Arrangement
Material is arranged in three series, the CIP, SIS, and Tri-state bilingual project
Administrative/Biographical History
The Department of Applied Linguistics was founded in 1954 when the college decided to form a program to help international students learn English. The program was the brainchild of Prof. Ernest Boulay. Initially known as the program in English for Foreign Students, it welcomed individuals, but very soon set up programs with organizations from different countries to teach groups of students. One of the first groups to attend was sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the Institute of International Education. This group was made up of 100 Hungarian freedom fighters, who had escaped from the Soviet takeover in Hungary. Around the same time, the scope of the program expanded to include teacher training in addition to English language training. The success of this program led to the establishment of the MATESOL program in 1962, one of the first of its kind in the country. The name of the program changed during this period to the Department of English for Foreign Students. By the 1960s, it changed to the Program in English for Foreign Students and then it changed again to the Program in English for International Students (ISP). Around the time this name change occurred, the program moved to North campus, where it was housed for 20 years. The program continued to grow considerably during the 1970’s. In the 1980’s the program was renamed the Center for International Programs. Many new programs were adopted, including the CAMPUS program, where a small number of upper level students came to Saint Michael’s from some Central American countries and the development of close relationships with some Japanese schools—Akenoshi, Seibo, and later Showa. One innovative program was the Tri-State Bilingual project. This was a grant program administered through SMC but involving the Education departments of Maine, NH, and VT. It was an innovative project aimed at involving parents in teaching English as a second language. For a time the department operated as the School of International Studies. The offerings of the program have continued to evolve. The program still works with both formal programs and individuals. The Administration works hard to integrate students into campus life, despite the majority of their classes being separate. Its stated goal is to “orient students to daily life, customs, and institutions of life in the United States.”
Administratively, the department has fallen in many different places. It began as an independent program, but soon moved under Academic Affairs. From 1964-2004, the program was run by a Dean, who reported directly to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 2004-05, the program once again became a department of the college, operating along the same lines as other academic departments. In 2007, the department changed its name to better reflect modern teaching theories and its departmental status.
