October 31, 2005
For Immediate Release
For more information:
Megan Laurie
(801) 863-7149
Written by:
Charlene Brown
(801) 863-8504
UVSC Celebrates Languages at UFLA Conference
Utah Valley State College will host the annual Utah Foreign Language Association (UFLA) conference Thursday, November 3 in the Sorensen Student Center. Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. and the conference will conclude at 4 p.m. Conan Grames will give the keynote address at noon.
Grames earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and is currently a member of Kirton and McConkie law firm in Salt Lake City, representing many global corporations. Grames has lived in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. He has taught Japanese at Middlebury College, The Japan Society of New York and the University of Utah.
Christine Kearl, Gov. Jon Huntsman’s education deputy, will host a special session to discuss Utah’s foreign language philosophies and resources at 1:15 p.m.
This year’s UFLA theme is “Celebrating Languages and Looking Ahead,” in conjunction with President Bush’s designation of 2005 as the “year of languages” throughout the United States. The proclamation was passed on March 8 and advocated that language education be an integral part of a student’s learning and academic career.
UFLA promotes the advancement, interchange of ideas and mutual understanding of languages, culture and literature. The conference will feature professors and teachers from across Utah including six UVSC foreign language faculty.
Pre-conference registration is $45 including a membership fee, plus $12 for the optional lunch. Onsite registration fee is $55. Anyone interested in teaching, learning or preserving a second language skill is eligible for membership in the association and is encouraged to attend the conference. More than 300 foreign language teachers from both high school and colleges are expected to participate at the conference.
For more information please contact Dr. Del Shumway, UVSC foreign language department chair, at (801) 863-8006. You may also contact Beverly Burdett, UFLA publicity chair at (801) 224-9519. For conference schedule and registration forms, please visit http://www.weber.edu/ufla.
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