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STLCC Receives Community College English Language Institute (CCELI) Grant

October 23, 2008

St. Louis Community College, through a partnership with University of Missouri-St. Louis, has received a $660,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the Community College English Language Institute (CCELI). The grant was one of only five awarded in the country, and the only one to a community college/university consortium. Senator Kit Bond and his Washington Office completed the groundwork that allowed the college and university partnership to be considered for this opportunity.

The grant will provide for 60 students from South East Asia to attend the STLCC-Florissant Valley, Forest Park, and Meramec campuses. Each campus will host 20 students. The program is designed to provide these students with increased English proficiency and a greater understanding of American culture through academic and social experiences.

The students will arrive in January, 2009 and experience an eight-week English Language Institute that includes intensive training in written and spoken academic English. The eight-week residential experience will be followed by eight weeks of on-line study linking the students in their home countries with their host institution for continued development of reading writing and speaking skills and on-going connections with their new American friends. The ultimate goal of CCELI is to prepare these students for eligibility for other study opportunities in the United States.

CCELI will be managed by the Center for International Community College Education and Leadership at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.