CCPCR’s Fall 2009 Pre-College and College Russian Enrollment Trend Report: It’s a Mixed Bag

         Last spring, based upon enrollment data from previous years, the report to our discipline’s newsletters from the Committee on College and Pre-College Russian noted an apparent upward trend in Russian enrollments at both the pre-college and college levels.  Increases in both areas made it possible for to cautiously observe that “Clearly, one swallow does not make a spring, but the numbers are widespread enough this year to give us hope.” 
         In October a number of SEALANGS contributors began reporting increases at their institutions, and in December, Scott Jashchik, in his Inside Higher Ed article “Russia(n) is Back” cited gains at institutions such as Holy Cross, Stetson, Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, and Pitt, and offered speculations from teaching faculty as to the cause, including students’ increased access to Russian culture, and “chem khuzhe, tem luchshe” (as Michele Berdy noted in an October 16 SEELANGS e-mail: “…when relations are bad, the number of Russian-language students goes up; when relations are good, they go down”).
         Though Jaschik comments that “There are no current national data available on Russian enrollment,” CCPCR has of course been gathering such information for years, beginning with pre-college enrollments in 1984, and college-level enrollment in 2002.  Admittedly, CCPCR’s data does not include every pre-college and college level program since it depends upon voluntary teacher responses.  Still, the CCPCR database can provide meaningful observations by tracking the enrollment records of institutions across the country that have reliably participated in the survey.
         What the data gleaned by CCPCR this year (available on the our website at http://www1.american.edu/research/CCPCR/
--or just google CCPCR) presents is less clear-cut.  At the college level, of 50 programs that have reliably reported their enrollments to provide a comparison, 22 saw increases in 1st year Russian and 25 in 2nd year Russian, while 15 experienced a loss of enrollment in 1st year and  13 in 2nd year.  Programs that saw neither a gain or loss (treating a gain or loss of 2 or less students between years as insignificant) reported 13 1st year programs and 12 2nd year programs in that category.
         At the pre-college level, of 81 programs that have consistently participated in the annual survey, 34 saw an overall increase in k-12 numbers, 38 experienced a loss of enrollment, and 9 programs remained at previous levels.  Increases and drops in enrollment at pre-college schools are sometimes modest, sometimes dramatic, and teachers continue to report programs threatened or soon to be eliminated by funding cutbacks and/or the addition of new language choices to the curriculum. 
         The fact that some programs at both the pre-college and college levels are growing is encouraging, but based on our data, it is still too soon to report that a rising tide is lifting all boats. 
          
        
        

 

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Fall '98 Census Article

CCPCR Report: The Impact of the Fall of The USSR Upon US Russian Enrollments and Programs

    Nearly every year since 1984, the Committee on College and Pre-College Russian(CCPCR), an interorganizational committee sponsored by AATSEEL, AAASS, and ACTR, has conducted a census of pre-college Russian language programs in the U.S. (This census should not be confused with the MLA survey of college-level enrollments in all Russian language and literature courses which is sent to registrars and conducted at 4-5 year intervals.) From the Gorbachev era through collapse of the Soviet Union to the present, the annual pre-college totals have reflected an all too familiar sea change: our rising tide of increasing enrollments rolled in and was followed by a brief period of zastoj. Now that tide is rolling out.

Falling Enrollment.

    Until the past two years, data received from responding schools indicated general stability in the number of pre-college Russian programs, but also reflected declining enrollments within those programs. For example, compared with the figures received for academic year (AY) 1993-94, a year in which 293 schools reported a total 14,676 students, the 306 schools responding to the 1996-97 census reported a total approaching only 11,000 students. The numbers for AY 1998-99 continue to follow this trend, but display a new concern: the inevitable loss of school programs because of these declining enrollments. As of mid-July, only two thirds of the over 300 pre-college Russian language programs identified in the 1996 census had responded to the CCPCR census of 1998 fall semester enrollments (no census was conducted in 1997-98 during the creation of a new national census website). The responses received so far have come from only 188 schools, listing a total enrollment of 5,920 students at all levels. The problem, however, is not just in declining enrollment figures, but in the loss of programs indicated by teachers in their responses.

Loss of Programs.

    Since over 100 known schools have yet to forward their enrollment figures (the CCPCR changeover to an internet website should ultimately make nearly 100% identification and participation possible), the data thus far received would not be a cause for special alarm were it not for the fact that of the 188 schools which responded to the 1998 censu teachers at no fewer than 69 of the schools indicated on their response forms that over the past two years their programs had been terminated or will be dropped by the fall 1999 semester. The schools listed on the CCPCR website for the 1998 census therefore represent enrollment figures only from those schools that actually had programs in fall 1998, and several of these schools will be terminated by fall 1999 (those schools are indicated in the "comments" section on the website). One of the undesirable peace dividends--diminished student interest in Russia--appears to be taking its toll.
    Many teachers who answered this yearis census voiced a plea for help, typically, iHow can support to promote Russian language study be generated before it is too late?i The implications of this census are clear. It is time for the profession to respond with increased attention to assisting program recruitment and visibility, and just as importantly, to seek and promote funding support that will protect and develop Russian language study. We must impress upon national leaders and policymakers the fact that Russia and the CIS are, and will continue to be, of vital importance to the future of this country. De tente should not be an excuse for disinterest. While we still have Russian programs that can provide the instruction that will be sorely needed in the 21st century, we should do everything we can to protect themat both the pre-college and college levels.

The CCPCR Website and the Continuing Census.

    Over a third of the schools that participated in the 1996 census have still not responded to mailed and faxed census forms and are being re-contacted. We are aware that there are very likely other schools that have never participated in the census. However, unlike previous years when the compilation of census data was terminated at the end of the spring semester, data for the 1998 census will continue to be added update the website as it is received. This process will extend into the fall, until the 1998 census is complete. Names of new and existing programs never before listed are still being sought. (If you know of an existing program that does not appear in the 1998 census list, please e-mail contact information to .) It is hoped that the new CCPCR website, which provides national accessibility and continual updating, will finally lead to the establishment of a complete and totally reliable annual source of information about pre-college Russian language study in the US.
    The CCPCR website is found at www.american.edu/research/CCPCR (the address is case sensitive, use upper case CCPCR). In addition to the specific census information for each state and school, which is easily and quickly accessible for each state, the site offers a national pre-college enrollment statistics summary, web links to AAASS, ACTR, and AATSEEL, downloadable school address lists, a pre-college teacher job database, web links to useful Russian sites, an opportunities-for-teachers list, and links to teaching-resource databases. Dates of entry are provided for all information. This fall, in addition to the mailed/faxed census forms, pre-college teachers will also be able to enter their data in an on-line census form provided at the website. We encourage you to visit our site!

    * John Schillinger, Chair, CCPCR American University