Outcomes and Extinction

We (the foreign language faculty of PASSHE) have no idea as to whether or not the members of our academic communities realize or will someday “bereave” the effects of the impending PASSHE foreign language program moratoriums (the “academic extinction” of French, German, and Spanish language majors/minors). As “potential divorcees”, as the “academic animal” soon to become extinct, we receive few indications from our “beloved institution/s” of our value, few favorable environmental variables (checks to create a new balance) with which to reckon. Yet, just before this “impending divorce”, just before crossing the “brink of extinction”, our academic value needs to be explored by everyone in our communities. If there is any hope of reestablishing communication with our community, speaking from within and preserving our place within our community and within the PA State System of Higher Education, if there is any hope of reestablishing “environmental integrity” (community integrity) or assuring “academic survivability” (viability), we depend upon this type of conversation. It takes both “potential divorcees” to reestablish communication; it requires changes to the “environmental equation” to sustain the lives of our programs facing extinction. Our relationship and survival within our academic communities requires this measure of reflection, re/evaluation, and conversation.

So, for a moment, let’s set aside criticism (criticism from both sides, “self” and “other”), let’s contemplate each community environment from outside the community/system itself (no longer “plants” or “animals” competing for the same resources). Let’s consider our academic value, aside from being the “divorcee” that is “truly right”, aside from being the “more effective hunter” or the “too frail prey” or the “too slowly adapting plant”.

Essentially, we need to begin reflecting upon questions like these:

1. Which students (whether large or small in number) will no longer be produced autonomously and how does affect our institutions?

2. What academic skills will we no longer be able to provide our community? That is, what academic outcomes will longer be produced autonomously from within our community?

3. What does our campus community lose when these outcomes (these types of skilled students) are lost?

4. How will our institution’s image, brand, prestige, recruiting ability, and all the other variables of “institutional culture” change?

5. What are the ramifications of this loss in terms of other academic programs and in terms of our service to the wider community that feeds into/on our academic culture?

Obviously, there are more questions to be raised and I invite everyone to participate in this line of discussion. Maybe when this type of reflection is established, dialogue will resume, room will be made, and program viability will be seen in a new light with new direction.