Czech language program continues to expand after 100 years

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first Czech language course taught at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The program, lasting three to four years, houses 30 students, said Russell Ganim, head of the modern languages and literatures department.

He said students in the Czech language program often choose the course because of their Czech or Slovak backgrounds.

"Lots of students have grandparents from the Czech Republic or from Slovakia who speak Czech," Ganim said.

Many students with Czech or Slovak backgrounds also want to visit their family's country of origin, he said.

"It provides the opportunity for Nebraskans to get to know their Czech heritage," he said. "The Czech community in Nebraska is a vibrant one."

Ganim said the relationship between the program and the Czech community is very precious to both groups.

Mila Å aÅ¡ková-Pierce, associate professor of Russian and Czech, said the class is important to the Lincoln community as well as the state.

One of the first items on the department's agenda after its formation was to translate the U.S. Constitution to Czech, Å aÅ¡ková-Pierce said.

In doing so, citizens in Czechoslovakia were able to read about democratic principles, which helped greatly when communism ended in Czechoslovakia, she said.

Students who take the course not only have heritage as an incentive, but thanks to the Czech Language Foundation, many students receive scholarships to pay for the courses.

"There are scholarships available for every student," Ganim said.

Ganim is working on setting up a regular study abroad opportunity for the Czech language program, like the programs offered with Spanish and French courses.

Å aÅ¡ková-Pierce said there are three places to which students from the program usually travel. The program usually sends four or five students to the Czech Republic, but it has sent as many as 10 students, she said. Students have traveled to Moravia, Plzen and Bohemia.

"The program is growing," Ganim said. He expects the program to continue growing because of the popularity of the Czech language.

"The Czech program is the link between the United States and the Czech Republic," Å aÅ¡ková-Pierce said.