Reply to WVU cutting 32 majors, all foreign languages

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is not just WVU that has been dropping language programs. This has been going on since at least the great recession. My understanding is that fewer students are taking language in HS (and the vast majority of those kids are taking Spanish) and fewer are taking it at the university level. There is just not much demand. People argue that folks need to know these languages for foreign service and military intelligence, but as someone who has experience in both of these areas, the foreign service and the military have their own language training programs. There is of course a real need for spanish speakers in many parts of the country for in health, policing, education type jobs, but, [b]there is really no demand for other languages. [/b]My guess is that universities are also having trouble finding qualified professors for these programs.[/quote]

I work in the IC and find your post to be completely misleading/wrong.  There is *ALWAYS* a demand for language students, particularly those that are mission-critical:  Russian, Chinese, Arabic, etc.  And while the federal government does indeed have their own language training programs, a candidate is far more desirable if they come in already speaking the language at some level.

https://www.dlnseo.org/NSEP
https://www.cia.gov/careers/language-opportunities/[/quote]

But be honest places like these value native or heritage speakers, not language majors. They test for language ability, and it's hard to score high on the test unless you are a native or heritage speaker or have spent years in country. Four years of college language study doesn't cut it.[/quote]

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