Double honors bestowed on English Language Institute

Who grades the graders?

When it comes to academic accolades, 2011 is turning out to be a very good year for the English Language Institute at UC San Diego Extension. The program made the grade when it was granted five-year accreditation by The Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).

The CEA accredits English language programs with a direct reporting line to administration in accredited universities and colleges and also accredits independent English language schools institutions. CEA accredits programs and institutions that offer English language instruction in the United States and worldwide.

The CEA site review summary said that the English Language Institute “is an exceptional program due to its institutional values: professionalism, communication, and collegiality, all made possible by a strong human infrastructure.”

Last year 3,635 international students from 60 different countries studied in residence at UC San Diego Extension. Over the years UC San Diego Extension has enthusiastically welcomed approximately 40,000 international students to its English language program.

To date less than 100 schools have made the CEA honor roll. The mission of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation is to promote excellence in the field of English language teaching and administration through accreditation of English language programs and institutions worldwide. CEA achieves its mission by using widely held standards to foster continuous program development through a rigorous process of regular self-assessment and peer evaluation.

In September 2003, CEA was recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions. This recognition gave CEA the distinction of being the only specialized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. In December 2005, the Commission expanded its mission to include the accreditation of English language programs and schools outside the U.S.

English Language Institute staff. Pictured left to right: Stacy Warneke, Graciela Casas-Silva, Erika Wooler, Roxanne Nuhaily, Corey Carpenter, Katie Schmaltz, Kumi Obayashi-Ward, and Olga Piro.

Taught by talented instructors, UC San Diego Extension's English Language Institute courses offer the most advanced knowledge and education formats available. Students quickly benefit from immediately applicable information, a wider network of peers, and a more insightful understanding of American culture. The institute offers English language, university credit, customized, and professional certificate programs for personal, academic, and professional development.

Additionally the programs for international students at UC San Diego Extension were also recognized by the Ryugaku Journal, one of the largest student recruitment agencies in Japan, as one the Top Ten Best Schools to Study in the World for 2011. The Top Ten list was selected from the feedback of 500 Ryugaki Journal clients who selected schools of choice based on the following criteria: teaching and administrative support, lessons, accommodations, facilities and environment.

“As a university concerned with world issues, UC San Diego continually strives to increase the global reach of the campus,” says Roxanne Nuhaily, the director of the English Language Institute at UC San Diego Extension. “Perhaps that is one of the reasons why various international authorities consistently rank UC San Diego as one of the top 50 universities in the world.”