Project Go
About
Project Global Officer, better known as Project GO, promotes critical language education, study abroad, and intercultural dialogue opportunities for Reserve Officer Training Corps students. A Department of Defense program, it is sponsored by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office and administered by the Institute of International Education.
Virginia Tech’s Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures department has received Project GO grant funding since 2012, and is now in its fourth funding cycle. These scholarship funds provide seven or eight weeks of fully funded, summer study-abroad for ROTC students, additional sections of critical language courses, and extracurricular programming.
The 2024 Project GO program at Virginia Tech includes funding for both Arabic and Russian programs of study. ROTC scholarship students will study Russian in Daugavpils, Latvia, and Arabic scholarship students will study in Nizwa, Oman.
At a Glance
Welcome to Project Global Officer (GO)
- Project GO promotes critical language education, study abroad, and inter-cultural dialogue opportunities for Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students so they may have the language skills and cultural knowledge necessary for effective leadership.
- Project GO provides fully funded, seven or eight-week scholarships for ROTC cadets to study strategic languages that are considered critical to national security, in immersive summer programs overseas or domestically.
- Project GO is an initiative sponsored by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office and administered by the Institute of International Education.
- The Russian program will offer a study abroad program in Latvia in Summer 2024, and the Arabic program will be held in Oman in Summer 2024.
- Project GO is focused on improving the language skills, regional expertise and inter-cultural communication skills of future military officers. Students of all majors are encouraged to apply.
- All ROTC students who have completed at least 2 semesters (or 1 year) of Russian and/or Arabic are invited to apply for a Project GO scholarship.
What can Project GO do for me?
Airforce:
Army:
Navy:
Marine Corps:
Announcements
- Study Abroad Scholarship Application Due: January 18, 2024
- Study Abroad Notification Day: February 24, 2024
- Military Career & Mentoring Webinar: October 12, 2023 @2:30pm-4:30pm EASTERN. Click here for the registration link.
- Student Webinar 1 - Application Q&A: October 18, 2023 @3:00pm EASTERN. Covers what is Project GO, eligibility criteria, and includes an applaction walkthrough and Q&A session. Click here for the registration link.
- Student Webinar 2 - Application Q&A: December 7, 2023 @3:00pm EASTERN. Recaps the content of the first webinar and provides tips on finalizing the application and includes a Q&A session. Click here for the registration link.
- To Learn more about Project GO and to Apply, Click on the link below: https://www.rotcprojectgo.org/
- Participating students receive six (6) or nine (9) credits in the target language.
- Project Global Officer scholarships will be awarded to qualifying ROTC students from Virginia Tech and other universities for the summer study of Arabic and Russian language and culture.
- Project GO does NOT cover the cost for a student’s passport. If you do not have a passport that is valid until six months after your travel date, you must apply for an expedited passport immediately upon receiving your acceptance letter and provide Project GO staff an expected receipt date.
- The scholarship does not cover personal travel or spending money.
- The national application system has a 60-minute timeout so please save your work.
- You can apply for up to three overseas and three domestic programs (a total of six programs total)
- All materials and applications have to be submitted through the national online system. The department cannot accept any documents not submitted online.
- You do not have to complete your application, or submit all your documents, at one time.
- You must submit one letter of recommendation from your commanding officer and one letter from a language instructor/professor for consideration of a Virginia Tech scholarship.
- Submit your application when you are finished. Do not wait on recommendation letters, since they can be added later.
- If your application is missing any part of the required materials at the close of the application period, your application will be marked incomplete and will not be considered for funding.
- Please note that acceptance of a Virginia Tech Project GO scholarship is also a commitment to continue studying the Russian language. Students are expected to take another full year of Russian courses upon their return from study abroad.
- Credits for Non-Virginia Tech students do NOT transfer through VT. Admitted students must work with the home institution to receive transfer credits
Please visit the Virtual Study Abroad Booth that introduces our program and Daugavpils in a compact and entertaining way featuring videos, narrated presentations, maps, student testimonials, and downloadable materials.
Virtual Study Abroad Booth Link: http://study-abroad-fair.learnrussianineu.com/
Find Project GO on Social Media:
#ApplyProjectGO
Sexual Misconduct/Harassment Statement: *Sexual misconduct or harassment will not be tolerated. If you or anyone you know is struggling with issues related to sexual violence, please don't hesitate to contact your program's faculty and/or staff, or visit RAINN's website at ww.rainn.org or access the free, confidential, and anonymous National Sexual Assault Hotline 24/7 at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or online at online.rainn.org.
RAINN Sexual Misconduct Resources
Contact Us
If you have questions about anything Project GO, please contact us:
Dr. Robert Efird
Associate Professor
Co-Director of Russian Program
Co-PI, Project GO
refird@vt.edu
Dr. Nadine Sinno
Associate Professor
Director of Arabic Program
Co-PI, Project GO
nadine7@vt.edu
Rhonda Pennington
Project GO Coordinator
540-231-9160
rwills@vt.edu
*Project GO is an initiative sponsored by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office and administered by the Institute of International Education.
Related Program
The Russian Flagship Program at Virginia Tech is designed to provide students with the linguistic and cultural tools to achieve professional-level proficiency in Russian and a high degree of cultural competence. Through a combination of coursework, tutoring, co-curricular activities, and study abroad, students develop skills that prepare them for a wide variety of careers in public service and the private sector. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply to the program.