University News
WIU and Monmouth Partner on Pathways Program for English as a Second Language Students
August 24, 2015
MACOMB/MONMOUTH, IL — As of Fall 2015, Western Illinois University and Monmouth College will partner to enable international students admitted to Monmouth College to complete their English language proficiency requirements through WIU's accredited Western's English as a Second Language (WESL) Institute.
According to Rick Carter, executive director of WIU's School of Distance Learning, International Studies and Outreach, WIU President Jack Thomas and Monmouth College President Clarence Wyatt recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that officially establishes the Monmouth College-WESL Pathways Program. Carter said the mission of the WESL Institute—which has been in existence for more than 35 years and is one of only seven institutes in Illinois accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation—is to provide an intensive program in academic English for international students preparing to enter an American college or university.
The new Pathways Program, which was developed as a result of conversations between Christie Carmack, assistant director of marketing and international relations in Western's Center for International Studies, and Brenda Tooley, associate dean for academic affairs at Monmouth College, will enable conditionally accepted international students to attend WESL to pursue and complete their English language proficiency requirements relatively close to Monmouth College, where they will be pursuing their undergraduate degrees.
"When students are admitted to the Monmouth College-WESL Pathways program, they will have access to their faculty advisors at Monmouth and will be part of the Monmouth College student community from the beginning of their studies in the United States," Carter explained. "Because Macomb and Monmouth are geographically close to one another, the Pathways students will be offered the chance to explore both communities. They also will be provided with the opportunity to meet Monmouth faculty members, as well as engage with Monmouth student-affairs staff early in their U.S. studies, which will help ease their individual transitions into Monmouth College," he added.
"With a faculty-student ratio of 11 to one and an average class size of 13, Monmouth College offers the benefit of small and highly interactive classes. This Pathways program enables international students, who seek to hone their English language skills, to prepare well for future success at a selective residential college," Tooley noted.
According to Carmack, students in the Monmouth College-WESL Pathways Program will be enrolled in WESL for 12–18 months or until they each pass the English requirements of WESL.
"Students admitted to Monmouth College-WESL Institute Pathways Program will complete a placement test to gauge their levels of English language proficiency," Carmack said. "Although the length of the program typically will be 12–18 months for each student, it will depend on his or her English language proficiency level to determine the length of his or her program."
For more information, at WIU, contact Carmack at (309) 298-1929 or via email at CA-Carmack@wiu.edu, or at Monmouth College, contact Tooley at (309) 457-2277 or via email at btooley@monmouthcollege.edu.
Learn more about the WESL Institute at www.wiu.edu/international_studies/wesl/.
Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
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