Through the hard work of Dr. Lucia Costigan, Brazil's Instituto Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa - INEP (National Institute for Teaching and Research) has recognized Ohio State as one of the few US institutions (and the only BTAA institution) that can oversee the Celpe-Bras exam on Portuguese language proficiency. 

Celpe-Bras is the official language proficiency exam recognized by the Brazilian government, institutions of higher learning, consulates, and embassies. The exam is basically equivalent to the TOEFL and is required for Fulbright scholars, visiting professors, entrepreneurs, business executives, and diplomats who plan to reside in Brazil for an extensive amount of time. 

For Ohio State to receive this designation, Dr. Costigan participated in training sessions in Brasilia and completed numerous documents about the strengths of the OSU program in Portuguese. She also arranged for a workshop on Celpe-Bras by a visiting Fulbright scholar, Dr. Leandro Rodrigues Diniz, who is a member of the Celpe-Bras committee.