Oregon State University Spanish instructor Erika Nava looked forward to attending sessions at the fall conference for the Confederation in Oregon For Language Teaching, held on campus on Friday and today.

Nearly 300 foreign language professionals from the elementary school to university levels are in Corvallis to learn more about teaching techniques, classroom technologies and activities.

"It's good to have dialogue with other teachers and share ideas," Nava said.

It also might be good to have more Spanish courses at OSU. "This fall, between my three classes, I had at least 37 people on my waiting list," Nava said.

Guy Wood, acting chairman of the foreign languages and literature department, said perhaps two more sections of Spanish could have been filled this term. "We're turning students away," he said.

When he joined the staff at OSU, more than 20 years, ago, there were about 30 staff members in the department of foreign languages and literature. Now there are about the same number - only fewer professors and more instructors, he said.

And there are many more students taking courses, he said.

"It's been a tremendous struggle to keep our heads above water," Wood added.

The department has about 90 to 100 majors, he said. "Where we're really strong is the minor category. We have 320-plus … in every field," Wood said.

Understanding Spanish, Chinese, or other languages will complement business or other degrees, and give students a higher possibility of employment, he said.

Rebecca Farrin, 24, a master's degree student teaching Spanish courses at OSU, hopes to work with Hispanic children with special needs.

She thought more students would learn second languages. "The world's going to be more and more connected," Farrin said.

The conference's theme is "Preparing Oregon's Global Workforce."

"Today's graduates must become global citizens who are able to navigate the cultural and linguistic landscape of an interdependent world," said speaker Martha Nyikos, an associate professor of language education from Indiana University.

OSU is supporting an effort to change the state's foreign language instruction being led by the University of Oregon, and supported by government agencies, school districts and businesses such as Nike, IBM, Reser's Fine Foods and Oregon Steel Mills.

"The Oregon Roadmap to Language Excellence" aims to ensure that every Oregon high school graduate is functionally proficient in another language by 2025.

Carl Falsgraf, director of the University of Oregon's Center for Applied Second Language Studies, said the program would give rewards to students who demonstrate foreign language proficiency. Such expertise would be much higher than the current two years of high school language required by the Oregon University System.

Falsgraf added the program would change how foreign language is taught, and in classes such as math or science, students could get instruction in a second language.

Kyle Odegard covers Oregon State University. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net or 758-9523.