On April 19, Saint Peter’s College President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official grand opening of the Center for English Language Acquisition and Culture (CELAC), located on the third floor of the Theresa and Edward O’Toole Library.
“The new Center demonstrates the College’s dedication and commitment to student retention and success, and is consistent with our mission in that the Center will utilize the approach of cura personalis,” said Marylou Yam, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, during her remarks at the event. Dr. Yam was one of the key people involved in developing the Center, a facility designed to serve English as a Second Language (ESL) students.
A large gathering of the College’s administrators, faculty and students filled the Center to standing-room-only capacity for the event. Those in attendance enjoyed the words of various guest speakers, a short tour of the facility, ethnic food and salsa dancing.
The Center for English Language Acquisition and Culture, a dedicated full service resource center offering a Mac computer lab and SMART Board classroom, provides course-related assistance in an interactive study environment to better support ESL students in their language development.
Saint Peter’s utilized a $2.8 million Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop the Center and to further improve the retention and academic performance of Hispanic students currently enrolled in the College. According to David Surrey, Ph.D., chairperson of the sociology and urban studies department, it is estimated that 54 percent of the College’s students come from a home where English is not the primary language. This grant will help to prepare future undergraduates from minority and low-income backgrounds for success in higher education through its funding to upgrade classes and computer labs, financial assistance in establishing summer programs, and distribution of iPads or laptop computers to ESL students.
Title V grants are awarded through the Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program and are intended to assist institutions with diverse student populations, such as Saint Peter’s, in expanding educational opportunities and improving higher education attainment of Hispanic students.
“It’s a comprehensive effort,” said Surrey, who co-authored the federal grant with Frederick Bonato, Ph.D., professor of psychology.
Prior to the official opening, students were already taking advantage of the Center’s services. “In addition to the one-on-one tutoring, we hope to introduce small group writing and language workshops,” said the Center’s director, Lawanna Shelton, Ph.D. “We’re here to serve these students.”
The second component of the Title V grant involves extensive outreach to high schools through a program called CHiSPA (College and High School Partnership for Achievement), which translated from Spanish means “spark.” An after-school program of academic and cultural enrichment, the program began last fall with a cohort of 24 students from Ferris High School in Jersey City and Union City High School.
According to Jennifer Ayala, Ph.D., associate professor of education in the College’s School of Education, instruction consists of language arts and mathematics during the fall term and project-based learning centered on an action research initiative in the spring. Next summer, the cohort will be invited to take a course for college credit.
A host of innovative programming and events are also included, which range from cultural events such as poetry slams and film series, and even workshops for families on financial aid and the college application process.
The outreach effort will expand to two more high schools next fall: Hudson Catholic High School in Jersey City and Weehawken High School, and perhaps Bayonne’s Marist High School in the future.
“Our hope is that the CHiSPA program addresses the issues related to college preparation, provides exposure to college experiences early in their [students] high school careers and [performs] projects that engage students in their communities,” said Dr. Ayala.