New agreement between SENAFRONT and ELI
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s English Language Institute (ELI) has signed an agreement with SENAFRONT in Panama, marking a significant step towards a new language training program for officers.
While in Panama in August, ELI Director Todd Beard met with SENAFRONT’s Director General Jorge Gobea. SENAFRONT is Panama’s elite border patrol whose mission it is to serve and protect the land borders of Panama. General Jorge Gobea has a vision for his officers to not only learn English, but to use it in their work with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, volunteers and individuals at the border. It was clear that General Gobea’s vision fit well with the mission of the ELI, which provides opportunities for multilingual international and local students to improve their English language skills.
The agreement comes after Beard initially visited Panama in October 2023 with Diane Edrington, Panama Missions Medical Director; Mark White, State Representative; Kimberly Howard, Prospera Director; and Carlos Yunsan, UT Law Professor and native to Panama. As a result of the visit, a new prospective partnership emerged. In April 2024, a delegation from SENAFRONT visited UT to engage in more conversations and explore collaborative opportunities between the two partners.
Officers will participate in a 6-month English program facilitated by SENAFRONT. From there, a select group of students will attend the ELI for a 2-month intensive English program in Knoxville. Source: https://cge.utk.edu/2024/10/18/new-agreement-between-senafront-and-eli/
KGHS Language and Culture Program
The English Language Institute recently welcomed international visitors from two continents with the goal of creating lasting partnerships.
In March and April, students from Kaisei Gakuin High School in Muroran, Japan, a sister city of Knoxville, worked with ELI to provide intensive language and American cultural experiences for four students. Discussions began in October with Jack Brodowski, International Department Deputy Director for KGHS who was looking for a new opportunity for his high school students to engage with a U.S. university.
The visitors participated in English classes at ELI from 9 a.m.-noon and spent the afternoon taking part in various cultural experiences organized by ELI staff — Doug Terry, Anna McDaniel and Rosario Grass. The students also participated in the Student Global Experience Showcase during the Center for Global Engagement’s first Global Engagement Summit, met Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon, visited Great Smokey Mountains National Park and joined activities at the International House on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus.
“What impressed our students the most was the exposure to different cultures in a classroom, appropriate language level placement and teacher-to-student ratio,” Brodowski said. “Other than that, delicious food and the southern hospitality were very common comments.”
Source: https://cge.utk.edu/2024/05/09/eli-welcomes-international-guests/
Friends Across the Sea Program
“I liked interacting with native students! They speak so fast and use some slang. So sometimes I couldn’t keep up with the conversation… But I could learn a lot from them! Thank you!”
In the spring of 2022, students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville had the unique opportunity to virtually connect with students from three Japanese universities during the Friends Across the Sea program, hosted by the English Language Institute in collaboration with the Japanese Program.
Funded through a Department of State grant, staff at ELI designed Friends Across the Sea to help Japanese university students improve their English skills by studying with an instructor from Tennessee and also conversing with American students through online platforms such as Zoom and Gather.town.
The project included students from three renowned Japanese universities: Kobe University, Kansai Gaidai University, and Gakushuin University. Japanese students met in a virtual class every weekday for 6 weeks to learn communication techniques such as introducing themselves, agreeing and disagreeing, talking about contrasts and comparisons. Additionally, they met in two cohorts every week to socialize and create projects together with American undergraduate students from the University of Tennessee. In special sessions, they also heard about business and job connections between Japan and Tennessee and about college life at the University of Tennessee.
Source: https://cge.utk.edu/2022/07/05/friends-across-the-sea-connects-japanese-ut-students-for-language-learning-and-cultural-exchange/