Western’s newly formed English Language Centre (ELC) is preparing to welcome its first-ever class, set to arrive on campus this weekend.
The first cohort of 85 ELC students is primarily from Asia, however, the centre’s leadership team has also collaborated with Western International and Brescia University College to recruit 19 scholarship students from Angola, who traditionally would have been destined to study in the United States.
“Studying at Western, in London and in Canada has incredible advantages,” said Matt Bazely, ELC administrative director. “Canada is a welcoming country for international students, London is a safe community and the quality of a Western degree makes for a great recruiting pitch. With the new English Language Centre in place, Western is well positioned to recruit across the globe to find the best and brightest students to study here, which is one of the goals outlined in Western’s recently released strategic plan (draft).
“We look forward to our students benefitting from a rich campus life, incredible student services and a world class residence system.”
Based in Western’s Faculty of Education, ELC prepares international students for academic studies at Western, Brescia, King’s University College and Huron University College. Students will study at ELC for four-16 months, depending on their individual language proficiency. Many of the students will also stay in residence on Western’s campus.
Steve Bird, ELC academic director, is excited about the research possibilities, as well.
“Our research will be focused on crucial areas such as student success, vocabulary development and academic acculturation,” said Bird, who has already started connecting with colleagues from across campus to co-develop research projects. “The centre will be a catalyst for research and publications as we contribute to the fields of international education, socio-linguistics and psycho-linguisitcs.”