Does French still matter? If so, why? This roundtable discussion is a response to recent concerns about the status of the study of French and other foreign languages and cultures in U.S. higher and secondary education at a time of increasing globalization. Five leading voices in different fields bring a variety of perspectives to bear in a lively discussion about why French matters today. *Adam Gopnik, writer and essayist for The New Yorker magazine*Charles Kolb, President of the Committee for Economic Development*Rosemary Feal, Executive Director of the Modern Language Association and Professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance Languages, University at Buffalo, SUNY (on leave)*Souleymane Bachir Diagne, Professor of French and Philosophy at Columbia University*Antonin Baudry, Cultural Counselor, French Embassy in the U.S.This event is fully sponsored by the Florence Gould Foundation.