ELS Educational Services & Adelphi University Partner to Provide English Teaching Master’s Degree

Feb. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- As the number of international students has climbed, the demand for English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers with master’s degrees in either Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or applied linguistics has failed to keep up.

To be able to help meet the need for more TESOL teachers for the international student population, Adelphi University’s Ruth S. Ammon School of Education has partnered with ELS Language Centers to provide the opportunity for ELS full-time employees to earn an M.A. degree in TESOL. The intensive 25-month program combines blended learning, face-to-face instruction, in-service practicum, and two intensive summer sessions. Up to 20 ELS applicants will be approved for this highly competitive program in the first cohort to begin in May 2012. Merit scholarships and incentives are available to eligible students.

ELS is the leading employer of ESL professionals in North America, currently employing more than 1100 teachers at 60 ELS Language Centers in the United States and Canada, 52 of which are located on university campuses. ELS has become the leading provider of both recruitment and intensive English programs to prepare international students for entry into undergraduate and graduate programs in the United States. Adelphi, an affiliate partner school in the ELS network since 1990, has a strong commitment to international education. At Adelphi, global learning across the curriculum and beyond the classroom is emphasized. In addition to its partnership with ELS, the University develops active and informed global citizens through international programs and initiatives, such as the Peace Corps Master’s International Program, the Center for International Education, Levermore Global Scholars Program, International Studies and study in other countries.

ELS Educational Services has been a leader in the field of ESL instruction for more than 50 years and ELS’s English for Academic Purposes program is recognized by more than 650 universities on four continents as fulfilling the English proficiency requirement for admission to both undergraduate and graduate programs. Mark W. Harris, president of ELS observed, “Although ELS has in-service training for all of its teachers and offers a tuition reimbursement for continuing professional development, ELS wishes to provide leadership in raising the quality of English instruction in the USA, while providing opportunities for talented teachers to earn higher credentials enhancing their knowledge, skills and career.”

“Adelphi is proud to expand its partnership with ELS Educational Services,” said Dr. Robert A. Scott, president of Adelphi University. “We are pleased to have created this program, which will set an example for public-private partnerships to raise aspirations and accomplishments in the field of TESOL, while satisfying a rapidly growing need at home and around the globe.”

The innovative partnership with the University will draw upon the strengths of the Adelphi TESOL faculty and help students master key skills in teaching to meet the needs of diverse communities. The Ruth S. Ammon School of Education has been training TESOL specialists for more than 20 years. Since 1990, ELS Educational Services, Inc. of Princeton, New Jersey has provided an on-campus English for Academic Purposes program at Adelphi’s Garden City campus and at the Adelphi Center in Manhattan for international students who are preparing to enter degree programs at Adelphi and other institutions. Over the years, ELS has employed many graduates of Adelphi’s M.A. in TESOL program.

“Offering ELS employees the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in TESOL fits with the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education mission to prepare teachers to be leaders in the field,” said Jane Ashdown, dean of the Ruth S. Ammon School of Education. “We are confident that the new program, intended to address the emerging needs of the profession and the international population it serves, will continue to produce talented educators.”

About Adelphi University: Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 41 states and 60 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

Since 1961, ELS Educational Services, Inc., has assisted international students - more than 1,000,000 from 140 countries - achieve their personal and professional goals through English preparation, study skills training and professional counseling to gain entry to schools and universities in the United States, Canada and Australia.

ELS is the largest network of campus-based English language instruction centers in the world, offering 60+ study locations in the USA, Canada and Australia, with the majority of locations on university campuses. (www.ELS.edu/centers)

More than 650 colleges and universities around the world accept completion of an advanced ELS level as proof of English proficiency for admission purposes. This makes ELS, together with TOEFL® and IELTS™, one of the three most-accepted standards for proof of English proficiency used by colleges and universities for international student admission. ELS is also the largest administrator of TOEFL® iBT and IELTS™ English proficiency tests in North America.

ELS International Pathways provide a comprehensive service of information, counseling and assistance in admissions to thousands of international students annually, facilitating their enrollment in graduate and undergraduate programs outside their country of origin.

ELS is a leader in teaching quality, and invests in the continual development of its academic staff. A tangible illustration of this is evidenced by ELS faculty presenting more papers and research at the TESOL International Conferences in the past decade than faculty from any other institution.

For further information about career opportunities at ELS, please visit ELS.edu/Careers.

ELS Educational Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Berlitz Corporation, the leader in language and leadership training worldwide since 1878.

www.ELS.edu
www.UniversityGuideOnline.org

For further information please contact:
Mr. John Nicholson
Director of Marketing and Communications
ELS Educational Services
Jnicholson@els.edu

Ms. Kali Chan
Director of Media Relations  
Adelphi University
chan@adelphi.edu