Invited Guest Lecture I | Paula Krebs and Lydia Tang, the MLA

Join us as Drs. Krebs and Tang discuss the MLA’s 2023 Report on Foreign Language Enrollment in Higher Education.

Since 1958, the Modern Language Association has regularly conducted a census of enrollments in foreign languages at US institutions of higher education. The latest census, conducted in 2021, reveals several notable trends, including an overall drop of 16.6% in the number of enrollments in foreign languages across the US relative to the previous census in 2016. At the same time, a number of lessons have emerged from the many language programs that remain strong. These include, among others, the importance of support for languages from the institution as a whole, emphasis on the cultural component of language learning, regular assessment and evaluation, connecting language study to real-life contexts, and building relationships with organizations
outside the institution.

Paula Krebs, Executive Director of the MLA; and Lydia Tang, Assistant Director of Programs, will share their insights from their work with the latest census. This conversation will be an occasion for Columbia language faculty to reflect upon nationwide trends and Columbia’s place within this landscape. It will also be an opportunity to ask questions of two of the leading voices on the state of language learning at US colleges and universities.

*More information can be found here:

• Meeting Information:
  • Friday, March 1st, 2024, 3pm
    In-person in 503 Hamilton Hall
    Remotely via Zoom (Meeting ID: 203 508 3989): the event link is here.
• You can also access the MLA report here.