For Saulo Gouveia, MSU's only full-time Portuguese faculty member, the development of the Spanish and Portuguese department is crucial.
"Having someone to share the responsibilities and ideas for the program will help me tremendously," he said in an e-mail. "These improvements will give me more options in terms of courses to teach, more time to devote to my research and more time to devote to conceptualizing and creating new features to enhance our program."
Three new faculty members to be hired in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese could restore government funds to help this growth.
Funding from Title VI — a competitive government program that helps support less-commonly taught foreign language programs — was not renewed to the department a year ago, said Douglas Noverr, the department's acting chairman.
"An important part of being competitive for Title VI funds is that you have the faculty teaching those language courses, doing research and publishing in those fields," he said. "That's why these positions are important to the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and to their reapplication for Title VI."
One reason the funds have become more competitive is because other programs, such as Arabic and Chinese language programs, are taking precedence, Noverr said.
The hiring may result in higher rankings nationally for the program, which could increase the department's chances for Title VI funding, Gouveia said.
The department is conducting a national search for a permanent department chairperson. The search committee is picking candidates to bring to campus for interviews, Noverr said.
Noverr said the committee also is searching nationally to fill two faculty positions — an associate professor in Portuguese and an associate professor in Latin American and Caribbean studies.
He hopes to have all of these positions filled by fall semester 2007.
Currently, Gouveia and one part-time adjunct professor teach Portuguese, Noverr said.
With more faculty, more courses can be offered. One course in the making is Portuguese for Spanish speakers. The four-credit course will first be offered to interested students as an independent study, but if successful, it will be offered every semester, Gouveia said.
"By offering the Portuguese for Spanish speakers course in the fall of 2007, we are serving the growing Hispanic community on campus and in the Lansing area," he said.
Other developments within the language include an intensive Portuguese study abroad program and a summer course on campus.
Noverr said the department would like to offer Portuguese as a minor and later as a major, but without more faculty, it's not possible.
"We don't have enough faculty to teach the courses on a regular basis," he said. "I think there will be a lot of interest when we establish it as a minor."
Currently, Portuguese courses have an average of nearly 15-20 students enrolled, and there is a demand for courses in the language, Noverr said.
Portuguese is not always just an academic choice for students, but a personal decision as well, Gouveia said.
"Many students say that they like the way Portuguese sounds, they love Brazilian music and they love Brazilian culture," Gouveia said. "Most of my students have a very strong personal motivation to be in the Portuguese program. Portuguese language and Brazilian culture are important components for those who are interested in Latin America in general."
The third opening is for a Caribbean specialist, he said.
"The department has a number of very good Latin Americanists," Gouveia said. "What it needed and what we hope to get with a successful hire is a combination of both Latin American and Caribbean studies — that's the key elements."
The funds for one of these positions came from the provost office's quality fund, which is money allocated from the tuition increase to strengthen undergraduate programs. Salaries for the positions have not yet been negotiated.
"Both the Spanish and the Portuguese programs are understaffed," Gouveia said.
