Let's lead the way

Tufts' administrators have an amazing opportunity on their doorstep to increase the prestige and further the reputation of Tufts University by aggressively applying for federal grant money and providing the necessary resources on campus for new language studies in Arabic, Persian, Pashto, and Greek.

The National Security Language Act introduced by Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) is brilliant in that it appeals to the U.S. administration's "war on terror" while also providing funding for education. A nation of people who are familiar and fluent in the languages of the Muslim world will be better prepared to deal with terrorist groups who speak non-western languages and dialects. It will also be better able to understand unique and different cultures, furthering good relations rather than exacerbating cultural tensions.

Tufts' renowned international relations program has a language requirement that most students complete with a European language, though the most popular foreign policy courses focus on the Middle East and the Arab world. The availability of non-western languages such as Persian and Javanese would gap this disjunction. For Tufts to produce fluent speakers of these languages, academic deans should inform all incoming freshman about their availability and reassure students that the language will be taught for all four years into advanced levels.

Locating qualified professors of these languages will not be easy, and those available will be highly sought after. This is a severe impediment, but one that Tufts can overcome because it offers, beyond a salary, opportunities and an exciting academic environment.

To stay where you are, you have to keep moving ahead. The university has the right ingredients, federal encouragement, faculty commitment and motivated students, to develop an impressive language program that transcends the European predisposition. Activism from all three groups, plus guidance from the Department of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Development, and the associate provost for research would be invaluable to ensure that Tufts does more than stay where it is, and moves ahead. There is no better way for Tufts to help itself and help America than to lead the way in undergraduate language education.