Arcadia University English Language Institute Welcomes ESL Students Starting Fall 2011
Glenside, PA—July 26, 2011—Arcadia University’s English Language Institute welcomes ESL students to campus starting fall 2011. The program offers an intensive study of English as a Second Language that will prepare non-native-speaking students for university work and is another major step in making Arcadia a culturally diverse campus.
“Having an ESL program on our campus sends two important messages about Arcadia,” said Carl (Tobey) Oxholm III, newly arrived President of Arcadia University. “First, it is a signal to the world that we are intent on globalizing what we offer in Glenside. Exposing our students to the richness of the world’s diversity in a meaningful, continuing way requires that we make our campus inviting to international visitors as a place to live and learn. Second, it is a demonstration of support to members of our faculty, staff, students and community who are intent on success— in their studies or jobs. Life is filled with nuance, especially as commerce becomes globalized; and no one can get to nuance if he or she is not comfortable with language.”
Arcadia considers for conditional admission students who are otherwise qualified but need to improve their command of English before attempting college-level work. The program also supports visiting professors and admitted students who speak English as an additional language. Courses are available to community members who want to study English for professional or academic advancement.
The content-based, integrated skills curriculum allows ESL students to progress in all areas of language proficiency while learning about U.S. culture and academic topics. Advanced-level students will be able to begin taking University courses with language support, smoothing the transition to undergraduate or graduate study.
Several students from China will be among the first students in the program. They come to Arcadia from universities in China with whom Arcadia has agreements. “Our partnerships with Chinese universities are strategic, extensive, and expanding,” said Dr. Steve O. Michael, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “In collaboration with Peking University and Xian International University, Arcadia sponsored the first International Conference on Global Advancement of Private Universities and Colleges (GAPUC), and Arcadia has joint-degree arrangements with many more universities. Our ESL program is one more way to respond to the needs of our partner institutions, and we are pleased to have Betty Litsinger and the Office of International Affairs leading the program.”
“My position as interim director is a real ‘full circle’ experience for me,” says Litsinger. “I first taught in an intensive English program over 30 years ago. In those days, each skill area was taught as a discrete class. I remember teaching a listening class in which my role was to read a list of names from a textbook as students marked in workbooks for 50 minutes. I could have been replaced by a tape recorder and a test scanner. We have learned a lot about language learning since then. We now know that the best language lab is a social situation or an academic task that requires students to communicate in English. Arcadia ESL students will listen to newscasts and college lectures and participate in discussions and conversations that include other members of the University community.”
Read more about Arcadia’s English Language Institute, which offers full-time intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
Media Contact: Donna Whitlock, Arcadia
University, 215-572-2969, whitlock@arcadia.edu
About Arcadia University: Arcadia University is a top-ranked private university in metropolitan Philadelphia and a national leader in study abroad and international education. Arcadia University promises a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares students to contribute and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world. The 2010 Open Doors report ranks Arcadia University No. 1 in the nation among regional universities in the percentage of undergraduate students studying abroad. U.S. News & World Report ranks Arcadia University among the top regional universities in the North, as one of the top study abroad programs in the nation, and a “Top Up-and-Coming” school. The Physical Therapy program is ranked seventh in the nation.
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