

This, though, takes you to a page not much more elucidating:

"STARTALK is the newest of the component programs of the National Security
Language Initiative (NSLI) announced by former President Bush in January of
2006. The initiative seeks to expand and improve the teaching and learning
of strategically important world languages that are not now widely taught
in the US. Other programs under the NSLI umbrella include Title
VI/Fulbright Hays programs of the US Department of Education, The National
Security Education Program (NSEP) of the US Department of Defense, and
study abroad and exchange programs of the US Department of State.”

Reading this description one would have to guess that STARTALK is funded by
the DOE, the DOS, or the DOD.

STARTALK, according to the following document, is actually funded by the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence Programs:
http://www.aplu.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?id=50

One could argue whether this is a good or bad thing.  What is indisputable
is that those applying for funding should very easily be able to know the
source of that funding.

We call on STARTALK and other programs run out of the National Foreign
Langauge Center to be more transparent in listing the sources of funding
for the programs it administers.

Sincerely,

Elliott Colla
Chair, Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies
Georgetown University
200 Poulton Hall
Washington, DC 20057
ec393 at georgetown.edu

Christopher Stone
Associate Professor of Arabic
Head of Arabic Division
Department of Classical and Oriental Studies
Hunter West  1303
Hunter College, CUNY
695 Park Ave
New York, NY 10065
212-650-3138
cst at hunter.cuny.edu
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/classics/arabic/

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