The Foreign Languages Department of Central Washington University was established in the fall of 1964. Prior to that date, foreign language courses fell under the Division of Language and Literature. The first foreign language course to be taught at Central Washington University was Latin in 1895, when the college was known as the Washington State Normal School. An academic major in French was first offered in 1942 but a decline in enrollment during the war years and lack of support from the school’s administration led to its removal the following year. French was re-introduced as a major in the fall of 1949 along with Spanish. Currently the Foreign Languages Department offers degrees in six languages, including American Sign Language.
The bulk of this collection consists of biographical information on the retired and former faculty members of the Foreign Languages Department from 1963 to 1994. The collection also includes departmental meeting minutes from 1970 to 1986 and 1994 to 2006.
Central Washington University began as the Washington State Normal School in 1891. In 1937, the school was rechristened the Central Washington College of Education. In 1961, the school became Central Washington State College and, finally, in 1977, Central Washington University.
Organized alphabetically by surname; arranged chronologically.
Open to the public for educational research
[Name of document or photograph number]. RG065-06-64, Central Washington University Foreign Languages Department, Office Files and Minutes. Archives and Special Collections, Brooks Library, Central Washington University.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.