CHALLENGES OLD AND NEW, FOR COORDINATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS

By Arthur Rubin

Wherever offered – in public or private secondary schools, community colleges or 4-year institutions -- most English language programs have always required the participation of coordinators or administrators. Now that funding for language education is in the process of being reduced, these people’s chief focus has become to keep school doors open—not only by retaining students currently enrolled but by recruiting new ones via program promotion. So even coordinators or administrators without any prior marketing experience may feel obligated - or perhaps even eager—to develop an attractive image for their program; a “presence” in the “language-education marketplace.” To do so, they work to build and maintain contacts throughout the neighborhood, community and even the world. They strive to provide useful information and assistance to prospective students, to advertise in ways that are both truthful and motivating in the hope of generating a positive response.

Of course, the implication here is NOT that the traditional administrative functions of coordinators and administrators are going to disappear any time soon. On the contrary, these officials will continue to hire, train, supervise and evaluate instructional staff. (Some will even continue teaching a course or two.) It will remain their responsibility to establish, oversee and/or direct curriculum and methodologies, effect changes that are necessary to keep up with the times, fulfill national, state and local requirements; in short, to meet the needs of their student “clients.” And they will remain responsible for student support services, which encompass mentoring, problem-solving and others kinds of assistance.