About the LRC

In 1998 Columbia established the Language Resource Center (LRC) as a hub of new language instruction. Founded with support from the Mellon Foundation, the LRC allows the University to increase the number of languages taught, encourage innovative language pedagogy, and deepen the context for language study.

The LRC is the administrative home to instruction in fifteen less commonly taught languages and to multimedia resources for instruction in all language offerings. It focuses on innovative learning across a broad range of languages. This approach recognizes that students in business, journalism, law, and other professional fields seek time-efficient and topical language training as well as that offered through traditional literature-based programs.

The work of the LRC fits into a University-wide effort to encourage collaboration across the boundaries of departments, disciplines, and schools. By working alongside, but outside of, traditional departments, the LRC can meet varied and evolving language needs arising from globalization and from the further internationalization of Columbia’s student and faculty population. By encouraging the development of Web-based resources, adaptable software, and affiliations with other universities, the LRC lends further flexibility to Columbia’s language offerings.