FLAC at St. Olaf College was initiated in 1989 with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Continued support from NEH allowed the program to develop foreign language components for additional courses in the humanities. A grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education supported development of language components in the social and behavioral sciences and in mathematics.
During its grant stage, the St. Olaf program gained national recognition and acclaim for its innovation and challenge to students. Today, FLAC at St. Olaf is supported by an endowment established by the Virginia Ann Dekker Groot Family in recognition of the program’s successful contribution to international education at the college.
The innovative design and teaching that characterize the program have made it a distinctive part of the college’s curriculum, and a nationally acclaimed model for other colleges and universities.