We envision a Rutgers where multilingualism is recognized as a vital resource for learning, innovation, community engagement, and global citizenship.
As one of the most linguistically diverse universities in the United States, Rutgers is uniquely positioned to cultivate a culture in which languages are visible, valued, and integrated across academic and co-curricular experiences. We believe that every language represents knowledge, perspectives, histories, and ways of understanding the world that enrich our university community.
The Language Engagement Project seeks to build a campus culture where students are encouraged to draw upon their linguistic and cultural resources, engage across differences, and develop the skills needed to thrive in multilingual and multicultural environments.
Our vision is guided by four commitments:
Engagement Creating opportunities for students to interact meaningfully across languages, cultures, and communities.
Inclusion Recognizing and celebrating the linguistic diversity that students, faculty, staff, and community members bring to Rutgers.
Innovation Developing creative, interdisciplinary approaches that connect language learning to academic, professional, and civic life.
Impact Preparing students to communicate effectively, collaborate across cultures, and contribute to local and global communities.
Through teaching, mentoring, community engagement, research, global partnerships, and experiential learning, the LEP works to ensure that languages are not viewed as peripheral to higher education, but as essential to understanding our world and engaging with it responsibly.
We believe that language engagement has the power to transform learning, strengthen communities, and prepare students for leadership in an increasingly interconnected society.