A ceremony to commemorate the opening of the EC English Language Learning Center at Fredonia, established to assist international students and their family members by providing intensive English language instruction, will be held on Monday, Sept. 15, beginning at noon, at the main entrance to Jewett Hall.
Fredonia is the first university partner for EC English whose programs, conducted in five countries, fully immerse students in the study of the language and culture.
“This partnership is a result of wanting to better serve our international students. Some students are well prepared academically, but need further support in developing their English language skills,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Terry Brown. Bringing EC English to the campus enables these students to receive intensive training in English before they matriculate into a degree program.
Remarks will be given at the main entrance to Jewett Hall, which faces Alumni Hall, by Fredonia President Virginia Horvath; Michael Xuereb, CEO of EC Group of Language Schools; and May Arthur, executive vice president of business development for EC English Language before the 12:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Informal tours of EC English classroom space in the former science building will begin at noon.
At the conclusion of the program, guests will be invited to the Williams Center Multipurpose Room to view information tables sponsored by international student organizations and tour the new Global Connections Lounge located on the second floor. Light refreshments will also be served.
Depending on their size, universities are opening non-credit English as a Second Language learning centers or working with outside organizations, such as EC English, to make that instruction available, Brown explained. “Those that have developed their own non-credit ESL centers tend to be large research universities – Stony Brook, Albany and Buffalo – while smaller universities like ours have begun working with third-party providers.”
Fredonia pursued an affiliation with EC English based on its high level of professionalism and commitment to student success, Brown said. “We have now met EC English staff from around the world and have been impressed with every one of them. We are learning a lot about recruiting and serving international students through our partnership with EC English,” she added. The partnership has also connected Fredonia with almost 200 international recruiters around the world.
Current international enrollment at Fredonia stands at 161 undergraduate and 45 graduate students representing 12 countries.
The effort to establish the EC English partnership was led by Mary Sasso, the former director of the International Education Center, who recently retired from the university.
EC English was attracted to Fredonia by the welcome it extends to international students, said Daniel Heckmyer, campus manager of Fredonia’s program. “Fredonia is a beautiful campus. Its low student-to-faculty ratio was also a big attraction, as international students will benefit greatly from the more personalized approach that Fredonia offers. Fredonia is also well-recognized for many of its majors — especially music — which can be a great attraction for many international students,” he said. Mr. Heckmyer previously served as EC English’s academic coordinator and oversaw 225 long-term students at EC English in San Diego.
EC English welcomed nine students from Japan, China, Korea and Saudi Arabia to Fredonia’s campus on Aug. 25. All are enrolled in English for Academic Progress, an intensive, five-day-a-week curriculum that addresses skills needed to be successful at the university level. Note-taking, writing, grammar, reading, listening and presentation skills are among its key elements. Additional classes that address pronunciation and general conversation will be added.
The numbers of EC English students and the length of their stays will vary according to the level of instruction, which can range from beginner to advanced. Other EC English centers offer as many as 11 different levels of instruction, from pre-beginner to proficient, with average class sizes of 12 students. Four levels are being initially offered at Fredonia, though that number will increase in conjunction with increased enrollment.
“Our goal is that the majority of EC students go on to complete their English language studies to achieve full enrollment in degree programs at Fredonia,” Heckmyer said.
EC English students reside in Hemingway Hall, enjoy their meals on campus, utilize all campus facilities and participate in student activities and organizations.
EC English staff would like to connect their international students with Fredonia students at informal language and culture exchanges held on the first Wednesday of each month at 2:15 p.m. in the Jewett Hall student lounge.
“We hope that these international students will have many opportunities to interact with American students at the university,” Heckmyer said. “If any (Fredonia) students wish to volunteer as part of a language exchange or conversational English program, feel free to stop by Room 111 in Jewett Hall to inquire more about the development of such programs.”
EC English was founded in 1991 on the principle that the best way to teach English is to fully immerse students in the language and culture of an English-speaking country. Last year it helped over 45,000 students of all ages from 140 countries to learn or improve their English language skills. Other EC English programs in North America are located in Boston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami and Los Angeles, as well as in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
