2024 Survey of Recruitment and Rentention Strategies
Background
The Survey of Enrollments in Russian Language Classes has long gathered statistics about enrollments in college and pre-college Russian language courses.
This survey aims to collect information about recruitment strategies employed by Russian departments with the objective to increase enrollments and retention rates in Russian language study. The survey was carried out by SRAS.org, a study abroad organization dedicated to the study of Eurasia.
For nearly all questions polled for we also included space for the educators to comment on their individual experience. We found these comments to be particularly informative and have described what we learned from them in a generalized and anonymized format below.
If you are interested in supporting Russian language study at the pre-college or college level or wish to connect with SRAS, either to add information about your program, ask questions, or make recommendations for our projects, please contact us.
Respondents
The survey was distributed via email to educators within SRAS’ database. It was conducted using Google forms.
We recorded 83 responses from educators across the US. One respondent was a high school teacher, three came from community colleges, and the rest were split between private colleges and universities (33) and public colleges and universities (46).
Seventy nine programs reported (for some programs, more than one educator responded). In some cases below, we have differentiated between programs and educators reporting.
SRAS has a database of some 300 likely active Russian programs. Thus, our sample size is relatively small. However, these are all active educators and many have commented at length, giving us a good idea of what is possible in terms of recruitment and retention strategies.
Certificates
Institutions are increasingly offering certificates as a way for students to document specific skills and, in effect, customize their degrees. A certificate is awarded after completing a short educational program that concentrates on a specific field of expertise. For instance, one might have a degree in aerospace engineering, but also certificates in Python and Russian. These awards can add considerable perceived value to courses.
Currently, 23% of the responding programs report that their institutions offer Russian-related certificates.
Feeder Courses
As language courses are often perceived as difficult, offering courses in subjects like culture, politics, or history can be valuable in tapping potential student interest in a way that entails lower commitment and is perceived as less of a liability to a student’s GPA. This allows students to become involved with the department, develop relationships with the educators there, and be encouraged to study related subjects including language.
Seventy five percent of responding departments reported offering at least one feeder course. Most of those reported offering multiple such courses.
Topics vary widely, but five stand out as most common:
- Literature courses are mentioned about 40 times. These include specific courses such as Russian Literature in Translation, 19th Century Russian Literature, and Dostoevsky as well as in team-taught courses such as World Literature.
- Culture and Civilization courses are mentioned about 35 times. Specific examples of these often broad courses include Russian Culture and Civilization, Multicultural Russia, Introduction to Slavic Studies, and Post-Soviet Pop Culture.
- Political Science and History courses are mentioned about 30 times with such titles such as Russia and the West, Espionage in the Modern World, Russia from Peter to Putin, and Dissidents in Putin’s Russia.
- Mythology and Folklore are mentioned about 12 times. Interestingly, courses specifically on vampires in Russia were reported at three different institutions. Other courses included Russian Myths and Legends, Slavic Folklore, and Devils, Deities and Madness in Russian Literature.
- Film and Cinema is also quite popular, with about 10 mentions of courses like Russian Cinema and Russian Cinema on the Eve of the Revolution.
Other Recruitment Strategies
The most successful recruitment strategies are those that reach out to students in personal but relaxed or informal ways.
Word of mouth was not polled for by our survey, but was specifically written in more than any other specific strategy. Having students reach out to their peers and freely promote what they see as useful and enjoyable courses is invaluable to programs.
Faculty-led programming was also not polled here (we included it as a retention strategy). It was, however, written in as being particularly effective for generating interest. Students that visit Russian-speaking countries tend to return more interested in the language and cultures of the country they visited. In this case, they are led by a faculty member on a group program that is usually short-term and often qualifies for college credit.
Study abroad was similarly not polled for here and instead included as a retention strategy. However, respondents commented that this is also effective for generating interest. Students often don’t know that there are still many interesting regions to study abroad in that have large Russian-speaking populations and are open and safe for travel. Dispelling the concern that there are no options of study abroad for those studying Russian is a major obstacle to convincing many students to pursue Russian language study.
