Embry-Riddle Awarded Funding for ROTC Chinese Language Program in Taiwan

Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University has been selected as one of just three universities to receive federal funding to provide Chinese language and cultural immersion training scholarships to ROTC students.

The university’s Project Global Officer (Project GO) program for Chinese, which features an eight-week summer program held in Taiwan, has been awarded a three-year contract that includes more than $1 million in Department of Defense grant funding.

Embry-Riddle Army ROTC student Brendan Conneely, who received a scholarship to attend the university’s program last summer in Taiwan, called Project GO a life-changing experience.

“It was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had,” said Conneely, an Aeronautics major studying Chinese at the Daytona Beach Campus. “I gained a better awareness of the Chinese language and culture, which is huge.”

Project GO is an initiative sponsored by the Defense Language and National Security Education Officeand administered by the Institute of International Education. It offers overseas summer language program scholarships to ROTC students studying critical languages, such as Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Korean and Swahili. Since 2007, Project GO has provided more than 8,500 scholarships to students studying 19 languages in 29 countries.

“Embry-Riddle was chosen for its expertise and years of experience in critical language instruction in connection with its ROTC program and its award-winning military education and study abroad programs,” said Dr. Aaron Clevenger, the university’s assistant provost for International Education. “This combination has been a winning recipe for success, and we have some of the finest results when it comes to our students’ language retention and knowledge of the region.”

Clevenger said only 12 universities were chosen to offer Project GO language programs this past cycle. Embry-Riddle is the only university offering all three program levels —Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3 — of Chinese instruction, he said.

Embry-Riddle’s Project GO program will be held this year from June 1 to July 26. It will be taught by American and Taiwanese faculty in conjunction with the National Kaohsiung Normal University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Embry-Riddle has been offering the Project GO Chinese program since 2009.

“Embry-Riddle's selection to host a Project GO program in Taiwan during such a competitive grant competition is a testament to the strength of our program, our faculty and our global reach,” said Jennifer Fox, director of International Student Engagement and Outreach at the university’s Center for International Education.

Embry-Riddle’s Project GO ROTC students practice their calligraphy as part of the language and cultural immersion program. (Photo: Embry‑Riddle/Hong Zhan)

Language and Cultural Immersion in Taiwan

Embry-Riddle’s Project GO Chinese program accepts ROTC applicants nationwide. Three Embry-Riddle ROTC students were among last summer’s 17 participants.

Conneely, who wants to become a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, applied for Project GO last year after hearing about it from his roommate. The Boston native said it was an opportunity that he could not have afforded without a Project GO scholarship.

The Project GO program was a lot of work, said Conneely, who spent about four hours a day in Chinese classes, plus additional time with a Chinese tutor. But he said there were also plenty of opportunities to explore different places in Taiwan and participate in cultural activities, such as competing in a traditional dragon boat race. He also established lasting friendships with the other Project GO participants, who were ROTC students from around the country.

Brielle M. Hamilton, a Global Security and Intelligence Studies student studying Chinese at the Prescott Campus, had never been outside of the U.S. before she attended Embry-Riddle’s Project GO program in Taiwan last summer. However, when her Chinese instructors mentioned the program, she said she jumped at the chance and was thrilled when she was awarded a scholarship.

“I still look back on the experience, and I almost can’t believe that I had the opportunity to go,” said Hamilton, a Minnesota native interested in a career in military intelligence. “I still carry the friendships and relationships that I made last summer.”

Last summer, 14 Daytona Beach Campus students and 10 Prescott Campus students received Project GO scholarships, said Clevenger. In 2024, Embry-Riddle also offered a Project GO program in Morocco to study Arabic, which had eleven participants and included four Embry-Riddle students. The remaining Embry-Riddle students attended Project GO programs for Russian or were accepted to Arabic or Chinese programs offered by other universities.

“Project GO exposes cadets and midshipmen to regions and cultures of vital importance to our national security and stability,” said Fox. “The skills they acquire abroad are essential to strengthening the United States' network of alliances and partnerships.”

Posted In: Aviation | Institutional News | Security Intelligence and Safety