Open Linguistics 2019; 5: 69–80 Patricia Bayona* “Saber español sí sirve” Academic Validation of Spanish as a Heritage Language1 https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2019-0004 Received July 3, 2018; accepted December 20, 2018 Abstract: The article offers an account of the challenges and successes encountered in the process of opening a new Professional Spanish Minor, targeted mainly to Heritage Spanish speakers in a small traditional liberal arts college in the Midwest region of the USA. The article introduces the concept "bi-directional scaffolding", and some of the topics discussed are the motivation for establishing the new program, the choice of curriculum, and the process used to involve diverse Faculty. Additionally, the results of an opinion survey distributed among Heritage Spanish speakers are presented, in which their career expectations and current perceptions of their life at this college have provided a much more accurate framework to design the new minor. Conclusions include a reflection on programmatic solutions for the needs of Hispanic students in our institution. The article proposes an inter-institutional dialogue regarding program standards and curricular schemes for Heritage Spanish students nationwide. Keywords: bi-directional scaffolding, Spanish Heritage Speakers, Spanish as a Heritage Language, Spanish for the Professions. 1 Introduction This article presents an account of the process behind the design of a new Professional Spanish Minor in a private four-year college in the Midwest.2 Considerations are made regarding the challenges overcome as well as the gains in the progression of the idea that started as a utopia in informal conversations in the Spanish program. As the new minor has crystallized in the institution, far-reaching factors have come into play regarding the nature, extent, and focus of the program, which should be part of a national conversation to reach consensus. The creation of this minor responds to a dramatic increase in the diversity of the institution where the study takes place. Where students of color and international faculty or international students passed unnoticed due to their minimum percentages, now availability of diverse cultural events and an increased presence of students and staff of color have become a normal feature of the campus. Gradually, demographics in all communities have changed, and a new era in the institution has flourished with a wider diversity spectrum. This demographic transformation has been due in part to a series of generous cohorts of Hispanic 1 This study was first presented at the 5th National Symposium of Spanish as a Heritage Language, University of Iowa, Iowa City. 2018. 2 Heart-felt thanks to my colleagues from the Spanish program in North Central College without whom this new program and this article would not have existed: Dr. Jelena Sánchez, Dr. Alberto Fonseca, and Dr. Beverly Richard Cook; special thanks to Dr. Norval Bard, Department Chair, a fierce supporter of all breaking ground initiatives to meet the needs of our students. Research Article *Corresponding author: Patricia Bayona, North Central College, 30 North Brainard Street, Naperville, IL 60540, USA, E-mail: pbayona@noctrl.edu Open Access. © 2019 Patricia Bayona, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Public License. Unauthenticated Download Date | 4/13/19 12:41 AM