KU receives new intelligence community funding, awards 34 new scholarships

LAWRENCE — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently awarded KU’s Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) program $300,000 in new funding for the 2024-25 academic year.  The new funding will increase KU’s current IC CAE award with a specific focus on expanding the study of China. 

The new funding will support a summer 2025 study tour to Taiwan and South Korea, which will double as a course for students and a professional development opportunity for faculty.  

“We are very excited to be able to support programming that will enrich the intercultural competencies and regional knowledge of both current and future students at KU and our partner institutions and better position them for careers in national security,” said Megan Greene, professor of Chinese history.

Additionally, new funding will expand KU’s current offerings in Uyghur language courses. 

“KU is one of only a few institutions across the U.S. that offer three levels of this least commonly taught language,” said Akiko Takeyama, director of the Center for East Asian Studies. “The new funding will enable us to expand our current courses to include online formats and topics of national security.”

The increased award coincides with the current IC CAE program awarding 34 students from the KU Edwards and Lawrence campuses with $140,000 of scholarships for the new academic year.

Ashley Urban, IC CAE education program manager, said, “We are excited that some of these scholarships were awarded to students who transferred from our consortium partners. These scholarships are critical in supporting these students in their transition to KU.”

The IC CAE program was established in 2005 to meet the nation’s demand for a diverse cadre of professionals to carry out the nation’s security priorities and obligations. KU was initially named an IC CAE program in 2017.  In 2022, KU received a new $2.4 million grant from ODNI to add undergraduate degrees in biotechnology, information technology and cybersecurity to its existing intelligence and national security program.

The Kansas IC CAE Consortium includes KU, Dodge City Community College, Garden City Community College, Kansas City Community College and Seward County Community College.