Faculty search fills full-time positions

Riddle: What are three things that, while well known to the students and faculty of ELI, are nevertheless brand new? Answer: The familiar faces of Walt Babich, Susan Coakley and Mary Beth Worrilow.

As the result of an intensive internal search, these three veteran teachers have been awarded new full-time faculty contracts at ELI.

With a background in the National Park Service, Walt Babich began teaching ESL in 1993 at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. He went on to become manager of that program and to teach ESL at two community colleges. Babich has been teaching at ELI since 1999. He has taught a variety of classes and levels but can frequently be found instructing the two courses which he created and developed: English Through Stories (an advanced listening/speaking class) and General VI Reading/Writing. In addition, Babich also teaches the TOEFL preparation class and is the instructor (since spring 2000) and coordinator (since fall 2001) of the ELI evening community ESL class.

New full-time faculty Mary Beth Worrilow, Walt Babich, and Susan Coakley

Before coming to the University of Delaware in January 2000, Susan Coakley spent ten years teaching English to kindergarten through 12th grade immigrant children in a public school district in New Hampshire. In fact, she was the only ESL teacher in her district. At ELI she usually teaches classes in the English for Academic Purposes track. She also frequently works in teacher training programs and oversees undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Education doing their practice teaching in ESL. At the University of Delaware, Coakley has represented ELI on the CHEP College Council, serving as chair from 2004 to 2005. Regionally, she is the liaison between PennTESOL-East and the international TESOL organization. In addition, Coakley was a former member of the steering committee of the Intercultural Communication Interest Section of TESOL and now serves as co-vice chair of that interest section.

Mary Beth Worrilow began working at ELI on a part-time basis in 1988 and on a full-time basis in January 2000. Prior to that year, she taught Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature where she received a UD Excellence in Teaching award. Worrilow holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and has taught business and general English as well as international teaching assistants. In addition, she has been involved with corporate tutoring and chairs the orientation committee.

Everyone on the ELI faculty and staff is pleased to welcome these outstanding instructors to new, full-time faculty positions.