A note from the Chair:
It’s hard to believe that we are approaching the end of another semester. As always, it presented its challenges and successes, as well as one constant, change. After 43 years working in a variety of programs/departments here at UWEC, Vickie Schafer, our wonderful colleague and Academic Department Assistant (ADA) in Languages for eight of those years retired. She is missed! However, this also provided us with the opportunity to welcome Alaina Guns as our now full-time ADA, after having served several years in a part-time capacity in Languages. We are very fortunate to have her as a colleague.
We continue to work hard to provide excellent, creative, and innovative second language instruction and opportunities to our students as we confront the national trend of enrollment decline in language programs as well as at the university level overall. One example of our excellent work is the recent national recognition of our Chinese program which received the Global Engagement Initiative Award at the 2023 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention this past November 17. Congratulations to Dr. Kaishan Kong and her students! You can read more about the award and her efforts to enhance intercultural competence in our students in this current edition of the Polyglot. As well, you will read about students who have realized international internships, Fulbrights in teaching abroad, our active National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society, and much more.
Please take the time to read through the various articles to see what we and our students are up to. And we would love to hear from if you’d like to reach out and contact us via any of the possibilities listed at the end of the newsletter. Here is wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season to come and all the best in the upcoming New Year.
Kind regards,
Carter Smith
