Landry Shaffer participates in UNG's Chinese Flagship Program capstone year

2016 Oct 11

University of North Georgia (UNG) cadets are spending the 2016-17 academic year studying in China through the university's Chinese Language Flagship Program, which has been renewed for another four-year, $1.2 million grant.

Landry Shaffer of Marietta, Georgia, a cadet majoring in Chinese at UNG, started the capstone year in September and will remain in China through June 2017.

Established in 2011, UNG's program is funded by the Defense Language National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) and is administered by Institute of International Education. UNG's program is designed to provide intensive Chinese language and culture education in conjunction with ROTC requirements. UNG's Chinese Language Flagship Program is the only ROTC-designated flagship program in the nation.

The Language Flagship Program, which sponsors more than two dozen programs in various languages at 20-plus universities, is an initiative of the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

"What makes UNG's Flagship Program distinctive is that students pursue a major of their choice together with intensive Chinese language training. In this way, students graduate with a high proficiency in Chinese as well as all the practical knowledge their major can offer them," said Sungshin Kim, associate professor of history at UNG. Kim and Dr. Chris Jespersen, dean of UNG's College of Arts & Letters, are principal investigators for the grant. "Equipped with both Chinese language and professional skills, Flagship students are uniquely well-prepared for careers in federal government, global business, nongovernmental organizations, or other fields, in a world where China has come to play an important role."