Why Study Russian?

Many world politicians and business leaders have stated, Russia does matter.
Russia is the largest country in the world, almost twice the size of the U.S.A., and covers eleven time zones.
Russia is the world's largest supplier of natural gas and second largest supplier of oil.
Russia holds the world's second-largest nuclear stockpile.
Russia has enormous reserves of strategic minerals and an extremely well-educated populace-in other words, it has great potential for economic growth.
Russian offers a key to the parts of Europe which will be most changed by economic development during this century.
Russia is a land of fascinating art, literature, music, and architecture.
Russian and English are the official languages on the International Space Station; American astronauts study Russian.
Russia is a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council, and Russian is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
With the globalization of business, employers are interested in hiring graduates who show that they are familiar with a culture well beyond their own.
"Multinational companies need leaders who are internationally adept" (Sally Adamson Taylor, Culture Shock!)
There are, and will be for a long time to come, jobs for those individuals who know Russian and understand Russian culture and who can effectively translate them to the world markets.