Mission and Objective
The Intensive English Language Center (IELC) serves non-native English-speaking students who do not meet WSU's English language proficiency requirements. It is an intensive, pre-academic language and cultural immersion program. Approximately fifty language classes are taught daily at seven different levels of instruction.
Three kinds of testing are conducted at the IELC. New students are tested for internal level placement decisions in the language program. Secondly, university-wide proficiency testing is provided to determine non-native speakers' readiness to begin academic programs when the required language proficiency scores are not available. Thirdly, the Test of Spoken English is administered to prospective Graduate Teaching Assistants to assess their readiness to receive teaching appointments. Use of this test and score requirements are stipulated by WSU and the Kansas Board of Regents.
Beyond its core instructional component, IELC sees its mission as a full-service program encompassing social, cultural, and academic orientation programs, and a variety of student services including: airport pickups, housing coordination, social and cultural activities, personal and academic advising, and immigration counseling.
Faculty and administrators of the IELC also serve the university and community-at-large through university committee work, consultations with community-based ESL programs, and informal advising of WSU graduate students pursuing studies in English as a Second Language. IELC also serves occasionally as a laboratory for institutional research.