Academic English Studies Program to Become Section of World Languages and Literatures

Gathering of current and former AES faculty, staff, directors, and alumni at the Manor House during Alumni Weekend in 2022.For more than 52 years, AES (formerly known as the Institute for the Study of American Language and Culture) has provided full-time English classes for international non-native English speakers to develop academic English and intercultural competency for success at Lewis & Clark, other U.S. institutions of higher education, and in the world.

Beginning fall semester 2024, AES will become a section of World Languages and Literatures. As a section of the World Languages and Literatures department, a more limited number of AES classes will be available to support incoming multilingual undergraduate and exchange-partner students.

Outgoing Director of Academic English Studies Laura Shier acknowledged that the field of teaching English to speakers of other languages has changed and that traditional models at universities can no longer sustain healthy enrollments.

“Together, the AES faculty and I have attempted over the last few years to address these changes by developing complementary programs to meet the needs of current trends for English language study in the U.S,” Shier said.“The field of English language programming for international enrollment is more competitive in the U.S., and the current structure of departments and budgetary decisions Lewis & Clark faces have created challenges to implementing successful efforts at innovation.”

AES Instructor Brittney Peake teaches advanced writing, vocabulary acquisition, and communication skills. The primary goal for AES has been to provide a quality academic program experience for students and to encourage their engagement and contributions to the campus through course projects and student life and academic extracurriculars. Students in the AES program have also benefited from the support of work study students, who have provided conversation tables, field trips, and tutoring, creating a sense of belonging and support as a part of Lewis & Clark. The Community Friends program administered by AES provided lasting connections to Portland community members and Lewis & Clark faculty and staff. Some of these programs will continue with the move to World Languages and Literatures, and the goal of fully integrating international undergraduate students into campus life will remain unchanged.

While all AES instructors have advanced degrees and experience in teaching academic English to students of all levels of English proficiency, each has brought their own passion and other academic interests into creating challenging content in which students develop their English, academic skills, and intercultural understanding. This includes the current AES faculty impacted by the change.

The thousands of successful alumni of AES/IASLC are a testament to the work, talent, and intense dedication of everyone who has taught and mentored in the programs these past 50-plus years.

-Bruce Suttmeier, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

John Barritt started at AES in 2009 and has seen the program through cycles of increasing and declining enrollment. John has created courses using his academic background and interests. These include content courses in art and psychology. John has also contributed to the Core-Words, teaching courses in dystopian literature. John volunteered to assist students applying for Fulbright grants.

David Hoffman started in 2012 and brings his love of American history, culture, and politics to developing classes. David has also taught Core-Words classes with the theme of language and identity.

Brittney Peake joined AES in 2013. In recent years, Brittney has taken her interest in intercultural competency and communication to develop a course offered to both AES students and undergraduates, bringing them together in cross-cultural conversation to develop their personal skills encountering different cultures and perspectives. She has also created courses on nutrition, speech, and sustainability.

Laura Shier joined AES as director in 2014, bringing years of experience in teaching in and administration of English language programs. In addition to developing initiatives for recruitment, enrollment, administrative and curricular aspects for the program, Laura employed her interests in leadership development and service learning in developing and teaching content courses for AES.

“I would like to recognize and extend my appreciation to the instructors and former colleagues who have contributed greatly to over 50 years of excellence in international education in AES/IASLC and to Lewis & Clark,” Shier said.

Dean of the College Bruce Suttmeier praised Shier, current instructors, as well as former directors and instructors, saying: “The thousands of successful alumni of AES/IASLC are a testament to the work, talent, and intense dedication of everyone who has taught and mentored in the programs these past 50-plus years. I am grateful to Laura and her colleagues for all they have accomplished, and look forward to continuing the College’s commitment to prepare graduates for lives and careers across the globe.”