A summer of recruitment for Pitt’s English Language Institute

Ryan Golder, program manager with Pitt’s English Language Institute (ELI), traveled this summer to recruit students and build relationships with institutions in Japan, Vietnam and South Korea.

Golder, who is also a graduate student studying applied linguistics in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, said in-person visits give Pitt and ELI insight into students’ needs and create a level of trust that a video call or email cannot match.

“Connecting with and presenting to students to help them learn about and navigate a new culture was extremely rewarding,” Golder said.

 The institute provides non-credit courses to help international students build the English skills they need to achieve their personal, professional, and academic goals. Its work supports the University’s broader global engagement, said ELI Director Dawn E. McCormick.

Over the past two academic years, students in ELI’s intensive English program have come from more than 30 countries, and the institute maintains partnerships across six nations.

McCormick said recruitment trips like Golder’s show partners that Pitt is invested in those relationships and willing to understand their challenges firsthand. For new partners, she said, an in-person visit is a first step toward building a welcoming culture.

The trip across the three countries took place over two weeks. In Japan, Golder met with leaders of the Study Abroad for Yasuda Students (STAYS) program at longtime Pitt partner Yasuda Women’s University, including that university’s president, Masayuki Hakoda.

Golder also presented to students preparing to travel to the United States, sharing lessons on American culture and everyday language.

Since the trip, prospective students in Vietnam have reached out to ELI, Golder said, following a presentation he made at EducationUSA Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.  In addition, EducationUSA Korea in Seoul has asked the ELI to participate in a webinar to help international students understand what to expect from an English language program like the ELI.

Education USA is a U.S. Department of State program that promotes U.S. higher education to more than 430 international centers in more than 175 countries and territories.

For Golder, a particularly memorable memorable moment during the trip drew upon Japanese language coursework taken through Pitt’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. That training, Golder  said, made the formalities of the meeting with Hakoda-san, from the opening bow to the exchange of business cards to the language itself, feel navigable.

“Meeting with Hakoda-san was by far the most impactful experience,” Golder said. “Thanks to their coursework, I felt very prepared both linguistically and culturally for the level of formality present in that meeting.”

Photography courtesy of Ryan Golder