Since 2007, close to 200 students have benefited from the Uzbek language program at The Ohio State University, and a generous $10,000 gift by the government of Uzbekistan will further strengthen this nationally recognized curriculum.

The Uzbek language program is currently offered through the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (NELC) with support from the Center for Slavic and East European Studies (CSEES) and the East Asian Studies Center. Uzbek is a Central Asian language that is spoken by 25 million Uzbeks within and outside of Uzbekistan.

Javlon Vakhabov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States, visited Ohio State in November 2019, where he was able to experience firsthand the dedication and commitment of the university’s faculty in delivering a rigorous and stimulating Uzbek language program. Ambassador Vakhabov also met with students studying Uzbek and was impressed with their interest in the language and Central Asian culture and history.

Further discussions between Ambassador Vakhabov, CSEES Director Angela Brintlinger and Department of History Chair and NELC Interim Chair Scott Levi led to the donation that will support and enhance Ohio State’s Uzbek language program.

“Working with Ambassador Javlon Vakhabov and his staff to promote the study of Uzbek language, history, and culture has been a real pleasure, and we are honored to receive this support for our programs” Brintlinger said.

Although several Uzbek language programs have been discontinued over the past 10 years, Ohio State’s has thrived. It now stands as the largest program in the country. Ohio State is one of the few universities and colleges regularly offering Uzbek language classes as part of the academic year curriculum.

Through the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), Ohio State’s Uzbek language program reaches a diverse group of students from across the country who have frequently enrolled in the university’s classes through a distance learning initiative launched in 2015.

“We are absolutely delighted to have established this important and unprecedented partnership with the Embassy of Uzbekistan,” Levi said. “This relationship has enhanced our ability to offer Uzbek language instruction to students here at Ohio State and across the BTAA, and we’re thrilled to be able to help create new pathways for students to engage professionally with Uzbekistan in particular, and Central Asia more broadly.”

Students who have enrolled in the Uzbek program use their language skills in many different careers including academia, government and social work.