The program has grown every year since Alhawary started at OU, with many students wanting to major in Arabic if they could, he said.

"The language has really taken off here, so what this does is lift us up a full level," Messitte said.

About 130 students are enrolled in Arabic language classes in the fall, Alhawary said.

There are two full-time Arabic instructors, but Alhawary is the only tenure-track faculty member whose expertise is not only in the language but also the culture and literature.

Alhawary said the grant will allow the university to develop better teaching methods in Arabic, especially with an emphasis on Arabic culture in addition to the language.

The total grant awarded to OU was $1,327,489 along with $275,591 financed as a cost share by the university.

The money will be paid to the university over the course of three years beginning Aug. 1, Messitte said. So for example, the grant will pay for the cost of the search for a new full-time tenure-track faculty member for the program. It will pay for 100 percent of the costs of the professor the first year, 50 percent the second year and then OU will be expected to maintain the faculty position.

The grant will enable the creation of an Arabic major at OU, something that only a handful of universities in the U.S. offer.

The grant will pay for the implementation of an Arabic-only hall in one of the dormitories, so that students can be immersed in the language.

The grant also pays for scholarships to bring bright students to OU to study as well as help students already at OU pay for their degrees. And it will pay for students to spend a year studying abroad in Alexandria, Egypt.

And at the end of the grant period, the university may be able to apply to be designated a flagship university for critical national security needs. There are only six or eight with that designation in the U.S., Messitte said.

"So there's all these really good incentives inside this grant that will make OU one of the leaders in the region for teaching Arabic," Messitte said.

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com