This Weekend in Seattle and Bozeman

If you’re an A.C.E. student (or not, for that matter) looking for a cultural experience in Seattle or Bozeman this weekend, we have a couple of recommendations for you.

First up, we recommend the Savor Seattle Pike Place Market Food & Cultural Tour, which happens tomorrow, from 10:15 AM to 12:45 PM at Seattle’s iconic Market. The website invites you to “taste locally made foods and beverages that will awaken your palate, meet some of the storied characters and artisans that give the market life, and learn about the market’s rich and vibrant history.”

If you’re on the other side of the Idaho panhandle in Bozeman, we recommend seeing You Can’t Take It With You at Blue Slipper Theater. The play has been called an comedic American classic, and many cite it as among the most representative plays of the American experience. You can read more about the production here. Tickets are $10 for regular folk, and $8 for students.

A.C.E. Celebrates 15 Years of Partnering with MSU

This fall marks the 15th Anniversary of Associates in Cultural Exchange’s partnership with its host institution in Bozeman–Montana State University.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, A.C.E. President David Woodward, Chief Executive Officer Tony Fantham, and President of A.C.E. Japan, Shinji Moriyama traveled to Bozeman for a special ceremony organized by A.C.E. at MSU faculty member Cheri Ladd Le Cain. The Language Institute Director, Dr. Rick O’Connor, welcomed guests from MSU and the Office of International Programs, including Provost Dr. Joseph Feddock, Vice Provost Dr. Carl Fox, Vice Provost Dr. Norman Peterson, and Vice Provost and incoming A.C.E. board member Dr. Greg Young. A.C.E. was honored by the conferring of a honorary plaque, pictured left, by the representative from MSU. The event took place this past Wednesday, September 9th, 2009. More than 70 people, including a number of students at host families, were in attendance.

A.C.E. would like to issue a special thanks to the wonderful people at Montana State University for providing such a strong and beneficial partnership over the years. We look forward to another fifteen.

A.C.E. at MSU provides intensive English language instruction to prepare students linguistically and culturally for their educational and professional pursuits as well as opportunities for personal growth.

More (so much more!) from TESOL ‘09

By the staff at A.C.E. at MSU — Each instructor for the A.C.E. Language Institute at MSU experienced a lot at this year’s convention. Here is their extensive team coverage of TESOL 2009. We hope you will find it both an interesting read as well as great resource. (There is also a small gallery with more photos at the end of the post.)

Gearing up for TESOL 2009

The 43rd annual TESOL Convention takes place this week in Denver, CO. This year’s event will host 1,200 lecture and discussion topics given by 3,000 speakers. Attendees from more than 25 countries will be there, along with several A.C.E. faculty members. Tim Healy, Senior Instructor at the Language Institute at SPU, will be among the ranks of presenters. His topic: Teaching ESL Writing through Website Publishing.

You can learn more about the three-day convention by visiting the TESOL homepage. Be sure to check back with ACEbook once the convention is over, as our attending faculty will provide a full report. Stay tuned!

MSU Hosts MEPI

Above, students from Oman, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

A.C.E. arranged for the MEPI students to be hosted for a reception by TDA and to attend the Seattle Rotary lunch.

2008 marks the fourth consecutive year that Montana State University has hosted the MEPI program.  The MEPI Study of the United States Institutes are part of the U.S. Department of State’s public diplomacy initiative in the Middle East and North Africa. Funded and administered by the State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the MEPI Study of the United States Institute at Montana State University is one of five programs that take place in the summer on campuses across the United States. Each Institute offers an intensive six-week program for students from the Middle East and North Africa that focuses on the development of the participants’ leadership skills and expands their understanding of American society and culture. It includes an academic program conducted by scholars and other professionals with expertise in leadership and U.S. Studies, as well as a study tour to other regions of the country. Participants are also invited to attend an alumni conference in the Middle East or North Africa within one year of the conclusion of the program.