Russian Program to be eliminated

[Deborah Hoffman]

A classic example of why we are always behind the curve. Nobody needs to study languages that are "not relevant," and then when they suddenly become relevant (I'm thinking about the tremendous backlog of "chatter" in Arabic that was sitting untranslated two years after September 11, among other examples), nobody has studied them, and then even if people start studying them by the time proficiency is achieved those languages will be "not relevant" yet again.
   
  I don't know if these are technically part of NSLI or not, but of note are also the National Flagship Language Program http://www.iie.org/programs/nsep/flagship/default.htm and the National Virtual Translation Center http://www.nvtc.gov/ .
   
  On a more practical level, an unstated concern might be the need to cut specific programs rather than others due to budgetary issues. If you can come up with some ways that studying Russian might bring money into the university (say if any federal matching or incentive programs exist), well money talks as they say.
   
  I notice from Randolph's web page the claim that half the student body works or studies abroad. Where are they going, and where are funds for these programs coming from?
   
  Just a few thoughts.

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Topics of the day:

1. Russian Program to be eliminated (2)

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Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:25:12 -0400
From: Klawa Thresher 
Subject: Russian Program to be eliminated

Dear Colleagues,

I am trying to gather some information that might help save our Russian
program, which our new president has said will be cut because he feels
that Russian is no longer relevant. If you know of any Russian programs
that were threatened with closing but were saved and are still
flourishing (and that could be a relative term), I would very much
appreciate getting information about them.

I know that this happened at Ohio State, the University of Pittsburg and
Macalaster College. Since I do not know the details, if colleagues at
those institutions could give me some information (especially
statistics) I would be very grateful.

I would appreciate getting this information as soon as possible, as I
will be having a hearing on this on Friday (yes, Good Friday!)

You can send this to me at kthresher at randolphcollege.edu

Thank you in advance,
Klawa Thresher



Deborah Hoffman, Esq.
Russian > English Legal and Literary Translations

A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that he is going to be a beginner all his life. -- R. G. Collingwood

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