Jaschik, Scott. "Auf Widersehen." INSIDE HIGHER ED June 12, 2009.

Last year, German scholars and other advocates for foreign language education were outraged when the University of Southern California eliminated its German department, abandoning a major in the field. It turns out that was just the start of a bad period for German in American higher education. This year, of course, the economic mess has prompted many colleges to kill programs or to draft lists of departments that may be eliminated or scaled back. USC is not alone in rethinking the need for a university to maintain a program in the language.

• At Florida State University, German (which has both bachelor's and master's programs) is on a list of programs for possible elimination, pending adoption of a final budget. The program could get word on its survival (or not) as early as today, following several months of petitions and lobbying on its behalf, and there are rumors circulating that the program may survive.
• The University of Iowa announced this month that it is suspending admissions to its master's and doctoral programs in German for at least two years.
• The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is studying the German studies major for possible elimination.
• The University of Idaho plans to eliminate an undergraduate major and a master of arts in teaching in German.
• Washington State University is planning to eliminate its German major, although there is some talk of continuing to offer first-year German.

Read the rest here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/12/german.