The following letter was in the Opinion section of yesterday’s The Clarion News. Second language education benefits the nation By William P. Rivers Executive director, Joint National Committee for Languages National Council for Languages and International Studies Washington D.C. On behalf of the Joint National Committee for Languages and the National Council for Languages and International Studies, I am writing to express our concern about Clarion University’s Workforce Plan that involves cutting 22 faculty members. This plan will also eliminate course offerings in French and German. JNCL and NCLIS represent 78 professional organizations and research centers engaged in the language enterprise in the United States. JNCL and NCLIS advocate on behalf of the 500,000 American language professionals working in the public and private sector providing education, translation, interpreting, globalization, localization, and many other professional services to America’s students, businesses, and government agencies. Knowledge of a foreign language is essential in the globalized world we live in and to national interest as it relates to national security and economic competitiveness. Recent events such as Sept. 11, two wars in the Middle East and the Arab Spring has increased the demand for foreign language experts. Many industries in the U.S. use language and are in need of language professionals. The cognitive benefits of learning a language to the individual are tremendous and graduates with knowledge of a foreign language are more sought after by employers. Retaining these language programs is beneficial to the quality of education at Clarion University, the students, and to the nation as a whole.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:34:18 +0000
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