From the director's desk

Dear ELI friend,

One of my greatest joys as director is to welcome the dozens of former ELI students who come back each year for their own personal homecomings. Alumni who studied two, three, sometimes 20 years ago return to the ELI to reconnect with former teachers and staff, to walk the grounds around our big stone house and recapture memories of enchanted days living in a truly global community, befriending students from over 30 countries and acquiring a language that would open up a world of new ideas and opportunity.

Director Scott G. Stevens

I was especially moved this fall by the surprise appearance of a 2002 alumnus, who had taken a three-day vacation to return to what he described as “his home,” the ELI. What would motivate a young professional to undertake a 22,000 kilometer roundtrip journey for such an incredibly brief visit? He and I spoke for a few minutes about his reunion with his former homestay family and teachers, and then he reminded me that the ELI had previously awarded him a scholarship, one which made it possible for him to complete our PreMBA program—and the resulting combination of language and business training had helped him secure a job upon returning to his country. Then, with tears in his eyes, the visiting alum told me that since he was now established in a rewarding career, he wanted to give his own gift to the Institute so we might help future students in need of financial assistance. I was as deeply moved by his generosity as he was by the reunion. We hugged, took pictures, and bid each other farewell.

The experience left me with a warm feeling, reminding me of humanity’s capacity for goodness. I was also struck by the infectious quality of kindness, how one act of compassion can cause a kind of chain reaction, much like the leaning of a single domino upon another, which falls onto a third tile—and on and on, domino upon domino in a seemingly endless circle of love. You see, that graduate of our program responded to ELI’s assistance by funding a future scholarship recipient, who may, in time, give the gift of education to yet another student.

In the 2000 movie, “Pay it Forward,” a young boy who, inspired by his teacher, tries to change the world by encouraging individuals to respond to acts of altruism, not by trying to return the favor to the benefactor, but by helping another instead. For example, if a neighbor provides meals for an elderly woman suffering a long illness, the woman, when well, does not return the food to her neighbor. Rather, she finds someone else in need, such as a homeless person, and helps him find housing. Once that man moves into his home, he looks for someone else to help—and so the cycle of good works continues. Hollywood thought this was such a novel idea that it awarded the film an Oscar.

But of course the idea is as old as generosity itself. It’s what current students do when they participate in ELI service learning activities, working with charities and community organizations to minister to the needs of others. And it’s what graduates of the ELI can do each year when they make a contribution to our scholarship fund. They don’t simply pay back the University of Delaware; rather they pay it forward, helping ELI students in 2009 or 2010 pursue their dreams. Our scholarships often help in many different ways. For one student, the support for additional language development can lead to a more fulfilling career; for others, English is the pathway to further education; some have used their ELI training to work for worldwide charities, distributing food, building schools, providing medical care, and even teaching English.

In “Pay it Forward,” the young hero’s mother opens her door one night to the spectacle of hundreds of people, each transformed by the helping hand of another. Like human dominos who had once stood tall and rigid with indifference, prejudice or selfishness, they found themselves falling into the arms of compassionate strangers in their time of need, the vast legacy of kindness begun by one small boy. As we contemplate the promise of a New Year, may each of us consider how we might use our time, money and talents to set off a chain reaction of kindness that quite possibly might envelop the world.

Sincerely,

Scott G. Stevens, Director

P.S. This beautiful newsletter is a gift to the greater ELI community around the world—courtesy of Barbara Morris, editor-in-chief, and editors Wendy Bulkowski, Janet Louise, Sarah Petersen and Grant Wolf, with the collaboration of their colleagues.