ur path forward to greater economic stability and social well-being will require more, not less, in the way of cultural understanding and linguistic dexterity. We need to work across academic departments within universities and colleges to achieve the kind of interdisciplinarity that is envisaged for undergraduate education. I can think of no better conduit for such an enterprise than the UC Language Consortium. For nearly a decade, the Consortium has been plowing the rich, interdependent field of language and trans-cultural learning, and very successfully. A grass roots movement organized, led, and largely funded by campus leaders who have come together in common cause, it has a proven track record leveraging investment in language learning, research, and instruction on all of the UC campuses. The Consortium has the means to assemble expertise from across the state and nation and bring it to bear on language issues in California.

—DANIEL GREENSTEIN, Vice Provost
Academic Planning, Programs and Coordination (Feb 6, 2009)