University of Illinois School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics

05/19/2026

Mandarin Chinese is a beautiful and limitlessly beneficial language to study. From its global salience to the many storied traditions surrounding it, this language is a worthy pursuit.

ILIP will be offering in-person beginner and intermediate Chinese courses from June 1 to June 18.

Why study Chinese with ILIP?

🔸China and its language are huge on the global stage in size, population, and economic influence
🔹There are plenty of opportunities to use it close to home, such as at Champaign-Urbana’s many Chinese restaurants
🔸The structure of the number system has been proven to significantly simplify mathematics

Learn more and register for the Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) by Monday, May 25 by visiting our website: http://go.illinois.edu/ilip

05/19/2026

Congratulations, Class of 2026, you did it! 🎓

A big thank you to everyone who came out to SLCL's Spring 2026 Convocation to show their support for our newest graduates.

If you weren't able to make it, you can watch the stream here: https://tr.ee/PT41ZdnAWd

05/15/2026

Embrace the art and culture of what many consider to be among the most beautiful languages. ILIP will be offering an in-person beginner Italian course from June 1 to June 18.

Why study Italian with ILIP?

🔸Hand gestures and body language are integral and fun to learn
🔹Italian is considered by many to be one of the most attractive and lyrical languages
🔸Italian culinary culture is world-renowned and uses unique vocabulary

Learn more and register for the Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) by Monday, May 25 by visiting our website: http://go.illinois.edu/ilip

05/15/2026

Tomorrow, we'll be celebrating the Class of 2026 with a convocation ceremony 🎓

SLCL Spring 2026 Convocation
🔸 Saturday, May 16
🔹Foellinger Auditorium
🔸4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
🔹Speaker: Jessica Nicholas (MA, '12; PhD, '18; French linguistics)

For more information, including the online program and how to access the livestream of the event, visit our website: https://slcl.illinois.edu/resources/graduation

05/15/2026

With thousands of years of history and intrigue, Biblical Greek makes its debut in this year’s session of ILIP. ILIP will be offering an in-person beginner Biblical Greek course from June 1 to June 18.

Why study Biblical Greek with ILIP?

🔸Some of the most historically influential texts were written in Ancient Greek
🔹Biblical Greek is tied to a long and intriguing part of human history
🔸Biblical Greek is very expressive and contains numerous words for different types of love

Learn more and register for the Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) by Monday, May 25 by visiting our website: http://go.illinois.edu/ilip

05/12/2026

Lyndon Shi, a sophomore majoring in history and East Asian languages and cultures, has received a highly competitive Boren Award.

He's one of just two recipients from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Boren Awards are funded by the National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to increase U.S. expertise in languages and cultures in world regions critical to U.S. interests. They provide students with an opportunity for intensive language study and cultural immersion.

Shi is planning to study Mandarin at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan this summer, followed by a year at National Taiwan University for additional language study.

Lyndon Shi, a student in the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures, has received a Boren Award. He's one of two recipients from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

05/08/2026

With over 200 million speakers worldwide, Russian is among the most spoken languages in the world. ILIP will be offering an in-person beginner Russian course from June 1 to June 18.

Why study Russian with ILIP?

🔸The Cyrillic script is widely used and will give you an edge with other Eurasian languages
🔹Russian doesn’t use articles and has flexible sentence structure
🔸It can open your world and your taste buds: Moscow hosts one of the most famous Maslenitsa celebrations, which centers on a pancake-like dish called blini

Learn more and register for the Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) by Monday, May 25 by visiting our website: http://go.illinois.edu/ilip

05/01/2026

We’re pleased to present this year’s SLCL diversity, service, and academic awards.

Diversity Awards
🔸 SLCL Diversity & Engagement Award: Aurore Mroz (French & Italian)
🔹 Xiaohui Zhang Diversity & Community Engagement Award: Williams Asamoah (French & Italian)

Marita Romine Distinguished Service Awards
🔸 Natalia Sakhartova (Linguistics)
🔹 Linh Tran (SLCL Reception & BTAA CourseShare)

SLCL Dissertation Completion Fellowships
🔸 Eunyoung Yang (Spanish & Portuguese)
🔹 Martine Gallardo (Linguistics)
🔸 Maialen Casquete de la Puente (Spanish & Portuguese)
🔹 Joseph Baronovic (Classics)
🔸 Jesse Keruskin (French & Italian)
🔹 Ragini Chakraborty (Comparative & World Literature)
🔸 Jude Mensah (French & Italian)
🔹 Vaughn Fenton (Classics)

Douglas A. Kibbee Prize
🔸 Eunyoung Yang (Spanish & Portuguese)

Staff Recognition of Years of Service
🔹 Zacharia Reed (Linguistics)
🔸 Jody Wagner (SLCL Business Office)

Congratulations to all of this year’s awardees, and thank you to everyone who attended our SLCL Spring 2026 Awards & Recognition Ceremony and joined us in celebrating their accomplishments!

Read more about our spring awards here: https://slcl.illinois.edu/news/2026-04-27/slcl-announces-2026-awards-and-fellowships

04/29/2026

With its rich history and modern popular application, Korean is a great option for language learners. ILIP will be offering an in-person beginner Korean course from June 1 to June 18.

Why study Korean with ILIP?

🔸The Korean writing system, Hangul, is logical and beginner-friendly
🔹 Korean language and culture are already prevalent in Champaign-Urbana, so you can practice close to home
🔸Korea’s vibrant pop culture scene has become internationally relevant and beloved

Learn more and register for the Intensive Language Instruction Program (ILIP) by Monday, May 25 by visiting our website: http://go.illinois.edu/ilip