FW: List

[Mansour, L. DR DFL]

DR Deyrup-

Regarding the listing of top schools' Russian programs:

It's useful to be able to show in a concise format that top schools are
STILL committed to a least some level of Russian studies.  As can be
inferred from Ben Rifkin's note, this provides benchmarking information
needed when speaking to administrators about enhancing international
education and foreign language training.

 

Because of their unique profile, service academies usually slip through
the cracks in these surveys and ratings, so you often have to look into
the specialized categories (e.g., "top engineering schools," "best
leadership development programs") to find Naval or Air Force Academy or
West Point.  I think it matters to us all, though, that once again
(remember Sputnik?) there's a special sense of urgency in the military
concerning foreign language proficiency.  

 

To that end the US Military Academy (West Point) is working to institute
semester-abroad programs for majors in the seven languages taught here,
Russian among them.  In the future, greater detail in this list, e.g.,
the availability of an immersion program, would be helpful in efforts to
"roll the stone" with curriculum administrators, funding officials, etc.
For what it's worth the Russian program at USMA has a full academic
major, with an honors program and minor coming on line.  Four
instructors (two PhD, two MA) with c. 75 students in First-year Russian
and 10 to 15 majors graduating in any one year.  

 

Thanks for all the hard (unpaid!) work that was put into assembling this
list.  We'll be using it!

Larry Mansour

 

 

 


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