Schneider closes door on Russian School after 32 years

By Ronnel Daniels
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

Although an integral part of Norwich University since 1968, the Russian School will officially close its doors, a decision made by NU President Richard Schneider following a lengthy review process.

Several committee levels investigate the viability of the program, including the University Circulation Committee (UCC), the provost, and the president.

Founded in 1958 at Windham College, the Russian School has been at Norwich University since 1968. It is the second oldest language school and the third largest in the nation.

Russian School Director Prof. Kathleen Dana Director of the Russian School said that "although it can use improvement in the marketing of the program, it is academically solid."

Some of the UCC committee members expressed their opinion that the Russian School is a quality program and that unless there is evidence that show a diminished quality, the Russian School should remain open.

Since the breakup of the USSR in the past few years, student enrollment numbers in Russian studies has dropped off dramatically.

"In the early 1990s people thought that the USSR was this huge economic empire, now Russia is very different," Dana explained.

There are fewer Russian students in the year 2000 who attend universities in the United States than in the early 1990s, according to Time Magazine.

"The infrastructure is so poor that people don't find a good investment in Russian studies, and a lot of people have lost interest in studying this language," Dana said.

There are other groups, such as missionaries and Christian groups, who were sending students over to the United States, but that has also slowed over the last couple of years, Dana said.

"The only people you have now studying the language are the people who are passionate about it," Dana said. "We get those students but there are not many of them. Most are not funded by the federal government or by businesses."

At Norwich, Russian student population has decreased steadily over the last decade. There is one Russian student currently at Norwich, a rook in the Corps of Cadets.

"It is hard to get Russian students to study abroad, financially they are restricted and most can't afford it," said Rachel Netting President of the Russian Club.

As Director of the Russian School since Sept. 1998, Dana has tried to look for a concentration of students with interest in Russian lifestyles, the language or general Russian interest.

About 4,000 students have enrolled in the Russian school since it came to Norwich 32 years ago.

Dana said that "the school could consolidate with the Middlebury language department, which has the oldest language school in the United States."

The school had planned to implement a series of one-week programs, such as the Russian Theater Program; a program for parents with adopted Russian children; and there is also a course for people who want to study scientific works of Russia.

When the New England Association of Secondary School and Colleges (NEASC) visited Norwich University earlier this month, the Russian Library, which is located on the fifth floor in the Kreitzberg Library, received a good commendation from NEASC.

Members of the accrediting committee said the Russian Library was one of the best libraries they had seen and Dana was especially proud of that evaluation.

Dana is the first individual at the university to have been assigned to the program year around. "It has given the program more stability but the numbers still haven't gone up," Dana said.

Total-immersion language instruction, the Russian School has been a feature of summer life at Norwich from the Cold War to the present. Students ranging in age from teens to nineties and from all walks of life have immersed themselves in the language and culture of Russia through the school over the years.

Through extensive daily instruction, tutoring by native speakers, and the dynamic cultural life of the school, the Russian School offered undergraduate instruction in Russian language and culture for first through fourth year levels, as well as graduate courses in literature, culture, theory, and pedagogy.

Beginners in the program would come in mid-June, a week before the regular students so that they can have an exposure to the program before the more advanced students arrived.

Upper-level students were given written and oral placement exams when they arrived to place them at the appropriate level.

The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Exam was given both when students arrived on campus and again just before they left at the end of the summer session.

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