Personnel Notes

After completing an exhaustive national search, ELI welcomed Russ Mason, Barbara Gillette, and Lisa Grimsley to the ranks of full-time faculty. James Slater succeeded June Quigley as ELI's Business ESL coordinator. June returned to full-time teaching and research, with our gratitude for having worked so hard and so successfully to develop the Business ESL component of the ELI. Maia Sponseller, our dynamic level II teacher, has left to teach in Colombia for a year or more. We wish her well and hope for her eventual return to the Institute. Mary McCloskey has been appointed on-site coordinator for a joint program between the University of Delaware and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea. Dave Quayle has assumed the responsibilities of orientation coordinator, while Chris Wolfe tends to ELI's expanding Legal Studies program.

Finally, everyone in the Institute was saddened to learn of Joan Skilton's plans to retire as host family coordinator. Called "Mom" by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of ELI students over her seven years of selfless service, Joan turned her job into a ministry of caring and hospitality. Whenever the supply of host families fell short of student demand (which was almost always the case), Joan and husband Harry would invite the ten, fifteen, or twenty unmatched students over to their home. No one would be "orphaned" as long as Joan was around. Every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, Joan would be surrounded by her adoring, adopted "children," as she consoled and encouraged or praised them each in turn. Most ELI graduates would list "having met Joan Skilton" as their most cherished memory of their stay in Delaware. She has been a blessing as well to her colleagues at the Institute, and her departure as coordinator would be unbearable were Joan not agreeing to remain as a volunteer host mother. Thanks, "Mom"!