The Network, a consortium of universities led by Montana State University (MSU), is
committed to expanding opportunities for students to study Arabic language and Islamic
culture. The Network fosters the efforts of U.S. higher education to promote better
relations with the Arab world, to address U.S. national security needs, and to assist
students to prepare for careers relating to the Arab world.
While many institutions would like to offer Arabic, the costs of a traditional
Arabic program in today's fiscal environment often makes that impossible. The Network
offers an affordable, innovative, and effective instructional alternative that was developed
by MSU over the last 13 years. The expansion of the Network was supported by a
grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) of the
U.S. Department of Education.
The MSU Arabic language program was the 2002 winner of the Institute for
International Education, Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International
Education. Students learning Arabic through the Network's program have tested
consistently at or above the proficiency levels of students learning Arabic in more
traditional learning environments.