Submitted by:
Patricia S. Kuntz
Outreach Director
African Studies Program
University of Wisconsin
1454 Van Hise, 1220 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1557 USA
v: (608) 263-2171
f: (608) 262-6998
e: kuntz@macc.wisc.edu
Categories:
Education, K12; Education, higher; Education, continuing or distance; Research, academic
Keywords:
Innovative or improved ways of doing things; More equitable access to technology or electronic information; Creation of new ideas, products, or services; Technology transfer; Local commitment to network-based activities; Volunteer contributions of time and energy; Partnerships between public and private sector
The Story:
The University of Wisconsin, African Studies Outreach Program, provides a variety of networking services to the state, nation, and world. The most innovative service is in the promotion of less-commonly taught languages. The Outreach Director, Patricia Kuntz and colleagues Richard Chowning (Abilene Christian College) and Robert Moldenhauer (Wisconsin) have created a listserv conversation board for readers and writers of Swahili. In the last ten years the number of students, government, and commercial workers knowledgeable in Swahili has exploded. Therefore, Swahili-l provides a medium for not only maintaining the language, but also for conducting research in teaching, literature, and linguistics. Swahili-L allows subscribers to stay current on the activities in East Africa where Swahili is the official, national, or ethnic languages. Swahili-l has offered a method for language instructors around the world to compare teaching methodologies and to collaborate with government agencies requiring Swahili expertise as mandated through the Higher Education Act 1992 — Title IV (Fellowships) and Title VI (National Resource Centers).