A recent grant bonanza to the International Institute at the University of Michigan and the opening last November of the Confucius Institute to promote cross-cultural collaboration with China are bolstering President Mary Sue Coleman’s efforts to globalize the university.

The university’s recent announcement of winning $16 million in federal grants to fund international scholarships and other programs represents the largest funding round ever for the International Institute, said Ken Kollman, acting institute director.

The money came out of the Department of Education’s Title VI program to boost U.S. student involvement in international studies, foreign languages and international business.

“It’s certainly the most important external funding that the international institute receives,” said Kollman, who says seven separate centers were awarded Title VI grants.

Applications for the grants, which are awarded every four years, are themselves are a huge undertaking and take months. In 2006, Title VI grants were awarded to six centers at the university, he said.

“Getting seven was an improvement,” he said. “Certainly this is the largest amount of money and the most grants we’ve ever received from the Department of Education.”

The grants will fund fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students to study languages and conduct research abroad. It will pay for faculty to travel to conferences. And it helps the university bring international programs to campus.

The Department of Education also designated the seven centers as national resource centers, which adds cachet to the university’s international programs.

“These are prestigious recognitions,” Kollman said. “Only a few centers in the country in each area are awarded this recognition, which means the faculty are very strong in that area, and we have special resources on campus for people who want to come and study that region of the world.”

The seven centers that received grants were: The East Asia National Resource Center; the Center for International Business Education; Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies; Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies; Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies; Center for South Asian Studies; and Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

“This is a recognition of not only U-M’s strength in international study, but its vision for improving its international programs and its globalization themes,” Kollman said.

Coleman has been especially keen on boosting Michigan’s relationship with China, where she has led delegations twice, once in 2005 and again this past June.

The university has joint institutes with Shanghai Jiao Tong University as well as Peking University.

In 2008, Coleman appointed a China Task Force to recommend ways to enhance the university’s engagement with the world’s second largest economy. Chinese students represent the highest concentration of foreign visitors to the university, numbering 1,168 students.

In November, the university opened a Confucius Institute - one of 300 in the world - to promote Chinese culture, language and arts.