Why do you need to learn Chinese?

1. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is where the job is: China is one of US top trading partners-total trade $245.2 billion in 2004. Top US exports to China: Power generation equipment; Electrical machinery & equipment; Oil seeds & oleaginous fruits; Optics & medical equipment; Air & spacecraft; Inorganic & organic chemicals; Plastics & articles thereof; Cotton; Iron & Steel; Pulp and paperboard (Source: US-China Business Council) http://www.uschina.org/statistics/tradetable. html)

2. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because where money is: US government has authorizes 1.3 billion in federal funds over five years to provide for Chinese language instruction in American schools, increase American consular activity supporting American commercial activities in China and provide for physical and virtual exchanges among a broad spectrum of individuals in the two nations. (Source: news release from Senator Joe Lieberman office: May 26, 2005)

3. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is where International relations is: "Department of State has designated Chinese as a 'critical language'" (source: Newsweek article, May 2005)

4. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is where US politics is: Senator Joe Lieberman (Democrat Senator-CT) and Lamar Alexander (Republican Senator-TN) have introduced the United States-China Cultural Engagement Act in May, 2005. (Source: News release from Senator Joe Lieberman's office, May 26, 2005).

5. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is where challenge is: The Foreign Service Institute, which tranis American diplomats, ranks Chinese as one of the four most time-intensive languages to learn.

6. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is what most people in the world speak: 937,132,000 native speakers, in comparison with Spanish speaker 332, 000,000 and English speaker 322,000,000. (Source: The Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) Ethnologue Survey 1999). Not only people in China speak Chinese, even in Calgary, Canada, 10% of the population are Chinese. (Source: Dr. David Wright, History Department, University of Calgary, Canada, 2005)

7. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is where national prosperity and security is: according to Asia Society News release, as China rushes toward superpower status, American schools and government officials are growing increasingly concerned by the lack of expertise in a language considered critical to national prosperity and security?(Source: Asia Society News, June 11, 2005)

8. K-State students need to learn Chinese, because they would just simply fall behind in competing with other college graduates with out it.

a. Students in all major universities and Ivy League schools are learning Chinese language.

b. Kids from kindergarten to college are studying Chinese (Source: Chicago Tribune, September 27,2005)

c. 2400 high schools expressed in interest in offering Chinese in a nationwide school administrators survey about a new Advanced Placement Chinese Curriculum by the College Board. (Source: Chicago Tribute, September 27, 2005)

d. The College Board has decided to add Chinese Advanced Placement program and Chinese Advancement Classes will be offered in high schools around the country starting next year, fall of 2006. The board administers the college-level AP tests. (Source: New York Times Oct. 15, 2005)

e. According Scott McGinnis, an academic adviser at the Defense Language Institute in Washington, the number of Chinese Language programs around the country, from elementary school through adult programs, has tripled in 10 years (New York Times, Oct. 15, 2005).

f. According to Defense Language Institute, Chinese Language is strategic in a way that a lot of other languages aren't because of China's growth as an economic and military power. (Source: New York Times Oct. 15, 2005)

g. Up to 50,000 students are studying Chinese in elementary and secondary schools in the United States, experts estimate (Source: New York Times Oct. 15, 2005)

h. In Chicago, 2500 students are learning Chinese in public schools. (Source: Chicago Tribute, September 27, 2005)

i. In September, Defense Department gave a $700, 000 grant to public schools in Portalnd, Oregan, to double the number of students studying Chinese in an immersion program(Source: New York Times, Oct. 15, 2005)

j. Chinese langue is becoming popular in elementary classrooms around Greater Boston, as well as elsewhere in the nation. (Source: The Boston Globe, June 8, 2005)

k. Modern Language Association reported, between 1998 and 2002, the enrollment in two and four-year college Chinese courses jumped 20% nation wide, to 34, 153 students.

l. A lot of students pick Chinese because they will catch the eyes of people reading the job and college application. (Source: Chicago Tribute, September 27, 2005)

m. In the past two years, Chinese has passed German, French and Portuguese to become the third most popular language taught in their nationwide program, behind English and Spanish. (Source: Berlitz, a private language institute)

n. "Our nation's schools are locked in a time warp. By ignoring critical languages such as Chinese and the essential cultural knowledge needed to succeed, our school systems are out of step with new global realities." Charles Kolb, President of the Committee for Economic Development. (Source: Asia Society News, June 11, 2005)

9. K-state Students need to learn Chinese, because "the future does not speak French" (quoted from Newsweek Article: May 9, 2005)

10. K-state students need to learn Chinese, because that is what COOL kids do: "When I speak Chinese to them (kids), they say 'WOW' "(quoted Daria Tuabin, at Michael Driscoll School, beginning its elementary Chinese program in 2000, New York Times, Oct. 15, 2005)