Seventy-five percent of the men and twelve percent of the women at BYU have served as missionaries for The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, with roughly half serving in non-English speaking regions. Seventy-two percent of the student
body speaks a second language, and many faculty are fluent in at least one language other than English. During any given semester, roughly twenty-five percent of the student body may be enrolled
in language courses—a rate three times the national average. BYU is renowned for its depth of foreign language and
linguistic training, offering courses in 74 different languages (according to President Bateman, Fall 2002), many with advanced
courses which are seldom offered elsewhere. The multi-lingual student body proved to be a valuable resource for the 2002 Winter Olympics.