Cultural events were, of the categories we polled for, ranked most effective. These include offering free seminars, entertainment, and/or food in an effort to make contact with new students.
Reaching influencers such as advisors and heads of other departments is the second most effective. These individuals can encourage students to gain language and culture skills, arguing that it will help further the students’ educational and/or professional goals. These influencers can be seen as trusted and reliable sources of such information, speaking from a position of authority. Reaching out to study abroad offices, ROTC offices, and community groups was also mentioned as helpful.
Direct outreach to incoming students by holding promotional events to distribute literature during registration or in the early days of the semester is effective. Respondents stressed that making students aware that language classes can fulfill requirements is particularly helpful if that is the case at one’s institution. Some use departmental partnerships to make presentations in other classes. This can be particularly useful as it places the Russian teacher in a position to make personal contact while also leaning on the authority of an influencer – the professor of the class they are presenting in. Attending university welcome events and advertising in summer publications for incoming freshmen and their families were also listed as being useful.
Russian club activities are also listed as generally effective. Russian clubs can be particularly useful for reaching heritage speakers and others with an interest in Russian culture and who are interested in connecting with others that share their heritage or interest. They also allow students to act as ambassadors, giving positive opinions to their peers on studying Russian.
We then see a sharp drop in the reported effectiveness of the last four.
Attending “major” fairs is of limited use. In this rather formal setting, you are often behind a table and it is up to the student to approach you to initiate contact. Unless the student was already interested in enrolling, it is fairly unlikely the student will choose to expend time and effort in making the connection.
Social media campaigns and postering around campus, which are impersonal and, again, place the responsibility on the student for making formal contact, are judged to be even less effective. These two strategy types were also rarely called out with additional commentary by respondents with the exception of email campaigns, performed via lists from other departments or the university, to targeted audiences.
Outreach to high schools was reported as the least used. Organizations such as ACTR and AATSEEL have long attempted (and continue to attempt) to encourage the development of this “pipeline” of students. However, many in higher education and secondary education operate with little or no knowledge of each other’s programs. Scheduling and bureaucratic concerns also likely impede their cooperation. Several respondents pointed out, however, ways to make use of this pipeline. For instance, getting involved with the Olympiada of Spoken Russian, which has participants from local elementary and high schools, or offering summer camps in language and culture, or participating in an AATSEEL Open House, which introduces high school students to a range of university programs, were all mentioned as good tools. Outreach is otherwise often envisioned as reaching out to teachers to encourage students to continue their studies at the college level. It can also involve presentations by the professor to the class or even language and/or cultural presentations or events led by the professor or even the university students or Russian club.
Why Study Russian?
Respondents were able to click all that applied.
They reported that the reasons they give for studying Russian have changed recently, mostly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Most gave individual comments that most commonly reflect what they have been told by students as their motivation for taking (or not taking) a course. The comments were quite diverse but we can generally group them within five categories.
Diplomacy, intelligence, and military careers are more commonly given by students as reasons for studying the language, according to respondents. More students see career advancement options in government if they know Russian, now perceived as the language of a major and long-term US adversary.
Russian as a lingua franca has a status that is now in flux. On one hand, some educators report that this argument is problematic because Russian’s status as a spoken language in countries outside of Russia is linked to Russia’s history of imperialism. (Of course, the same is true for all lingua francas, including Spanish, English, and French.) On the other hand, some educators point out rising student interest in studying Russian in the Baltics, Caucasus, and Central Asia, where Russian is widely spoken. All of these regions have raised geopolitical profiles since 2022. These countries are seeing rising economic growth and international investment. They are increasingly seen as important military and diplomatic buffer zones around Russia. Students with interests in business and diplomacy are therefore beginning to see the value in specializing in these areas – and seeing that Russian is a practical entry language to traveling and working in all of these geographic regions.
