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International Relations

July 21, 2017

Angelo State’s international ties with Asia continue to increase in both strength and number.

The latest program that is fostering these relationships, titled the English Language Teachers Training Institute (ELTTI), provides intensive training for international educators in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). The pilot group of 19 educators from China and Vietnam arrived July 16 for a three-week stay on the ASU campus.

The group was made up of 11 educators from the Zhuhai College of Jilin University in China, four from the Zhuhai campus of the Beijing Institute of Technology, and four from various English education institutes in Vietnam. They underwent TESOL training with ASU faculty from the Department of English and Modern Languages and Department of History, as well as with instructors and students in ASU’s English Language Learners’ Institute. 

The ELTTI program was developed by Dr. Won-Jae Lee, ASU’s executive director of Asian relations, and is directed by Dr. Laurence Musgrove, chair of the Department of English and Modern Languages. 

Dr. Laurence Musgrove Dr. Laurence Musgrove “As we continue to develop relationships with other colleges, universities and education partners internationally, particularly in Asia,” Musgrove said, “it opens avenues to our graduates for employment in other areas of the world. It also allows us to recruit students from those areas.” 

“This particular program creates a synergy,” he added, “where we bring teachers here and provide the training that they need, in this instance it is English teaching. They then go back home and spread the good news of Angelo State University and the opportunities that exist here for their students. So we are creating mutually beneficial relationships.” 

In addition to their campus training, the international educators attended several campus events, including Planetarium shows and Dinner Theatre performances. They were also taken on cultural excursions to San Antonio, San Marcos and Fredericksburg, and were treated to a wide array of local cuisine, including Rosa’s Café, Texas Roadhouse, Cheddar’s, Twisted Root, Packsaddle Bar-B-Que and Henry’s Diner – and a couple of karaoke nights at Whiskey River. 

The group departed from San Angelo’s Mathis Field Airport on Aug. 5.