CELLTR Update

During the question period, Senator Jon Driver responded to a request for an update on the new Centre for English Language Teaching, Learning, and Research (CELLTR) initiative.

Driver spoke to the multilingual nature of the Lower Mainland and added that SFU’s campus community reflects that diversity.

“As a university, we ought to be very proud that we graduate large numbers of students who are competent in more than one language,” said Driver.

“Nevertheless, the English language abilities of some of our students can make it more difficult for them to progress through their programs.”

Driver explained that due to concerns around that difficulty, a committee was formed and taking into considerations their report as well as some parallel examples from other institutions. He came to the conclusion that “the right approach to supporting students for whom English is not their first language is to integrate those supports across the university rather than segregating those supports into a particular functional unit.”

Out of this came the idea for CELLTR, a small unit that would organize and expand efforts to understand the university experience of students for whom English is not their first language.

Senator David Paterson expanded, “What’s new about CELLTR is the integration of research and service delivery.” He also added that the research component would allow the centre to constantly assess the impact of their services and then improve them.

SFU President Andrew Petter added, “It has the potential to create cross-cultural communication that will not only assist with linguistic competence, but also provide educational, cultural, irreversible development that can go way beyond that.”