Russian culture has seen the biggest drop as a motivator for students studying Russian, according to respondents. Whereas in the past, as one educator put it, there was always a population of students who “wanted to read Dostoevsky in the original,” those students are increasingly rare. In addition, educators themselves have reported being more hesitant to argue for Russian culture as a reason for learning Russian. Like issues surrounding the lingua franca category, this is usually attributed to ethical concerns about Russia’s geopolitical reputation and political history. There is a fear that the culture is connected to imperialism and thus promoting it would be equivalent to promoting imperialism, oppression, and even Russia’s current war efforts in Ukraine. Another educator also explained that the inability to go to Russia safely to experience the culture firsthand deterred students from studying it at home. It should be mentioned that in our Survey of Students of the Russian Language for 2023-2024, interest in literature, arts, culture, and/or history was cited as a reason for beginning the study of Russian by 29% of students. This may indeed have fallen from previous years – but has certainly not disappeared.
Study abroad and travel limitations were also frequently mentioned by respondents as a reason that students are not studying Russian. Some students are not aware that there are countries outside of Russia and Ukraine where the language is widely spoken. Others, as one respondent put it, simply need to visualize themselves abroad to find motivation to study a language: sitting on a balcony in a major city, sipping coffee and overlooking major landmarks while chatting with a new local friend. This could be done for Moscow and St. Petersburg but, as there is no popular image of Bishkek, Yerevan, or Riga, this mental exercise is difficult.
Career-oriented reasons are overall motivating students in greater numbers. Thus, educators should advocate for their subject by placing greater emphasis on transferable language skills, critical language designations, intercultural skills, and cross-disciplinary applications. Some mentioned that concerns about AI becoming a universal translator and making language learning obsolete are also affecting student decision making.
You can see what students said about their own motivations for studying Russian in 2023-2024 by clicking here.
Retention Strategies
Developing personal relationships was by far the most mentioned retention strategy in respondent comments. Mentoring was also chosen by most respondents as the most effective category within the poll options. Respondents additionally commented that relationships developed between students and faculty, language tutors, and Russian club members were all useful.
Cultural events, study abroad, and faculty-led programs are all listed as effective although they were not commented on here – likely because respondents had already commented earlier in the survey when listing them as recruitment tools.
Offering scholarships and Internships was reported as used by 90% of respondents and considered effective by about 60%. These subjects were only elaborated on in comments from one respondent, who mentioned that they offer a community-service based internship for credit that directly uses language skills.
Connections to alumni and careers was reported as least used. Similar to connecting to high schools, this requires maintaining contacts over time, juggling schedules, and other logistical concerns. It can be useful, but often necessitates a considerable amount of work.
The SRAS guides were excellent! They really knew their stuff and were able to relate the history of the places we visited in an interesting and inventive way. It was obvious they had a lot of experience working with American students.
Renee, the work that you do is so far beyond any kind of formal service or trip planning in your vision, scope, and ability to think of absolutely everything and anticipate potential problems in advance. You clearly have a gift for this.
My Dear Renee, I am still in Kazakhstan but can report back we had a perfectly splendid time in Kyrgyzstan. The students and I want to collectively buy a little plot of land and a yurt or house in the village at the base of the mountains. They loved their families and I fell in love with Kenzhe, we want to include her in our documentary. I will be in touch over the next two weeks. Forever grateful to you.
We had a great time overall. The students were super impressed with SRAS — the guides, the accommodations, the excursions, etc. The guides were super knowledgeable and kind–the only thing that would improve the tours is volume. They tend to speak quietly so a few people who can’t hear lose interest. But we loved the Hermitage art project and Novgorod, and the bunker, and going behind the fountains at Peterhof, and the boat to Peterhof… We loved everything!
A long overdue thank you for the wonderful trip you and your staff planned for the Drew group in St. Petersburg. I have never had a trip where NOTHING went wrong. It was a terrific experience from start to finish, your staff was superb and St. Petersburg Economics University was a marvelous host. We enjoyed each and every lecture and guide, and the many fine added touches. I would love to do this again.
Thanks again to (SRAS Assistant Director) Josh Wilson for being so helpful with getting us started! At our concluding discussion class yesterday I asked the students to write and then present five “Kliuchevykh slov” about their experience. Several of them wound up referencing Josh’s comments about trying to observe without judging, which he made during the Moscow Walking Tour. Thanks for helping me teach this course!