Students in the University of Rhode Island's International Engineering Program (IEP) spend a semester studying at an overseas university and another six months interning at a company abroad; at the end of five years, they earn two degrees, in engineering and a foreign language. Despite the extra academic demands, nearly a third of Rhode Island's…

The open-door policy at community colleges is unique in American higher education. It allows all comers--a retired grandmother, an Army veteran, a laid-off machinist--to learn a skill or get a credential. That broad access--the bedrock of the community-college system--has prepared hundreds of millions of people for transfer to four-year colleges…

When the University of Southern California announced that it would shutter its tiny German department, the outcry was out of proportion to the handful of faculty members and students directly affected by the move. In addition to students who advertised their dismay on Facebook and faculty members who complained that their efforts to bolster the…

This article reports that, nearly one year after its release, the report on foreign language and higher education issued by an ad hoc committee of the Modern Language Association (MLA) is still provoking discussion about reforms in the teaching of foreign languages and the role of the association in any revamp. The debate continued at a panel held…

Five and a half years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, colleges are still struggling to respond to demands from the government, businesses, and students for more teaching of the languages believed to be critical to America's security and economic future. Arabic is considered essential for representing America's interests in the Middle East, but…

Recently, the Modern Language Association (MLA) called for a major reorganization of undergraduate academic programs and even the structure of foreign-language departments. Typically, the initial two years of language instruction are taught by non-tenure-track instructors with little or no voice in the department. Faculty members mainly teach the…

The innovative program enables students to enroll, for additional academic credit, in regular disciplinary courses which have supplementary readings and class meetings in a foreign language. Currently 25 professors are experimenting with the special courses and 45 students are enrolled in the foreign language tracks of 4 courses. (DB)

Describes action by the president of Drake University to improve foreign language instruction by sending students abroad and abolishing classroom instruction. (EV)

Describes how some scholars are turning their backs on a federally financed language-training program (the National Security Education Program), which sponsors fellowships abroad, because of its links to the Pentagon. (EV)