PAIS News, October 2026
PAIS Sessions At TESOL 2027 in Houston
ITAIS/PAIS Intersection Session
Designing (I)TA Professional Development Workshops: Insights from Program Administrators
PAIS/HEIS Intersection Session
Leading Change in Language Programs
PAIS Academic Session
Reimagining Language Program Identity: Partnerships, Visibility, and Institutional Relevance
We hope you will be able to attend the 2027 TESOL Convention and join these conversations with our panelists and fellow attendees.
Letter from the Co-Chairs
Pamela Smart-Smith, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
Brad L. Teague, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
Letter from the Co-Editors
Ana-Marija Petrunic. George Brown College, St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Tsigereda Negussie, Ethiopian English Language Professionals’ Association (EELPA), Ethiopia
Spoonful of Water: Raising Visibility with Shrinking Resources
Eric Grunwald, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Many of us face shrinking programs but also diminished visibility for those programs, and yet we have fewer resources with which to raise that visibility and demonstrate the benefits of what we offer. But an old saying goes, “With no money, you can’t do anything, but with a little money, you can do a lot.” Here, Eric Grunwald, director of the English Language Studies program at MIT and chair of the Consortium on Graduate Communication’s communication committee, suggests ways to raise your visibility on a shoestring.
To Centralize or Not to Centralize the Curriculum: An Essential Question for Program Administrators
DJ Kaiser, Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
What happens when a small, faculty-driven TESOL program grows into one of the largest of its kind in the world? This article traces the journey from a handful of students in St. Louis to a 1,800-student program in Uzbekistan, and the transformative decision to replace instructor autonomy with a centralized curriculum. Through this case study, readers will explore the challenges, trade-offs, and unexpected advantages of centralization in scaling academic quality, consistency, and student success.
Partnerships That Build Bridges: Three Lessons for Language Program Leaders
Nadezda (Nadya) Pimenova, Purdue Language and Cultural Exchange (PLaCE), Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
Language programs operate within complex institutional ecosystems, where success depends on strong connections among people, units, and resources. Drawing on experiences from Purdue University's Language and Cultural Exchange (PLaCE), this article shares three lessons learned about building partnerships that support program growth, resilience, and multilingual learner success.
Leveraging Program Administrators to Advance Institutional Strategy
Corinne Whitney, Georgian College, Barrie, Ontario, Canada
English for Academic Purposes (EAP) programs at Canadian post-secondary institutions play a critical role in helping students build the language skills needed for academic success as they pathway into credentialed programs. Their stability has depended heavily on provincial funding models. With changes in international student enrolment and evolving government policies, many programs have been suspended, closed or severely impacted. Corinne Whitney at Georgian College talks to us about how leveraging program administrators from impacted EAP programs can support institutional development and resiliency during these challenging times.
Getting Involved with PAIS
If you are already an active PAIS member, thank you for your support and commitment. We look forward to your continued engagement. If you would like to become more involved, we invite you to consider the following opportunities:
- Contribute an article to our Spring 2027 newsletter.
- Volunteer to lead an informal chat.
- Attend PAIS-organized sessions at TESOL 2027.
- Apply for a future PAIS leadership role.