Dear HEIS Members,

Fall is here, and many great things have happened since our last issue was sent out in July, especially in preparation for the convention. I would like to personally thank all of you who reviewed proposals, as your role was key in ensuring we have great presentations in Portland, Oregon. We always have a large proposal turnout, and I greatly appreciate that so many of you volunteer. The more reviewers we have, the less work each one has to do! It is one fairly easy way to give back to the organization and to this interest section.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to get more involved in our interest section in ways that will help our group meet your needs and interests as you seek to learn more about ESL in higher education. We always welcome members who want to take on a larger role at the committee level, and there is plenty of room for others wanting to get involved in a way that is comfortable for you. We are also looking for more feedback from our members to see what we can do to keep you more involved, educated, and excited. If you have any recommendations, please contact us and let us know you’re out there!

I also wanted to announce that the TESOL Resources Center (TRC) has reopened and is ready for business. Some new features you might want to be aware of: Lesson plans, teaching tips, activities, and assessments are open to members and nonmembers alike! TESOL-sanctioned resources, such as convention sessions, keynotes, and virtual seminars, are reserved for members only (you'll have to sign in to TESOL's website to view these). We will share more information about the TRC as it becomes available. In the meantime, I invite you to visit the website. You will really enjoy all the resources.

Elections

Elections for chair-elect and assistant chair will be taking place shortly. Please vote and have input on the leadership. TESOL Central Office will be informing us of when to vote.

Annual Conference

HEIS will have booth space at the TESOL convention in the middle of the exhibition hall. More details will be sent to you as soon as they become available. Please come by to visit HEIS members and leaders during this time. Our annual business meeting will be announced soon.

We will have an academic session as well as two InterSections during this conference. Please plan to attend these sessions. Details about time and location will be announced as we get closer to the convention.

Academic Session: Emerging Technologies: Managing a Changing Landscape With Mobile Technologies

Presenters:

• Debbie East
• Ruth Weinstein
• Aaron Schwartz
• Sandy Wagner
• Kenneth Chyi

InterSections

1. Writing & Multilingual Student Success in Higher Education

Organizer: Miguel Fernandez

Presenters:

• Caralyn Bushey
• Kenneth Janjigian
• Jennifer Ritter
• Tara Smith

Interest Sections: Higher Education; Intensive English Programs

2. U.S. Higher Education: Dreams and Realities for English Learners

Presenters:

• Anne Marie Foerster Luu
• Shelley Wong
• Earlene Gentry
• Heather Robertson
• Johnnie Johnson Hafernik
• Lucienne Aarsen

Interest Sections: Social Responsibility; Higher Education

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, be reminded that our interest section is open for your contributions. I welcome suggestions, new ideas, and criticisms to improve the quality of our activities. Thank you, and have a terrific holiday season!!

Sincerely,

Miguel Fernandez, PhD
Chair, Higher Education Interest Section

Miguel Fernández is an associate professor in the Bilingual Education Program at Chicago State University. He holds a PhD in English philology (University of Granada, Spain) and two master’s degrees: MA in education (University of Granada, Spain), and MA in language testing (Lancaster University, UK). His areas of interest include bilingual education, second language acquisition, and language testing. He is the author of A Test Impact Study Under the No Child Left Behind Act: The Case of the ACCESS for ELLs. He has also authored and coauthored more than 20 articles in the field of language acquisition and language testing. Dr. Fernandez is currently president of Illinois Teachers of English as a Second Language-Bilingual Education (ITBE).