June 20, 2006
SIUC to host 30 Korean exchange students
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Korean students will get lessons on American culture during the annual exchange program between a private Korean university and the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL) at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Every summer since 1999, a group of students from Chungwoon University in western South Korea travel to Carbondale to experience the United States and to learn the language.
On Friday, June 23, 30 Korean students will arrive on campus for a four-week intensive language and culture program, which includes 20 hours per week studying English.
"We're extremely pleased to welcome this group back for the eighth year in a row." said Marilyn Rivers, director of CESL. "They are a delight and they enrich the Southern Illinois community."
CESL handles the groups with the help of the International Programs and Services office. The arrangement also affords the students opportunities to tour the area. They'll explore Southern Illinois, St. Louis, and Chicago.
During their stay in Carbondale, the students will get a glimpse of life as an SIUC student. They'll live in residence halls and eat meals in the Student Center. Rivers said the participants find the program extremely rewarding.
Expanding SIUC's reach internationally is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.