The cultural complexion of Northeast Alabama and Jacksonville State University is changing rapidly. A growing regional population of culturally diverse, students and families, plus a growing international student population at JSU supports that the University teach English as a second language (ESL). A Language Institute staffed by the College of Arts and Sciences will provide ESL instruction for JSU students and others in the Northeastern Alabama region. As the cultural shift is likely to increase in the near future, the Institute staff will collaborate with the College of Education to prepare future teachers for teaching ESL students.
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Campaign PrioritiesRelated Links
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| Department Quote “The Language Institute promises to be a first-rate program which will introduce foreign visiting students to the U.S. culture, will focus on the Hispanic influences of northeastern Alabama, and through outreach will impact the state’s economic development. The Institute offers wide potential to deliver critical skills to many professionals including teachers, emergency first-responders and corporations operating in a global economy.” Dr. Earl Wade |
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Financial Goal: $250,000
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Program Background
Through the Jacksonville State English Language Institute, the College of Arts and Sciences will offer an intensive summer English program for English language learners, plus year-round support courses to enhance the academic reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills needed for college and career success. The Institute will not only provide ESL instruction for JSU students, but will also collaborate with the College of Education and Professional Studies to prepare teachers for working with ESL Students, providing study of best practice in language classrooms, with emphasis on current materials, techniques, and technologies. Additionally, working with all the Colleges of the University, the Institute will provide foreign language instruction for JSU students whose careers will demand knowledge of Spanish and other languages. Since the regional community is seeing an influx of foreign businesses, the Institute will generate revenue through contract work with area businesses and agencies which need ESL and foreign language instruction for employees.
The Institute, when space has been designated by the University, will feature smart classrooms, a state-of-the-art language laboratory with multimedia workstations, and a resource center, with dormitory housing for potential international students and/or groups interested in training. The Language Institute already has a solid foundation on which to build its future, since twenty-five Japanese students will arrive on campus next spring (2005) to learn in a sophisticated environment of combined living and classroom space.
The Language Institute at Jacksonville State University will accomplish several missions in addition to its primary goal of developing English language fluency for English language learners, including preparing students for a global market place through foreign language studies, reaching out to the Hispanic community of northeast Alabama, and providing continuing education services for local educators and businesses.
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