This paper sets forth an explicit framework--comparing the "costs" of meeting the language requirement with the "benefits" produced by it--within which university facilities can evaluate their position toward this requirement and other requirements and activities. The study draws upon an extensive survey of the University of Wisconsin faculty members who were asked about the extent of their foreign language knowledge, its acquisition, and their actual use of it. Principal sections discuss: (1) a brief history of the language requirement; (2) procedures employed in this study in the evaluation of the requirement; (3) results of the survey; (4) an analysis of the "costs" and "benefits" of the requirement; and (5) conclusions, recommendations, and suggested research agenda. (RL)