Letter from the Chair

Namsook Kim, University at Buffalo (UB), New York, USA

Dear HEIS Members,

I am thrilled to welcome you as Chair of the Higher Education Interest Section (HEIS) committed to supporting and informing the higher education ELT community! Our community is truly global, with 877+ members from 51+ countries. We celebrate this rich diversity and are dedicated to empowering every member through equitable and inclusive practices.

This year, our HEIS convention theme is “Empowering Global ELT in the Era of AI”. This theme reflects the current interests and concerns expressed by our membership, as evidenced by our 2024-2025 membership survey. Members are particularly interested in the use of generative AI in teaching, multiculturalism, strategies for serving international students, and community college issues. Members also voiced concerns about native-speaker bias, institutional support for international students, and the responsible AI use.

In response to these interests and concerns, HEIS has developed several goals and initiatives for 2024-2025, aligned with TESOL priorities:

1. Enhance Professional Learning and Development: We are offering webinars and discussion series focusing on innovative teaching strategies, AI integration, and multiculturalism. We have already hosted a webinar on AI and multicultural ELT in HE (with Jonny Kalambay, Roshi.ai) in November and a coffee chat on the responsible use of AI in HE (with Melissa Ferro) in January.
2. Promote Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: We are developing resources to support diverse and inclusive participation, through facilitating myTESOL discussions on Global Englishes and publishing a member article on empowering international graduate students through a peer mentoring program.
3. Strengthen Community Engagement and Networking: We launched Global ELT series including ELT in Niger (with Hadizatou Amou Ali) in December, ELT in Guatemala (with Karin Maria Rossbach Lemus) soon in February, and ELT in Turkey (with Bahar Gün)) early March. We are also planning a pre-convention networking chat, followed by an in-person networking lounge and an open business meeting at the TESOL 2025 convention.
4. Support Research and Innovation in ELT: We are encouraging and disseminating research on current trends, including AI applications, social-emotional learning, and communicative language teaching, through myTESOL discussions.
5. Advocate for Professional Standards and Practices: We aim to improve the professional standing and employment conditions for ELT professionals and look forward to working with our members.

Join us in person at the TESOL 2025 International Convention & Expo in Long Beach, California coming March, for a fantastic opportunity to connect and learn! Make plans to participate in all HEIS sessions to reconnect with our members and join conversations with our esteemed speakers. Our HEIS 2025 Convention Program shows where you should join us for the pre-convention networking chat, the business meeting, the networking lounge, and three panels with global ELT experts.

This newsletter also includes an article on a peer mentoring program for international graduate students. We encourage you to meet our dedicated leadership team. Finally, we are calling for submissions for our next newsletter.

We are committed to serving your needs and advancing the field of ELT in higher education.

Sincerely,

Namsook Kim, Ph.D.

Chair, Higher Education Interest Section (HEIS) 2024-2025

Dr. Namsook Kim is the Chair of the Higher Education Interest Section (HEIS) at the TESOL International Association. She is also a clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo (UB)’s Graduate School of Education, and holds an assistant director role at the English Language Institute at UB as well. Namsook focuses her instruction on subjects such as equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion, with a particular emphasis currently on academic writing for international college students. Furthermore, she chairs the UB Curriculum (general education) Communication Literacy Committee and manages the English language proficiency assessment and support program for international assistants.