3/9/00 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Betty M. van Iersel, 978-542-7520

SALEM, Mass. – The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has approved a major in Spanish leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree at Salem State College, beginning in Fall 2000. It will be the only Spanish major in a Massachusetts college within commuting distance from the North Shore.

Applications from freshman and transfer students will be accepted immediately and processed as they are received, according to SSC President Nancy D. Harrington.

Service to the North Shore community is the main objective of the major, with special emphasis upon meeting the need for well-trained teachers of Spanish and employers´ demand for Spanish-language qualified personnel, said Dr. Kristine Doll, chairperson, Department of Foreign Languages.

Qualified students may enroll in one of three concentrations within the major: teacher preparation, professional concentration (for those planning careers in business, law, health services, social services and technical professions), and a liberal arts-based literature and culture concentration. “The major will prepare students to become successful professionals in a global marketplace,” Doll emphasized. Spanish minors and double majors are also possible.

Unlike any of the three other Spanish majors currently offered within the Massachusetts public college system, the SSC major will offer courses in the art of translation and interpretation. It will be the only major to prepare students for the Spanish government´s internationally recognized diploma in Spanish proficiency (Diploma de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera.)

Reflecting student demand for the language, the new Spanish major represents the first new, four-year, undergraduate degree program approved by the BHE for Salem State in recent years. It will also prepare those successfully completing baccalaureate degree requirements to enter SSC graduate programs in both bilingual education and English as a second language.

“The program represents part of a strategic long-term plan to respond to the increasing needs of North Shore communities for a well-trained, bilingual (English-Spanish) work force,” President Harrington said.

The curriculum will offer alternatives that will allow students to combine expertise in Spanish with preparation in other fields. The program is also unique among state public colleges in requiring two courses in community-based activities, whether tutoring, mentoring, translating or teaching. For many Salem State students, these community internships have developed into opportunities for permanent employment, according to Doll.

“We´ll be working hard to acquaint foreign language teachers and guidance counselors about this new program,” said Nate Bryant, director of admissions. Normal undergraduate and transfer admission requirements will apply, he added. Spanish majors may also enroll in the SSC Honors Program, which provides academically gifted students with scholarships, seminars and unique learning experiences.

The Department of Foreign Languages also offers minors in French and in foreign languages; study abroad programs in Spain and France are available.

For information about the new Spanish major, call 978-542-6258 or visit the department online at http://www.salemstate.edu/languages

To apply, or for general admissions information, call 978-542-6200.

For Honors Program information, call 978-542-6247.