Departments Grapple With Declining Enrollment

Author: Campus Editor in Chief

The collapse of the Soviet Union visibly dented Russian language enrollment at Middlebury College, touching off a decade-long downturn that sliced introductory class sizes from 40 per semester at the dawn of the decade to a mere 15 this spring. While Professor of Russian Tom Beyer contended that Russian suffered the most dramatic decline, the downward trend, guided by international political and economic factors, extends to the College's German and Japanese departments.

"We've had our time selling German over the past 10 years because of the fall of the Berlin Wall," admitted Assistant Professor of German Bettina Matthias. "Right after that, students asked, 'Why study German?'" The Modern Language Association's enrollment data confirm the effects of the students' skepticism, showing a 27.8 percent decline in German language study nationwide from 1990 to 1995.

Meanwhile, Professor of Japanese Nuobo Ogawa said that the College's Japanese Department enrollments rose steadily in the late 1980s and early 1990s as Japan's economy gained prominence, but later fell as the current 12-year-old recession set in.

As the three College departments confront declining enrollments, faculty members speculate on when interest might resurge, while devising strategies to promote their languages.

Beyer, for one, reflected on the 1960s, when "idealism" motivated many students to study Russian.

"[Russian students] were convinced that the confrontation between our two nations was a real possibility if not inevitable, but we were equally convinced that people of good will and common sense on both sides, if they could just find a common language, could avert the potential catastrophe of nuclear war," he remarked.

But since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, he said "economics has proven not as strong a motivation as idealism" to study Russian. Beyer also cited the media's portrayal of Russia as a "dangerous place lacking the rule of law [and] where foreigners were subjected to attacks and petty street crime" as a factor dissuading students from studying Russian. "This image clearly could not appeal to a younger generation and certainly must have had some parents suggesting that students study another language," he said.

These influences, playing out far beyond the confines of Middlebury's campus, sent Russian enrollments down to 97 this semester from 159 in the spring of 1989.

Beyer said that "our enrollments have mirrored the national decline in interest in Russian" since the collapse of the Soviet Union, referring to a nationwide dip of 44.6 percent from 1990 to 1995, compared with an 86 percent surge in enrollments from 1980 to 1990. Recently, however, Beyer has noticed that the decline has "plateaued out."

He noted a "renewed interest in all things Russian," signaled by stronger enrollment in first and second year Russian classes and the popularity of a Russian literature course in translation.

In addition to Russia's anticipated role as "a major player in world affairs in the 21st century," Beyer said the rekindled interest reflects Russian's emergence as the "lingua franca among Russia, many of the former Soviet Republics and Eastern Europe."

This year, in an effort to increase enrollment, the department offered the option of starting Russian language study in Winter Term, attracting an additional eight students. Historically, the Winter Term class has served as the required bridge between the fall and spring semester Beginning Russian classes.

According to Matthias, the German Department saw a one-seventh drop in Beginning German enrollment this year, which she attributed to the French Department's decision to offer introductory French in the fall.

But even before this year, "we have talked extensively about a strategy for turning around declining enrollment," Matthias said. At the forefront of the department's plan is a proposal to "completely restructure the required German Winter Term class," perhaps by incorporating a 10-day trip to Berlin to supplement two weeks of intensive on-campus language study. The Berlin trip would complement the new Middlebury School Abroad in Berlin, slated to open this fall.

The Winter Term proposal, currently under consideration by the Curriculum Committee, would "expose students to Berlin and hopefully inspire them to continue studying German," explained Matthias. She said she anticipated a final decision on the proposal by spring break.

While 26 students began studying German this fall, the department "is hoping for 30 to 35 next year if the Berlin program is offered," Matthias commented, which would be "ideal for the number of faculty we have."

Associate Professor of German Roman Graf also foresees an enrollment jump should the Berlin program materialize. "Berlin will be so attractive that students will take German 101," he said, adding that Berlin "is the New York of Europe," a "vibrant hub for politics and culture."

Aside from the potential Berlin program, Professor of German and Department Chair Kamakshi Murti said the department would try to attract students by incorporating diversity issues — such as minority literatures from German-speaking countries — in coursework. They will also continue to offer German classes in English, with the option of either English or German discussion.

The Japanese Department, having witnessed an enrollment decline from 73 in the spring of 1992 to 56 this semester, has similar plans to promote interest in their language.

Ogawa mentioned the possibility of sponsoring an interdisciplinary Winter Term class on Japan next year designed to whet students' appetite for Japanese studies. "Students who have the opportunity to visit Japan are usually interested in learning more," he said.

He expects Japan's "strategic importance" to play a role in boosting enrollment. "Japan is an important ally of the United States in combating terrorism," Ogawa said, adding that the country is "central in the generation of popular culture, especially manga and anime." In addition, the Japanese economy remains the second largest in the world.

As Graf joked, "They don't teach you in graduate school to worry about whether you'll have students in your class," but coping with the ebbs and flows of language popularity, driven by political and economic events, is part of the reality of teaching foreign languages at Middlebury.