University News

Fulbright Scholars Teaching Russian, Arabic on WIU Campus

October 1, 2018

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MACOMB, IL – Western Illinois University students have a unique opportunity to learn Arabic and Russian from Fulbright Scholars teaching on the Macomb campus during the Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters.

The Fulbright Exchange Program instructors are Naoufal Elftah, of Morocco, and Sergei Morov, of Russia. Their campus residency was made possible by an agreement from the WIU Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Center for International Studies and the Fulbright Foundation. The application for the FLTAs was made by Foreign Languages and Literatures Chair Luciano Picanço and Jeff Hancks, executive director of the School of Global Education and Outreach.

"We are very excited that we are able to offer first year Arabic and first year Russian language courses at WIU," said Hancks. "These courses have already proven popular with students, and we are hopeful this is the beginning of a continuing productive relationship with the Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant Program. The School of Global Education and Outreach is keenly interested in internationalizing our campus and community. By offering instruction in these two critically important languages and bringing overseas talent to Macomb to teach them, we are doing just that."

Elftah said this is his first time visiting the United States, and he said he has been overwhelmed by the number of people he has met while in Macomb.

"I was a bit worried in the beginning, especially that I have never been here and it sounds huge for me to be in such an immense land, wondering where to go and what to do," he said. "I have already started my politics and foreign languages classes and I started teaching my class as well, which I enjoy the most."

Once his time on campus is complete, Elftah said he will share what he learned in the United States with his students in Marrakech. He said he would like to continue teaching abroad as part of the Fulbright organization.

Prior to coming to WIU, Morov taught Russian to international students studying in Russia. He said he is adjusting to life in Macomb and becoming part of the campus.

"I enjoy the University life in general, as it's not just about teaching and studying, but also about meeting new people, sharing opinions and ideas. There are a lot of activities, events and meetings on campus and I'm glad to participate in those."

After he finishes his teaching time at Western, Morov will return to Tambov State University to work on his dissertation.

"I sincerely hope this great experience at Western will help me become a better specialist and researcher, and to implement the knowledge and skills I will acquire here."

The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Funding for the FLTA program was increased in 2001 to meet the growing need for instruction in languages that are less common in the classroom. The program is now used in more than 50 countries and supports the instruction of more than 30 languages.

Since 2001, more than 3,200 FLTA program participants have benefitted from the opportunity to experience the U.S., while about 80,000 U.S. students have increased their knowledge of foreign languages and cultures.

For more information about the program, contact Hancks at (309) 298-1929.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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