Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Let us hope the horrific events of 2001 can make us all a little kinder, less certain we are right, more aware of the challenges of communicating across the gulfs that separate cultures in 2002. Clearly the importance of the humanities in teaching students to understand themselves and others and to reflect on the world around them has been brought home to us as never before.
A recent trip to Washington, D.C., for the Joint National Committee on Languages board meeting brought news of new funding and new programs to support languages and area studies in the U.S. Although the re-authorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act ("No Child Left Behind") puts great emphasis on testing and accountability, there is support for professional development programs, and the Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) is included in the final version of the bill (as part of Title V, "Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs"). Applications for FLAP will probably not be available before the end of March, and the deadline will be about a month later. Keep an eye on the JNCL web site (www.languagepolicy.org) for application information. Last year's application may be reviewed on the JNCL site now.
The Higher Education Act is to be reauthorized next year, and an increase in funding for Title VI/Fulbright-Hays has been proposed, much of it targeted to study of the strategically-important languages and cultures of Central and South America, the Middle East, Russia, and the Independent States of the former Soviet Union. Let your representatives know how important federal support is to our fields and how important it is to have Americans competent in the languages and cultures of all areas of the world.
Elsewhere in this issue of the Newsletter are articles about the ATJ Bylaws changes, the upcoming elections, and the annual ATJ Seminar and Business Meeting that will take place in Washington, D.C., on April 4 and 6. Please note that for the first time all ATJ members will vote for a president-elect this year, as well as for new board members, and that you will need to return your ballots by mail.
I look foward to seeing you in Washington, D.C., in April!
Laurel Rasplica Rodd, President