May 31, 2001

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A consortium of five Birmingham-area colleges and universities are pooling their resources to create a new program to provide English language classes and services for the city’s international community.

The English Language and Culture Institute (ELCI) is the creation of the Birmingham Area Consortium for Higher Education (BACHE). BACHE is a consortium that unites the University of Alabama at Birmingham, (UAB), Birmingham-Southern College, Miles College, Samford University and the University of Montevallo to provide students with increased, enriched and diversified academic opportunities by pooling and sharing resources.

The ELCI will offer intensive English instruction for international students and researchers at BACHE schools as well as low-cost, night and weekend English language classes for other residents in Birmingham’s international community. Classes are scheduled to begin in 2002.

“We made the decision to move ahead with his exciting project because there is a strong international population within both the community and our member institutions,” said Ellen Zahariadis, director of BACHE, “and we expect that population to continue to grow. It only makes sense that Alabama’s largest city, which is the center of much of the state’s economic development activities, would offer such programs and services for its international community.”

In addition, the institute will provide classes in basic languages and customs for local business executives who want to work overseas and for company employees and clients from other countries who relocate to Alabama.

Melissa Williamson has been hired as program coordinator of the ELCI. Williamson holds bachelor’s degrees in English and speech communications/theatre from Samford University and a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Alabama. She has worked in Belgium and most recently in Japan, where she designed and taught English language courses.