Language Center Provides Intensive Training for International Students, Fulbright Scholars

University of Arkansas

International Connections Lounge at the University of Arkansas

Nearly 100  Fulbright award grantees from 49 countries across the globe recently participated in an intensive English for Graduate Studies program provided by the Spring International Language Center, an institutional partner of the university. The program participants, who represented four continents and 14 time zones, have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships to pursue graduate education in the United States.

The three-week virtual training program provided these degree-seeking Fulbright Scholars with the language skills and cultural knowledge needed to make a smooth transition into the American university system. The core program courses focus on the conventions of academic writing and speaking skills. Participants also received instruction in library research, academic presentations, and technology skills.

Fulbright Program administrators recognize that students need to be armed with more than just English language skills to be successful in the American higher education system. Therefore, the program has been designed to include experiences that address American values and cultural norms of academia in the United States.

SILC was competitively selected as one of four providers for the program, joining Syracuse University, Michigan State University and Drexel University in training students who will attend colleges and universities throughout the U.S. While students previously attended the sessions in person during the summer, this year's virtual program allowed students to complete training at home prior to traveling to the U.S. for graduate study.

Leyah Berman Lanier, executive director of SILC, said the program helped international students move forward during uncertain times. "Our greatest accomplishment in these programs was the ability of our faculty to inspire the grantees and give them confidence, to maintain our standards, creatively share U.S, academic culture, and to establish community among these amazing Fulbright Scholars in a virtual environment, amid so much uncertainty," Lanier said.  

SILC was also awarded the additional opportunity to lead the 2020 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTA) in a two-part program designed to support international students and scholars who come to the U.S. to teach their native languages.

In the first two-week segment, SILC was selected as the sole training center nationwide, providing sessions on how to adjust to American academic culture. More than 260 participants from 49 countries were enrolled in the program. The second week-long segment divided the participants into four campus cohorts for pedagogy training, led by Spring International and similar language programs at the University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, and the University of Oregon.

These three competitively selected grant awards for teaching and training place  Spring International Language Center (SILC) at the University of Arkansas among the top U.S. institutions for academic English language training. These activities are each sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) as part of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international exchange program supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world. The programs are administered through the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Over 6,000 international students from 118 countries have come to the United States to study English at the Spring International Language Center since it partnered with the university in August of 1992. Many Spring International students have gone on to earn bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees at the University of Arkansas.  These students return to their home countries, taking a love of the Razorbacks with them, becoming ambassadors for Arkansas and the U.S.

About SILC: Spring International Language Center is a professional academic organization that provides English language training and cross-cultural education. Under the leadership of Director Leyah Bergman-Lanier, the Center endeavors to understand and appreciate the students' cultural differences and to enhance their ability to function effectively across cultures. The faculty have all earned master's degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, linguistics, and related fields of study. They have designed a rigorous curriculum that includes courses in Reading and Writing for Academic Purposes, Grammar, Listening, Pronunciation and Speaking skills. SILC is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) and continues to uphold the highest standards for English Language Programs and Institutions.