The $236,000 grant was awarded out of the U.S. Department of Education’s post-secondary education improvement fund. The first grant installment of $71,000, arrives Sept. 1.

Charles Fanning, a SIUC English and history professor, said he is pleased by this formal recognition of the University’s resources.

It’s a really encouraging sign that this federal agency sees the potential usefulness of an Irish-American Studies program here.

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The money will be used in a variety of ways, Fanning said. First, it will fund summer workshops for faculty, which will ultimately develop courses in Irish-American Studies.

It will also reinforce the connection between University College in Galway, Ireland and SIUC by funding faculty from both schools to participate in exchange programs, Fanning said.

Fanning said the grant will allow the development of space on the World Wide Web. This space will contain information on how other schools can implement Irish Studies programs and other pertinent issues in Irish-American Studies on campus, said Fanning.

Fanning said that the grant will also aid in funding two public symposiumsone on Northern Ireland in 1997 and another on Irish-American music in 1998.

A number of things on campus led to the award of the grant, Fanning said.

There is expertise and interest among faculty, Fanning said. Also, Morris Library has collected Irish-American literature from the earliest days. It’s one of the best libraries in the country for unique, primary Irish resources.

David Coch, director of special collections in Morris Library, said the special collections department recognizes a vast collection of Irish materials.

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We feature a lot of materials from James Joyce, a very influential Irish editor; very strong papers dealing with the irish literature renaissance; manuscript papers by playwright/novelist Bryan O’Nolan, plus many others, Coch said.