Three centers in the Elliott School of International Affairs were awarded a roughly $3 million grant from the Department of Education’s Title VI program, according to a press release Friday.

The Title VI program, part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, funds centers that support teaching foreign languages and international education, according to the release.

The Sigur Center and the Institute of Korean Studies were both designated a National Resource Center for Asian Studies for the first time. The title allows the schools to better “engage the broader public community” on global and local issues, the release states.

“The recognition of our programmatic excellence significantly enhances our reputation and funding resources,” Ben Hopkins, the director of the Sigur Center, said. “It demonstrates the scholarly excellence and will increase public outreach which have long been hallmarks of the Center’s collective intellectual life.”

The Sigur Center, the Institute of Korean Studies and the Institute for Middle East Studies were also awarded more than 90 foreign language fellowships for undergraduates and graduates studying languages or international affairs. Twenty-four students will receive a fellowship in the first year of the program, the release states.

“These awards reflect the serious commitment we have made to enhance our regional area studies and foreign language acquisition,” Reuben Brigety, the dean of the Elliott School, said in the release. “The Title VI grants underscore the importance and relevance of research at GW.”