Chinese Gaining Momentum as Language Option Among HBCUs

Krishauna Hines-Gaither, an instructor of Spanish at Salem College, said that the dearth of languages at HBCUs is at odds with their origins.In past decades, the pendulum of funding has swung away from language learning at HBCUs. Though most HBCUs focus their language instruction on the traditional standbys, Spanish or French, a handful are moving in a new direction: developing Chinese programs.

The HBCU just edging out the rest of the pack, so far, is Morehouse College.

Morehouse is unique in that it offers its own Chinese Studies Program, through which students can minor in Chinese and participate in summer and semester study abroad programs with partner institutions in China.

Krishauna Hines-Gaither, an instructor of Spanish at Salem College, said that the dearth of languages at HBCUs is at odds with their origins. “There’s a very rich history of languages at HBCUs, and among African Americans,” Hines-Gaither said, adding that HBCUs once taught the classics and languages.

Hines-Gaither attributes the move away from languages to shifts in funding at the federal and national level. The Department of Education has favored funding for STEM programs in recent decades. “I wouldn’t say it’s an HBCU problem; lots of liberal arts programs are losing languages,” she said. “It’s a national issue.”

Dr. Ruihua Shen, who joined Morehouse as director of its 6-year-old Chinese Studies Program two years ago, argues that Chinese is a vital skill to acquire.

“Think about it: the world, and China, are changing so much,” Shen said. “China is already the second largest economy in the world. And students, no matter what they do in the future, even if they are doing business or political science, they have to deal with China. As a future leader, you really have to understand China.”