The Center for English as a Second Language

By Mary Martin

I came to CESL just expecting to improve my English, but what I found here was totally different — I found a family, I found a group of friends, I found good people. That made me feel at home and made me happy. This makes learning a language easy, because the atmosphere pushes you to learn so that you can communicate. I encourage anyone to come to OU and the CESL program.

- Giacomo Gomez Lopez (Lima, Peru)

OU’s Center for English as a Second Language was founded over 40 years ago but moved into the College of International Studies in the fall of 2021. The center’s mission is to provide English language instruction as well as cultural education so that students can communicate successfully in social, academic and professional settings. We are delighted to be in this new home that celebrates global education, where our students are welcomed and feel part of the OU community.

CESL serves as a first step for some prospective OU students. For many, their previous English studies left them familiar with some aspects of English, but with little ability to actually communicate. For these students, CESL is a place to refresh their understanding, learn new ways of expressing themselves, and explore the ways that the U.S. academic system is different (sometimes profoundly so) from their home educational environment. Others are here because they want to upskill for business and professional reasons, and English is at the top of their list. Students may spend as little as a semester or as much as a year at CESL, depending on their goals and their starting place. After a year in CIS, CESL is well-positioned to help support the college’s goal in growing the number and diversity of international students studying across OU’s three campuses. Since joining CIS, we have hosted 52 students from 25 different countries; half of those are still at CESL, while 11 have moved on to their degree programs at OU. Another way in which we are increasing numbers is working with the OU Centers in Puebla and Arezzo to bring student groups to study in Oklahoma. In addition, we have recently formed a partnership with ApplyESL.com to promote our program and increase our enrollments. Being able to work closely with ISS and OU graduate and undergraduate admissions means that many of these students will stay on campus and bring the richness of their experience and perspectives to OU — and when they eventually return home, they will carry a bit of Oklahoma with them.

Mary Martin is director of CESL.