Dear HEIS Members,

Welcome, new and continuing members of HEIS! Our interest section is growing! Our membership totals 1,218 members. In this letter I briefly cover the events of the 2011 annual convention in New Orleans as well as update you on new developments in our interest section.

TESOL 2011

HEIS was well represented at TESOL in New Orleans. In addition to member presentations, we had an informative Academic Session about awarding academic, institutional, and/or graduation credit for ESOL programs in higher education institutions. We also had two well-attended InterSections. The first was on ESL students in higher education intensive English programs (IEPs) in collaboration with the Intensive English Program Interest Section on the role of IEPs. The second was on fostering intercultural communication in teacher education programs in conjunction with both the Computer Assisted Language Learning Interest Section (CALLIS) and the Intercultural Communication Interest Section (ICIS). This latter session was also streamed live via webcast to an international audience.

We also had the annual HEIS business meeting and time in the TESOL Information Booth. Our open business meeting included a dynamic discussion of current issues and initiatives followed by a dinner at Tommy’s, a fabulous restaurant near the convention center. The minutes of the HEIS open meeting are available on the HEIS section of the TESOL Web site. Thanks to all of the HEIS members and volunteers who attended these events and helped make TESOL 2011 a success.

HEIS ELECTIONS SCHEDULED FOR FALL 2011

In a continuation of the new election schedule instituted in 2009, the HEIS elections will take place in fall 2011. This earlier election will allow newly elected officers more time to plan for the convention and secure convention funding. Look for a call for nominations on the HEIS e-list. Those of you who don’t participate in the e-list will receive an e-mail with information.

CURRENT LEADERSHIP OF HEIS:

A big round of applause and a hearty thank you to Heather Robertson, who served as chair for the past year and organized a great set of convention presentations. Special appreciation goes to Karen Stanley who has “retired” from holding office in HEIS. For many years Karen held two important tasks: e-list manager and our Web site manager. Our e-list usually is one of the most active in TESOL. Kelly Schroeder, currently serving as assistant chair, has graciously taken on the added role of community manager, which combines the jobs of IS e-list and Web site manager.

I would also like to thank the other HEIS steering committee/board members who have been essential to the smooth running and development of HEIS. Veteran board members have mentored incoming officers and provided expertise and continuity in our leadership.

HEIS PROPOSAL REVIEWER VOLUNTEERS

We are very grateful to the people who volunteered to read convention proposals for TESOL 2011. Every year just after the annual convention, TESOL members and ISs gear up to submit and review proposals for the following annual convention. It is the responsibility of every IS to review the proposals submitted to their particular IS. This year’s proposal review process went very smoothly, thanks to the 65 volunteers who did their assignments in short order. HEIS had 215 proposals to review, each needing three reviews. With 65 reviewers who each had 10 or fewer proposals to read, no single reviewer had a heavy load of proposals. It is notable that only 25 proposals were from community college presenters. Because HEIS represents both community college and university members, I encourage more community college members to submit proposals to the next convention. I would like to thank the following for their service to HEIS:

TESOL 2012 PREPARATIONS

The HEIS governing board has planned several special sessions for HEIS members at TESOL 2012, including

A Preconference Institute with the Social Responsibility IS about “Teaching and Learning in Times of Great Change in Higher Education”

An Academic Session on “Nonnative English Speakers in Teacher Education Programs”

An InterSection with the Program Administration IS and Nonnative English Speakers IS on awarding academic credit to ESL programs in higher education arenas.

An InterSection with the Social Responsibility and Nonnative English Speakers IS on the role higher education institutions play in socially responsible ways during times of crisis such as natural disasters and social change.

We hope you plan to attend these wonderful HEIS sessions, mark these events in your program booklet, and bring a colleague or three with you!

In addition to these special events, because we are one of the largest ISs, HEIS will have a large number of various kinds of regular member-proposed sessions, from 20-minute teaching tips to full-session demonstrations and papers to double-session colloquia―a wide range of informative sessions to appeal to the diverse interests and needs of HEIS members.

GOVERNING RULES CHANGES

The business meeting in March brought out discussion on some issues that need to be resolved, and we voted to propose some changes to our Governing Rules. These proposals will need to be voted on by all members who have listed HEIS as their primary interest section.. First, we want to allow all HEIS members to vote in elections, not just those who have HEIS as their primary IS. Until we have the vote for this change, only primary members will be allowed to vote. Second, we need to change the wording for the IS e-list manager/Web site manager position to “community manager.” Even though the change is mandated by changes in TESOL’s platform enhancements and changes in vocabulary terms, it still needs to be voted on by the membership. Third will be the addition of the position of membership coordinator to the governing rules; though there has been one in recent years, we would like to add this appointed office to the governing rules. Finally, a proposed change to who can become a member of an ad hoc committee. This change would allow more members to join an ad hoc committee they are interested in and knowledgeable about than currently stated. The reasons and rationales for these proposed changes will be forthcoming from Heather Robertson, immediate past chair, in the next months.

IN CLOSING . . .

I'm looking forward to working with you over the coming year and to seeing you at TESOL 2012 in Philadelphia.

Have a great summer and see you all soon.

Debbie

Debbie East is completing a doctorate in education from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has been teaching ESL in higher education settings since 2009 and in teacher education programs since 2000 and has taught online extensively for over 10 years. Prior to that she taught in a bilingual preschool and tutored international students and residents in the United States. She also offers professional development workshops in the United States and abroad. In addition to being HEIS chair for this year, Debbie is an INTESOL board member. Her research and teaching interests include ESL/EFL, literacy, language, and language education in onsite and online venues.