Special programs

In addition to serving the more than 1500 students who came independently, ELI hosted more than a dozen groups in 2001, including nationals from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Colombia, Chile, France and Russia. The programs were coordinated by ELI faculty Walt Babich, Lisa Grimsley, Charlotte Meneses, Susan Coakley, June Quigley, Grant Wolf and Mary Beth Worrilow and staff member John Pickett.

COLFUTURO
Starting in January and continuing at intervals throughout the year, 30 students attended classes at ELI under the auspices of COLFUTURO, a joint public and private sector initiative aimed at facilitating the access of Colombian students to further education abroad. ELI has been receiving students from this program since its creation in 1992.

Diego Portales University
Ten students from Diego Portales University in Santiago, Chile, arrived in January to study English for eight weeks. This is the second time this university has sent students to ELI.

Hiroshima Institute of Technology
In March, 21 students, escorted by lecturer Naoki Araki, studied at ELI for four weeks. During their stay they lived with American families and served as language partners with UD students studying Japanese in Professor Mark Miller's class.

Kobe Shoin Women's University
In March, 33 students from Kobe Shoin Women's University in Kobe, Japan, accompanied by their escort, Mr. Ken Mitsuboshi, arrived for four weeks of English classes and cultural visits. The long-standing program is part of a larger exchange program between the University of Delaware and Kobe Shoin.

Kobe Shoin University students shared Japanese songs and crafts with Girl Scout Troop 784 from St. John the Beloved school in Middletown.

Thai students
Three students sent by Wilawan Educational Services in Thailand arrived in April to study at ELI for one month. In addition, ELI was chosen by the Thai ambassador as the ideal language program for the Thai prime minister's two daughters and two of their close friends. The delegation, which studied at ELI for five weeks in March and April, was accompanied by the Thai First Lady, Khunying Shinawatra, who declared the program a complete success.

Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
The first group of 17 students from Hankuk University in Seoul, who arrived in March to study English for four weeks, was followed by a record 69 students in July.

Japanese Ministry of Education
Four English teachers sponsored by Mombu-Kagaku-Sho, the Japanese Ministry of Education, arrived in July for six weeks of English classes before leaving to continue their program in California. ITA program The Institute helped prepare 97 graduate students from 23 countries to become teaching assistants in 19 departments at the University of Delaware, with four and a half weeks of summer training in oral intelligibility, cultural norms and pedagogy.

Linguistic Gymnasium No. 91
For the third year, students from Linguistic Gymnasium No. 91, a high school in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia, attended classes at ELI. Nine students arrived in August for four weeks, escorted by their teacher, Inna Fenina.

CIEE French Teachers Program
ELI hosted 30 secondary English teachers from France for three weeks in July and August. Sponsored by the French Ministry of Education and the Council on International Educational Exchange, the group deepened their knowledge of contemporary American culture through lectures, trips and visits to local schools and community organizations.

Chilean Ministry of Education
Twenty teachers sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Education arrived in October for six weeks of language training and workshops on methods of teaching English as a foreign language to elementary school students in Chile. The program culminated in a professional conference hosted by the Chilean educators which showcased methods they had learned and materials they had developed during their training at ELI.