As the new host of CASA, UArizona is helping train the next generation of experts in Arabic language and culture.
Every year, a fresh crop of students from across the United States are chosen as fellows of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad, or CASA. CASA fellows embark on a year of intensive study in the Middle East in pursuit of a higher command of the Arabic language and culture.
Acceptance into CASA is considered the pinnacle of Arabic training, and its graduates go on to impact the landscape of Arabic and Middle Eastern studies, as well as U.S.-Middle East policy.
In 2019, the University of Arizona was named the new host of CASA, taking over the responsibility from Harvard University. Sonia Shiri, an associate professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, was chosen as the new director.
“This honor further solidifies the University of Arizona’s status as home to one of the best Arabic programs in the country,” said John Paul Jones III, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The Gold Standard of Arabic Training
The Center for Arabic Study Abroad was established in 1967 to offer year-long, advanced Arabic language training, which is provided at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and, more recently, at the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan.
Due to COVID-19, it is unclear if or when CASA fellows will be able to travel to either program location for the 2020-2021 program year.
CASA has graduated more than 1700 alumni, who have helped define U.S.-Middle East relations for the last half-century through their work in the U.S. State Department, academic institutions, and the private sector.
CASA is represented by a consortium of 31 universities in the United States. Depending on funding and security issues, CASA accepts around 20-35 fellows a year from across the country. Eligible students are mostly graduate students with a minimum of three years of formal instruction in Arabic.
As the director of CASA, Shiri is shaping the future of the program, working with the governing board, the overseas partner institutions, and fellows. Shiri also collaborates with UArizona Global’s Study Abroad office.
“CASA is a critical program,” Shiri said. “It is widely perceived as the gold standard of Arabic training and is a highly prized, must-have experience for fellows launching into academia, government, or other professions.”
Shiri says she is committed to providing CASA fellows with rich learning experiences rooted in the culture of their Arab host environment yet fueled by cutting-edge research and efficient pedagogical practices.
Excellence in Arabic Instruction at UArizona
“CASA’s move to UArizona demonstrates that the university is a focal point for Arabic study and reinforces the decision I made to pursue my graduate work here,” said Aaron Graybill, a MENAS graduate student.
UArizona is one of only six institutions in the country selected to participate in the Arabic Flagship program, which helps undergraduate students reach superior-level fluency in Arabic. Likewise, the university is one of a few campuses that offer Arabic Project Global Officer, or Project GO, which improves the language competency, regional expertise, and intercultural communication skills of ROTC students. UArizona also offers an Arabic major and a growing Jumpstart Arabic program for high school students and incoming first-year students.
At the heart of this constellation of achievement is Sonia Shiri, who is director and principal investigator of the university’s Arabic Flagship and Project GO programs. Shiri was also elected chair of the Language Flagship Council, representing a consortium of 21 universities and eight languages.
“Dr. Shiri is an energetic and hands-on leader who succeeds in keeping the group morale high, motivating and inspiring students, instructors, and staff alike to work together to achieve levels of Arabic proficiency that are literally off the charts,” said Elizabeth Saylor, an assistant professor of Arabic at Middlebury College, who worked under Shiri’s leadership at UC Berkeley. “The CASA program, in my opinion, could not be in better hands.”
While demand for high levels of expertise in Arabic and in the region of the Middle East and North Africa has grown over the past two decades, CASA’s funding has diminished.
CASA has received support from the Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad program, which, because of reductions over time, now supports tuition and stipends for 15 fellowships at the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan.
CASA benefits from two endowments from the Ford and Mellon Foundations, located at the American University in Cairo. Because of inflation and the increase in tuition costs, this now supports only a couple of fellowships in Egypt annually.
To better respond to this national need in Arabic and MENA regional expertise, CASA needs to grow its capacity for accepting more fellows.
Your support enables CASA to train future generations of Middle East studies faculty, State Department leaders, NGO experts, journalists, and other globally-minded professionals with an understanding of the complex politics and the rich culture and history of this region.
Your contributions would provide a source of current-use funds to address immediate priorities and enable CASA to increase the number of fellows. Larger gifts (including bequests) could be added to CASA’s small endowment to boost long-term impact.
You can donate to the program here.
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This article was part of the 2020 SBS Developments magazine.
Facts Only
* The University of Arizona (UArizona) became the host of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in 2019.
* Harvard University previously hosted the program.
* Sonia Shiri serves as the director of CASA.
* CASA provides year-long advanced Arabic language training at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan.
* The program is represented by a consortium of 31 U.S. universities.
* Annual acceptance ranges from 20 to 35 fellows, primarily graduate students with at least three years of formal Arabic instruction.
* More than 1,700 alumni have graduated from the program since its establishment in 1967.
* UArizona also participates in the Arabic Flagship program and Project GO.
* Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad currently supports 15 fellowships at the Qasid Arabic Institute.
* Ford and Mellon Foundations provide endowments for fellowships at the American University in Cairo.
* COVID-19 created uncertainty regarding travel for the 2020-2021 program year.
Executive Summary
The University of Arizona has assumed leadership of the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA), transitioning the role from Harvard University in 2019. Under the direction of Sonia Shiri, CASA continues to provide high-level linguistic and cultural immersion for graduate students through partnerships in Egypt and Jordan. The program is positioned as a premier training ground for professionals entering academia, government service, and the private sector.
Despite the prestige associated with the program, CASA faces significant financial challenges. Inflation and rising tuition costs have eroded the impact of existing endowments from the Ford and Mellon Foundations, while federal support via Fulbright-Hays has diminished over time. Consequently, there is a stated need for increased funding to expand the number of fellows and maintain the program's capacity to meet the national demand for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regional expertise. The current status of international travel for the 2020-2021 cycle remains uncertain due to the global pandemic.
Full Take
The strongest version of this narrative is that of a critical national security and diplomatic asset—the "gold standard" of linguistic training—facing a resource crisis that threatens the pipeline of U.S. expertise in the MENA region. By framing Arabic proficiency as a "must-have" for government and policy work, the narrative links academic excellence directly to national interest.
The text employs a specific fundraising structure common in institutional advancement. It establishes a high-status "pinnacle" of achievement, validates it through testimonials from peers and students, and then introduces a tension: a growing national need contrasted with diminishing financial support. This creates a logical imperative for the reader to provide "current-use funds" to bridge the gap between the program's prestige and its precarious funding reality.
The underlying paradigm is one of "strategic expertise," where language acquisition is viewed as a tool for influencing the landscape of U.S.-Middle East policy. The implicit assumption is that increased funding for a specific institutional model (CASA) is the primary lever for improving regional relations.
Patterns detected: none
Root Cause: The narrative is driven by the institutional need for philanthropic growth to offset the decline of federal and foundation grants.
Implications: The benefit accrues to the selected fellows and the host university's prestige. The second-order consequence is the continued centralization of linguistic "authority" within a few elite consortia.
Bridge Questions: How does the reliance on private endowments affect the academic independence of these programs? What alternative models of language acquisition might be as effective as the CASA immersion model?
Counterstrike Scan: If this were an influence campaign, it would use the "national security gap" to manufacture urgency and divert funds toward a specific political or ideological interpretation of regional studies. This content is a standard institutional fundraising appeal and does not match the structural hallmarks of a coordinated influence operation.
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like standard, well-sourced reporting on an academic program, characterized by objective presentation of facts and contextual background.