The soon-to-open Language Resource Center (LRC) at Northwestern University has its leaders and it’s a pair of seasoned language faculty Elena Lanza, associate professor of instruction in the department of Spanish and Portuguese, and Noriko Taira Yasohama, professor of instruction and director of language programs in the department of Asian Languages and Cultures.
As co-directors of the Weinberg College-housed LRC, which is slated to open this fall in Kresge Hall, Lanza and Yasohama will lead a unit designed to serve as a hub for all language resources serving students and faculty at the University.
With a combined 49 years on the Weinberg College faculty, Lanza and Yasohama pair deep institutional knowledge with a history of professional collaboration and rich experience in language instruction from two distinct perspectives.
“With [Lanza] being from our Spanish program, the largest language program at Northwestern, and [Yasohama] being from the Japanese program and representing small to mid-size programs, we’re covering both ends of the spectrum to ensure we’re offering the necessary support to strengthen and support language learning across the University,” Weinberg College associate dean for graduate studies César Braga-Pinto says.
The birth of the LRC
In 2018, Weinberg College leaders began exploring ways to improve and support language instruction at Northwestern, which offers courses in 21 different languages ranging from Arabic to Urdu.
“Excellence is what we’re after,” Braga-Pinto says.
The Ad Hoc Committee for a Weinberg Language Initiative comprised of teaching and tenure-track faculty representing each of the College’s seven language programs recommended the creation of a language resource center before a steering committee defined plans for such a center.
“Language departments and units across Northwestern are already providing various educational opportunities for language study. The LRC will connect those efforts and increase their visibility,” Yasohama says.
The LRC will exist as a unifying force – a central spot to connect the University’s existing language resources while also facilitating new efforts to better serve language faculty and students at Northwestern.
“The LRC will be the place where faculty can find resources to help them jumpstart new projects related to language teaching and students can get support to enhance their current language learning journey or explore opportunities to learn a new one,” says Lanza, the assistant director of the Spanish Language Program.
The co-directors’ charge
As LRC co-directors, Lanza and Yasohama will enhance dialogues and partnerships with other units across campus, such as the Media and Design Studio, the Council on Language Instruction, and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, as well as other schools at Northwestern. In the 2022-2023 academic year, more than one-third of students enrolled in language courses came from outside Weinberg College.
In addition, Lanza and Yasohama will work in collaboration with the center’s Advisory Board to provide professional development across languages, including guest speakers, symposia, and in-house training workshops for faculty as well as student-focused activities and events.
“Our mission is to support language learning at Northwestern, whether that’s professional development for instructors, support for faculty developing a project, or helping students find the appropriate language resources on campus,” Lanza says.
Once their appointment starts on September 1, Lanza and Yasohama will begin meeting with stakeholders across campus to discover how the LRC can be a collaborative partner to maximize current services. The co-directors will also develop a multi-year strategic plan for the center.
“It is an exciting time for all of us language educators at Northwestern and I am so glad that Elena and I will work together to make this project a reality,” Yasohama says. “We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we also know there are great opportunities for new ideas and collaboration awaiting to make language teaching and learning on campus even more enriching.”
Meet the Co-directors
