West Virginia University slashing foreign language programs

Due to budgetary issues and low attendance, West Virginia University plans to ax most of its foreign language classes and majors.

While some language courses will still be available for students as electives, the university made it clear the programs were on the chopping block.

In a meeting Tuesday, the university’s provost office proposed eliminating the bachelor’s programs for French, Spanish, Chinese, German and Russian languages as well as discontinuing teaching English to non-English speakers. Linguistics master’s programs were also deemed worthy of elimination.

While the school said it would consider leaving pathways open for some students to get minors in Spanish or other high-demand languages, it’s clear the university is determined to cut the programs.

“While we are committed to providing some language instruction on campus, we will continue to explore additional language learning opportunities, such as establishing curriculum partnerships with other universities,” West Virginia University’s Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Maryanne Reed said in a statement.

The school recommended keeping on five faculty members who teach Chinese or Spanish. This is a significant change from the school’s initial proposal that would have eliminated every language faculty position.

Just 21 WVU students have enrolled with a foreign language as their major. On top of that, the school is dealing with a massive budget shortfall of $45 million, which experts say could expand to $75 million in the next few years.

The final decision on the future of language programs will come in September at the university’s board of governors meeting.