The Department of Education accused the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies of inappropriate use of Title VI program funds in a letter scheduled to be published today in the Federal Register.
The letter argues that many of the programs run by the consortium, a joint project of Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “have little or no relevance to Title VI,” a federal grant program that funds international studies and foreign language programs at U.S. universities.
“Although a conference focused on ‘Love and Desire in Modern Iran’ and one focused on Middle East film criticism may be relevant in academia, we do not see how these activities support the development of foreign language and international expertise for the benefit of U.S. national security and economic stability,” the letter from Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education Robert King states.
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