As part of Suffolk Federal Credit Union’s 55th Anniversary Celebration, they’re giving ALL Long Islanders, not just members, a chance to win big all Summer long!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2022 U.S. Department of State English Language Programs Contact: ECA-Press@state.gov / Outreach@elprograms.org / 202-687-6044
Dr. Brian J. O’Hare ’98 Selected by U.S. Department of State for Prestigious English Language Teaching Fellowship
The U.S. Department of State announced the selection of Brian J. O’Hare, PhD of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi for a 10-month fellowship project training teachers and teaching English in Jordan at Petra College for Tourism and Archaeology, a branch of Al-Hussein bin Talal University. Dr. O’Hare is one of only 200 U.S. citizens selected for the 2022-2023 English Language Fellow Program.
Over the last twenty years, Dr. O’Hare has taught, mentored, and trained students and teachers in the United States and abroad. At the secondary level, he has taught ESL/Social Studies in Washington, DC and served as an Academic Dean and Head of Department for Social Studies/ESL in Hainan, China. At the tertiary level, he has been an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in NYC and Trinity Washington University in DC, where he taught courses in anthropology, critical reading and writing, cross-cultural studies, and sociology. Recently, he was a Virtual Fellow at Vinh University of Technology Education in Vietnam and an abstract reviewer for the Viet-TESOL International Convention 2022. He earned a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology with a focus in Language Education from SUNY Albany, and a doctorate degree in Applied Anthropology from Teachers College, Columbia University. At the UNESCO world heritage site of Petra, Dr. O’Hare hopes to work with university students and tour guides to improve their English language skills and assist them in building practical solutions for their economic needs with the use of cultural resource management tools.
The English Language Fellow Program is the premier opportunity for experienced teachers of English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) to enact meaningful and sustainable changes in the way that English is taught abroad, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) with funding provided by the U.S. government. Through projects developed by U.S. Embassies in more than 80 countries, Fellows work directly with local teachers, students, and educational professionals to improve the quality of English language instruction offered at prestigious universities and other academic institutions.
Since 1969, the English Language Fellow Program has sent thousands of TESOL scholars and educators abroad to promote English language learning, enhance English teaching capacity, and foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through cultural exchange. On assignment, Fellows teach English, conduct teacher training, develop resources, and organize events and conferences. These projects are challenging and the teachers selected represent the best of the U.S. TESOL community. In return, the program provides professional development opportunities to help participants experience different cultures and build skills that can greatly enhance their TESOL careers back home.
English Language Fellows are counted among the more than 50,000 individuals participating in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. The Fellow Program is administered by the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at Georgetown University. For further information about the English Language Fellow Program or the U.S. Department of State, please visit our website, contact us by telephone at 202-632-6452, or e-mail ECA-Press@state.gov.
STEM students working in a chemistry lab at Suffolk County Community College.
A nearly $1.5 million grant awarded to Suffolk County Community College will help the college increase the number of low-income, academically talented Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) students who graduate, transfer to a four-year STEM program, or directly enter the STEM workforce.
The Improved Support for Undergraduates in Community College Engaged in STEM Studies (I-SUCCESS) Grant will allow the College to scale up and boost existing resources, developing new student support and cohort-building opportunities, and help students financially.
“Creating a new generation of talented STEM professionals is not just an economic need, it is also a social need. By eliminating barriers facing students who wish to be exposed to STEM, we can broaden the students’ economic opportunities and empower them as agents of change in our communities,” said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Edward Bonahue.
“Suffolk County Community College has a well-known and respected STEM program,” said Professor Sean Tvelia, the project’s director. “The additional academic resources, proactive mentoring, and student-centered approach provided through this program will increase success amongst our STEM students,” he said. Tvelia said that students who actively participate in I-SUCCESS will, in many cases, be better prepared for professional careers than students at four-year universities. For those students seeking transfer to four-year colleges and universities, the program also provides networking opportunities, transfer panels, and the ability to meet and work with university faculty.
Tvelia, Professors Richa Rawat Prakash and Joseph Napolitano say the program will support 18 new and 16 continuing students each year with financial support averaging about $10,000 from program entry to graduation.
The $1,499,296 I-SUCCESS grant will:
provide scholarships
introduce a mentoring program, with faculty positioned strategically across campuses and within STEM disciplines to serve as role models and advisors
increase opportunities for engagement and through remote and in-person activities
make more accessible, discipline-specific faculty tutoring to augment existing support, and
provide:
internship and job coaching to supplement existing career services for STEM careers in the regional workforce;
high-impact practices proven effective at promoting retention and transfer, including authentic research experiences and publication and presentation opportunities, will be augmented with opportunities for workforce internships.
Since the 2016-17 academic year, unmet financial need among undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees at Suffolk has increased by approximately 38%. The I-SUCCESS project includes scholarships totaling $900,900 over 6 years plus $13,800 to support student summer research travel expenses to help address this unmet need.
The project is slated to begin on October 1, 2022.
Students interested in applying to the I-SUCCESS program can visit the college’s I-SUCCESS website, https://www.sunysuffolk.edu/stem/nfs-i-success or may contact Professor Sean Tvelia.
Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Eta Gamma Alumni Chapter 