The Spanish language and culture at the UW and Seattle has just been given an added boost with the opening of the Cervantes Institute (IC), created through a partnership with the UW and the Spanish government.

The Cervantes Institute, based in Spain, launched a branch center in Seattle this fall. This is the first aula — a small branch of the institute — at an American university, and the first center on the West Coast.

Promoting the Spanish language and culture are the main goals of the institute, said Jose Ignacio Callen, representative of the Seattle aula. He hopes the program will increase the number of people who can communicate in Spanish and raise awareness of Spanish culture.

"I think that the presence of the IC in the UW means the incorporation of this University in a worldwide Hispanic web," Callen said.

There will be two main segments to the institute, the Ave and the Diplomas in Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) exam.

The Ave. is a virtual classroom that is used for Spanish instruction, either through distance learning or in addition to attendance in actual classes. These online courses will be used in some second- and third-year Spanish classes, in addition to being available for the Seattle community as a whole.

The DELE serves as an official test for measuring levels of competency and mastery of the Spanish language.

The connection of the UW with the IC will allow more Spanish cultural activities to come to the area.

"It brings access to cultural programming and resources to the UW, including us in the circuit of art exhibits, lectures, readings, authors, workshops, etc., that tour the centers in the United States," said Tony Geist, professor and chair the Division of Spanish and Portuguese Studies.

Geist has been working with the institute's headquarters in Madrid, Spain for two years to bring the program to Seattle. There are satellite programs in New York, Chicago and Albuquerque, N.M.

The lack of representation on the West Coast, and the importance of Seattle as a technological center contributed to the decision to bring the institute to the UW, Geist said.

Reporter Abby Walker: abbywalker@thedaily.washington.edu