W&L to Host All Five Virginia Governor’s World Language Academies Beginning in Summer 2027 The university secured two Virginia Department of Education grants to fund hosting academies for French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Latin for the next five years.

By Brian Laubscher
October 30, 2026

Washington and Lee University will host all five Virginia Governor’s World Language Academies (VGWLA) for the first time beginning summer 2027, after receiving a renewal of its Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) grant for the French, German and Spanish academies, as well as a new grant to host the Japanese and Latin academies.

W&L has hosted the three-week, full immersion academies since 2011, beginning with French and adding German and Spanish in 2012. The 2027 grant, which is renewable annually, provides $397,535 each year through 2031. W&L also received a new five-year, annually renewable grant to host the partial-immersion Japanese and Latin academies, providing an additional $187,533 each year through 2031. W&L will be the first school to host all five academies since 2010.

“We are incredibly grateful to the VDOE for their ongoing trust in W&L as the host institution for the academies,” said Dick Kuettner, director of the Global Discovery Laboratories and program coordinator for the language academies at W&L. “Hosting this program for 16 straight years is a testament to our team’s expertise and the state’s confidence in our work. It also serves as a wonderful reminder of Virginia’s strong commitment to supporting the humanities.”

The Japanese and Latin academies will run first, from June 19 to July 3, 2027. These partial-immersion academies feature activities and coursework similar to the full-immersion programs, but they allow students to use English for parts of the experience. The French, German and Spanish academies will follow, from July 3 to July 24, 2027. Students in these full-immersion programs speak only the language of their academy for all three weeks.

The academies draw Virginia’s top high school world language students from the rising junior and senior classes. A total of 218 students is accepted: 45 each in French, German, Latin and Spanish and 38 in Japanese.

Classes and activities are conducted in the language and cover topics such as film, phonetics, fashion, current events and a less commonly taught world language. Outside of class, students participate in a wide range of cultural activities that support their language development, including sports, cooking, theater, dance, yoga, filmmaking and knitting.

Participation in the academies has shown to broaden students’ interest in foreign languages and significantly strengthen their skills in the academy language. Some participants go on to place into advanced high school courses or enroll in college classes while still in high school. Participants also gain confidence, maturity and a more positive outlook toward other languages and cultures, and they bring that enthusiasm back to their classmates, teachers and language programs at their home schools.

“Our academies combine intensive language study and cultural appreciation with a holistic approach to student development,” Kuettner said. “By learning to understand and connect with a diverse community, students gain vital life skills, maturity and a preview of college life. Ultimately, we cultivate the multilingual leaders our multicultural world needs.”

Hosting the academies is a total campus effort, made possible through assistance from several offices and departments, including the Office of Auxiliary Services, the Business Office, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, Office of Student Affairs, Dining Services, and the Office of the Treasurer, the Office of General Counsel, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, the Center for International Education, the University Library, Lenfest Center for the Arts, the Physical Education Department and W&L Athletics, the Office of the Provost, Public Safety, Special Events, Student Engagement and Leadership, the Office of the Dean of the College, the Houston H. Harte Teaching and Learning Center, Title IX Compliance Office and Disability Resources, the Office of University Development, University Facilities and the University Store.

“Hosting these academies is by no means a solo effort,” Kuettner said. “I am immensely grateful to everyone who has supported our mission over the past 16 years. Quite simply, this work would be impossible without our incredible team.”

The VGWLA was created in 1986 by the Virginia Board of Education to provide an exemplary experience in world language education. Originally called the Governor’s Foreign Language Academies, the program began with a French academy and later expanded to include academies in Asian studies, German, Latin, Russian studies and Spanish. As of 2026, more than 11,100 students have completed one of the programs.