NEWS SPECIAL College Shifts Focus Away from Language Reputation Viewbook, Bicentennial Video Highlight Middlebury's New Initiatives

Author: Claire Bourne

Over the past century, Middlebury College has established itself as "the gold standard" in foreign language education, according to Associate Dean of the Faculty and German Professor Michael Geisler. Though an unlikely reputation for a rural college tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Middlebury's name is synonymous with excellence in language instruction.

As the College moves into its third century, however, the perception of Middlebury as a "language school" hangs in the balance. While the standard of the academic-year program is not declining, the emphasis placed on language study by the administration and in publications such as the institution's Viewbook seems to be today decidedly less than it was a decade ago.

Since President John McCardell announced the College's "Peaks of Excellence" to the Board of Trustees in the fall of 1994, the institution has striven to portray itself as a well-balanced liberal arts college. McCardell described "cutting edge leadership in language study and pedagogy" as the first "Peak" of a list of five, which also included "global understanding that radiates from a core linguistic and cultural competency," an "environmentally aware campus," "the preeminent program in literary study" and, finally, the opportunity for students "to apply what they learn about the liberal arts to real world situations." Since 1994, the Commons initiative has been added as the sixth "Peak."

Many, like Associate Professor of Chinese Thomas Moran, are left wondering whether the College's decision to focus attention towards such disciplines as environmental studies, international studies and the natural sciences comes at the expense of Middlebury's traditionally conspicuous strength — its languages. "I do think that Middlebury continues to measure up very well to its peer institutions when it comes to language programs," said Moran. "Let's hope our designation as 'Peak' helps us maintain this edge. We'll see."

According to Roman Graf, associate provost for institutional diversity and associate professor of German, Middlebury's reputation for language education "is derived from the inextricable combination of summer schools and Middlebury's [academic year] language departments."

Marketing and Communications Director for the Language Schools and Schools Abroad Robert Keren said that Middlebury's name is its "single most important marketing tool" for the College's summer schools and overseas programs. He added, "If someone takes language study seriously, they have an intuitive sense that Middlebury is the place for further language study." The summer Language School's "No English Spoken Here" slogan, for example, is well known among foreign language teachers around the country.

As for the C.V. Starr Middlebury Schools Abroad, Michael Katz, dean of the Language Schools and Schools Abroad, said that Middlebury's reputation in this domain "continues to grow." The College announced its acquisition of two sites in South America and is currently investigating establishing a school in China. "Middlebury is not resting on its laurels," explained Katz. "We want to remain at the forefront [of language education]."

In light of the success of the summer and abroad programs, Graf said, "The language departments during the year are underrated. The people in our language departments are among the best in their fields."

The College's 2001-2002 Viewbook, while highlighting Middlebury's commitment to the environment, its new state-of-the-art science facility, its cultural diversity and its athletic offerings, fails to feature Middlebury's language faculty or to visually depict language study in any form. The publication contains eight images of Panther sports, 12 arts-related photos and five pictures of the sciences.

Professor of Italian Patricia Zupan, who has been at Middlebury for 20 years, said in the past few years she has "honestly observed a rather extreme and unexpected diminishment of the languages in the College's publicity." While she does "not argue with the College's choice to give a balanced view" of its academic and extracurricular offerings, she affirmed that she "takes issue with the extreme form this exclusion seems to have taken" and that she does "not see the point of the apparent suppression of this historical strength."

Graf acknowledged the Viewbook's inattention to languages as an "oversight," but said that language study still maintained a strong presence at Middlebury.

"When the Viewbook highlights the International Studies Peak, it serves as a reminder to both prospective students and their families, and also to ourselves, that part of the uniqueness of our international studies curriculum is precisely its truly interdisciplinary nature, of which foreign languages are an integral part," Geisler commented.

Edward Knox, director of the Center for International Affairs and professor of French, noted that a large percentage of foreign language students at Middlebury "are either not majoring in language or are double majoring, which means language competence here extends further through the curriculum than at most of our sister schools."

"This is an adjustment for [members of] the language departments, especially those who have been here for a longer time. It's hard to see that languages are everywhere," Graf explained.

Moran said that the attention paid to other disciplines and initiatives in the Viewbook did not "worry" him. "The sciences, especially because of Bicentennial Hall, and Environmental Studies deserve this attention," he remarked. Nonetheless, he added, "Everybody should be proficient in at least one foreign language. And because I'm a zealot about this, I'll never think enough is being done to promote our language programs."

Pamela Fogg, designer of the current Viewbook, said it was "hard to put everyone's agenda" in the publication. The decision not to include any visuals pertaining to language study was "editorially driven," she continued, adding that the fact that the Language Schools had their own Viewbook contributed to this choice.

A short video entitled "The Pursuit of Truth: 200 Years at Middlebury College" has also stirred up controversy for its flippant portrayal of language study at the College. Produced for Middlebury's bicentennial celebration, the film recalls important events in the College's history and takes the viewer on a visual tour of the institution today. While spending a good deal of time focusing on Middlebury's sixth Peak, the Commons initiative, the video includes only three Language school images. Furthermore, the only comment made about language study at Middlebury is a joking one — a professor emeritus of history commenting, "When I came here people said, 'Oh, you're at Middlebury. You must teach a language,' and I wanted to break their necks."

Zupan said that although comments such as this one are "typical … of the rough-and-tumble of the academic world," when taken out of context, "it seemed a gratuitously cruel remark to include within the generous celebration of Middlebury's past and present." She added that "the laughter and snickers of other colleagues over that remark [during its premiere in Dana Auditorium on Founders' Day 2000] exerted a chilling effect" on her.

"The Bicentennial video made many of us furious in its skewed presentation of what goes on here," Knox recalled. "More generally, there seems to have been some overcompensation to make sure outsiders don't type-cast us – students, in fact – as simply language freaks."

Despite less publicity in recent years Middlebury's strong reputation for academic-year language education remains a major selling point for the College. "My wide contact with students confirms that Middlebury's long-standing reputation in the languages continues to bring students here," Zupan said. They come with "a prior understanding of the highly-interactive
, near-immersion technique, and a recognition of its efficacy" and are willing to communicate with their professors in the foreign language "from the very beginning," she added.

She pointed out, however, that she has observed "a diminishment of language professors' direct contact with their students going abroad" and believes that "what is going on in that area does affect [the languages'] profile on and off campus." She asserted that the College "needs to … strike a balance" between past and present pre-departure procedures. While in the past, language faculty offered students intensive advising, at present, the faculty have a "much diminished role in the students' preparation for study abroad."

"The loosening of language departments' administrative ties to the Schools Abroad," she elucidated, could have "a negative impact on the continuity and quality control between the academic-year and programs abroad," a "problematic" situation given that language students' "junior-year curricula take place largely outside the College's physical confines."

Zupan said she "asks only an even-handed and fair representation of the languages, dignifying that history along with that of all other components of Middlebury's past and present."