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English Language Institute
PO Box 117051
315 Norman Hall
Gainesville, FL 32611-7051
Phone: (352) 392-2070
Fax: (352) 392-3744
studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu
Missions
English Language Institute Mission
English Language Institute Mission
The mission of the English Language Institute (ELI) is to foster the learning of the English language and the culture of the United States of America through its regularly scheduled intensive English program and its various other programs scheduled on demand.
The ELI is a self-supporting program of the University of Florida. It is intended to serve speakers of other languages and is dedicated to offering superior instruction and best possible occasions for practice, using current materials and techniques, and providing an ideal learning environment.
These goals are accomplished by a well-trained staff enthusiastically committed to the success of all learners, actively involved in meeting their needs, and unquestionably focused on functioning as a team for the greater good of all concerned.
Regular Program Mission
The primary mission of the intensive English program is to prepare international students for successful study at the graduate or undergraduate level in institutions of higher learning in the USA. Students are taught to:
- read university-level materials;
- write academic papers and exams;
- speak more fluently in both formal and informal settings;
- take good, clear notes at lectures;
- take timed, objective tests; and,
- function knowledgeably in a North American culture for the purpose of establishing and maintaining productive relations with fellow students, professors and other members of the host community.
The ELI also provides the same language instruction to individuals already trained in their professions, and any others who wish to improve their level of English proficiency and cultural awareness.
Special Program Mission
The primary mission of Special Programs of the English Language Institute is to provide flexible programs of English study, focused to meet the specific needs of each international group we serve. In addition to instruction, we coordinate and support cultural experiences and living arrangements appropriate to the desired outcomes of each group.
By providing high-quality programs and individualized attention to each group, the Special Programs Office works to expand the positive reputation of the English Language Institute and the University of Florida.
ELI Scope and Structure
As a major component of the Linguistics Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and of the Division of Continuing Education (DOCE), the ELI is eager to participate in these two units. All ELI structures, policies, and activities are designed with these roles in mind.
The English Language Institute (ELI) encompasses:
- two broad services,
- a dual role and shared vision with Continuing Education and the Linguistics Department, and
- community-wide service to native speakers of languages other than English.
The two services of the ELI are the Intensive English program, for which it's best known, and its Special Programs. Through the Intensive English program, the ELI offers instruction to potential applicants to the University and anyone else interested in acquiring command of academic English. Through the Special Programs, the ELI serves groups interested in an American English and U.S. culture experience in Florida. In both programs, the ELI functions independently of most UF services.
For each and every one of the six sessions offered each year in its IEP and for the contracted programs in its SP, the staff carries out its own student recruitment, records assessment, and admissions, provides a week-long orientation to the community (institute, university, Gainesville, and US culture), assesses and places students into 6 levels in each of the skills taught, assists in housing selection and rental leasing, instructs and assesses students, keeps its own program-wide student records, provides directed daily and weekend extracurricular activities, designs and prepares its awards, publishes a weekly newsletter, administers its own web site, provides and administers two scholarships, and plans and carries out commencements ceremonies, all separately from UF.
The English Language Institute also has a teacher-training mission in conjunction with Linguistics, where a certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) is offered. The ELI staff provides supervised teaching experience to some TESL Certificate seekers (approximately 6 per year), most of whom are graduate students in Linguistics, by providing teaching assistantships at the ELI and a supervisory structure that complements TESL teaching (See in the Organizational Chart the importance placed on coordinators/supervisors).
The English Language Institute also has a mission in conjunction with the Division of Continuing Education (DOCE) in offering instruction and collaborating in programs focused on international clients, particularly as regards Special Programs.
The English Language Institute is a unit of the University, appropriately budgeted in DOCE, but also with very strong ties within CLAS and a service breadth that reaches out to all colleges of the University in that it prepares graduate students for admission.
Finally, the English Language Institute is an active participant in the Internationalization of the University community, working cooperatively with the University of Florida International Center and with international students in need of English training or testing.
Vision
The vision of the ELI is to:
- welcome its responsibility for always placing quality as its most important goal in all activities,
- to foster a climate of trust, peace and international understanding that enhances the learning experience for all participants, and
- to cherish and constantly renew team spirit and supportive attitude among all members of the ELI family.
