The Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC) builds international awareness, global competence, and advanced language capacity in higher education, the private & public sector, and the K-12 community to empower the region’s global agenda. AGSC prioritizes and integrates principles of Education for Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Established in 2018, the Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC) is a partnership of Georgia State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Our mission is to enhance access to advanced language learning and to help deepen knowledge of global and intercultural issues for the benefit of students, faculty and the public. The AGSC engages students throughout Atlanta — including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students, community college students, and first-generation and low-income students — to prepare them for careers that will increasingly require global competence and intercultural fluency.

The AGSC is funded by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The award is one of only seven awards supporting centers with a focus on international studies. As part of our mission to enhance advanced language learning and knowledge of global issues for Atlanta region faculty and students, AGSC offers several funding opportunities including faculty travel and research grants and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships to assist undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree students in achieving foreign language competency in combination with international and area studies coursework. FLAS Fellowships can be used for domestic or international study during the academic year or over the summer semester and are available for the less commonly taught languages of Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian/Farsi, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. Funding for the study of French, German, and Spanish may be available for graduate students at an advanced level only.

Since 2019, the FLAS Fellowship Program has provided financial support to help 39 GSU students improve their foreign language proficiency and expand their knowledge of global issues and world regions. FLAS Fellowships provide up to $10,000 per academic year for undergraduate tuition and fees and $18,000 per year for graduate-level tuition and fees. FLAS Fellowships also include a living stipend of $5,000 per year for undergraduates and $20,000 per year for graduate students.

Instructions to apply for an AY22-23 FLAS Fellowship.

In collaboration with Emory University, Spelman College, the University of Georgia, and others, AGSC supports research, curricular enhancement, and faculty professional development in global studies and language learning. The center also promotes public events and K12 and community outreach along with a range of partners, including the Atlanta UN-RCE (Regional Center of Expertise), the Georgia Department of Education World Languages and Global Workforce Initiatives, the Georgia Tech Office of Serve Learn Sustain, Georgia State University's CULTR (Center for Urban Language Teaching and Research), the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, and the Georgia Tech and Georgia State University Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

Each year, the Atlanta Global Studies Symposium convenes educators, researchers, corporate, civic, and community partners, as well as graduate and undergraduate students, to discuss topics of global and local significance and to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the region. The 2021 event centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by focusing on issues such as social justice, global health, Race Beyond Borders, international education, diplomacy, sustainability, and peace education.

The next generation of leaders will be ready to address the complex issues facing our local and global communities. Three students, from three Georgia universities, shared their ideas about the importance of global and intercultural experiences that prepare students for global careers in the How to Grow into a Global Pro video competition. These student winners represent the many students in Georgia who are growing into global professionals, and who are ready to bring their fresh ideas, global skills, and rich perspectives to the table! We congratulate Christiana Stewart (Georgia State University), Jason Sodikin (Georgia Tech), and Ayanna Grant (University of Georgia) on their incredible journeys and bright futures!

Watch the winning videos here.

The Greater Atlanta Coalition for Global Education and Research, an initiative of the Atlanta Global Studies Center, brings the education, public, and private sectors together to support global and foreign language education that equips students to think critically, solve problems, and contribute to a sustainable future. Global awareness and advanced foreign language skills are critical in every field, including science, technology, business, healthcare, the arts, and humanities. The How to Grow into a Global Pro video competition was made possible by community partners who served as judges and career advisors for the winning students. Each winner received a one-on-one career advising session with a global pro at a partnering organization and a Visa gift card as an extra bonus!

The Atlanta Global Studies Center has an active community of faculty affiliates from Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, and partner institutions. Faculty from any college or department of Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, or their partners may apply for affiliation. Faculty affiliates have research, instructional, programmatic, and/or institutional interests in Global or Area Studies, Foreign Languages and Cultures, International Policy, Global and Local Economic Development and Sustainability, Virtual Exchange / COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), Study Abroad, K12 Teacher Education in Foreign Languages and Global Education, Refugee and Migrant Health, Translation and Interpretation, Interdisciplinary Studies, National Security, International Business, International Education, and Community Engagement.

Anthony F. Lemieux
Founding Co-Director, Atlanta Global Studies Center
Professor of Communication
Georgia State University
alemieux@gsu.edu

Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Co-Director, Atlanta Global Studies Center
Associate Professor of Spanish
Georgia Institute of Technology
juan.rodriguez@modlangs.gatech.edu

Diana Wrenn Rapp
Associate Director, Atlanta Global Studies Center
Georgia State University
dwrenn1@gsu.edu