By Julianna Parker

Mohammad T. Alhawary came to Norman in fall 2001 to start the Arabic language and Middle Eastern studies programs at the University of Oklahoma.

Shortly after his arrival, the 9/11 terrorist attacks made the study of Arabic even more important in U.S. national security and foreign relations.

Interest in the program at OU rose every year, but still Alhawary was the sole full-time professor in the Arabic language program.

But with the university's recent receipt of a new grant, Alhawary will get some help.

The National Security Education Program awarded OU's International Programs Center a $1.3 million grant to expand the Arabic language program on the Norman campus.

"It's going to really put us on the map in terms of regionally and nationally as well," said Alhawary, ConocoPhillips professor of Arabic language, literature and culture.

The award will provide money for scholarships for OU students majoring in Arabic, hire new faculty and staff and allow OU to study the best Arabic language programs in higher education across the United States.

"The selection process for National Security Education Program grants is extremely competitive," OU President David Boren said in a press release. "This award recognizes the growing excellence of OU's International Programs Center."

Boren authored the legislation that created the federally funded NSEP when he was a U.S. senator. Administered by the Department of Defense, NSEP provides grants for institutions and students to study world regions and languages critical to U.S. interests.

The fact that Boren started the NSEP probably didn't hurt OU's chance of receiving the grant, said Zach Messitte, vice provost and executive director for the International Programs Center. It probably helped for the selection committee to know that the university administration also supported the efforts of the Arabic program, he said.

The grant couldn't have come at a better time.

"The program is kind of literally bursting at the seams," Messitte said. "For obvious reasons, the program is very popular."

There is a great need for more Arabic language training, Alhawary said. Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is spoken by at least 300 million people in the more than 20 countries in the Arab world. It is also the religious language of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims.

And it's important for U.S. national security and foreign relations. The Arabic program at OU prepares students for a variety of careers in the government, international business or the arts, Alhawary said.

The program has grown every year since Alhawary started at OU, with many students wanting to major in Arabic if they could, he said.

"The language has really taken off here, so what this does is lift us up a full level," Messitte said.

About 130 students are enrolled in Arabic language classes in the fall, Alhawary said.

There are two full-time Arabic instructors, but Alhawary is the only tenure-track faculty member whose expertise is not only in the language but also the culture and literature.

Alhawary said the grant will allow the university to develop better teaching methods in Arabic, especially with an emphasis on Arabic culture in addition to the language.

The total grant awarded to OU was $1,327,489 along with $275,591 financed as a cost share by the university.

The money will be paid to the university over the course of three years beginning Aug. 1, Messitte said. So for example, the grant will pay for the cost of the search for a new full-time tenure-track faculty member for the program. It will pay for 100 percent of the costs of the professor the first year, 50 percent the second year and then OU will be expected to maintain the faculty position.

The grant will enable the creation of an Arabic major at OU, something that only a handful of universities in the U.S. offer.

The grant will pay for the implementation of an Arabic-only hall in one of the dormitories, so that students can be immersed in the language.

The grant also pays for scholarships to bring bright students to OU to study as well as help students already at OU pay for their degrees. And it will pay for students to spend a year studying abroad in Alexandria, Egypt.

And at the end of the grant period, the university may be able to apply to be designated a flagship university for critical national security needs. There are only six or eight with that designation in the U.S., Messitte said.

"So there's all these really good incentives inside this grant that will make OU one of the leaders in the region for teaching Arabic," Messitte said.

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com