Argues that two forms of leadership exist currently in college and university foreign language departments: the top publishing and public-speaking scholars; and the people who chair the departments, dealing with the daily business of staffing courses and working with faculty and administrators. Suggests the two types of leaders operate in…

The University of Mississippi's modern language department chairman discusses the chair's role in achieving faculty diversity and offers guidelines for hiring minority faculty, including realistic self-examination and portrayal, targeting all minorities, developing a working relationship with counterpart departments in other institutions, visiting…

Summarizes results of a survey of Arizona State University education students, graduates, and teacher supervisors concerning the experience of language teacher trainees and the need for change in the training process. A program model designed to respond to that need is described, noting both barriers to and prospects for real change. (MSE)

Current and aspiring teachers of college Spanish need an awareness of how and why the language and dialects are used in real-life contexts, and to understand the value of the variations as well as that of standard usage. Training of teaching assistants and language teachers should include basic notions of sociolinguistics, including the functions…

A chair of a university's department of Romance languages and literature addresses the status of two high priorities in the teaching of foreign languages: the integration of linguistics in the "new" curriculum; the continuing development of language teaching approaches in the classroom; and the commitment of foreign language programs in the…

A discussion of enrollment variability and faculty hiring in college second-language departments looks at issues in how institutions handle staffing policy, graduate student admissions, offering graduate students a realistic picture of postgraduation employment prospects, and the master-apprentice relationship of the faculty member and graduate…

Five brief essays are presented in response to an earlier article on leadership in college foreign-language departments. They address issues of curriculum redesign, pedagogical change, the nature of language teaching, the professional identity of language teachers, the role of professional organizations, and the traditional departmental model. A…

Describes the three-year process of obtaining renewable four-year contracts and other benefits, including sabbatical leave eligibility, for University of Vermont non-tenure-track faculty and part-time lecturers. Highlights the arguments presented to faculty and administration and the support of various groups (faculty women's caucus, faculty…

A program at the College of Wooster (Ohio) in commercial language and international business is described. The program was undertaken with private funds and within the context of a traditional liberal arts college. It has three main curricular goals: (1) additional training of language instructors for language courses that would include the…

The third systemwide review of Florida's state university second language programs is reported. The executive summary presents some institutional enrollment data and capsulizes findings and recommendations for improvement. The report's introductory section addresses systemwide concerns and issues, including state policy initiatives and comments on…