Mission Statement
Global interdependence has created an unprecedented and urgent need for better communication between individuals of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. INTERLINK Language Centers, Inc., has chosen to help meet that need by committing its talents and energies to the intensive teaching of English, to cultural orientation, and to academic preparation for those from other societies wishing to work or study in the United States.
This commitment is not lightly made. To accept the challenge of preparing students of today for the uncertain demands of tomorrow is a sobering act. It is undertaken only in concert with a faculty which brings to the task the highest standards of professionalism tempered by sensitivity and humility, and by administrators with the foreknowledge that they lead best by serving, and serve best by constantly striving for instructional quality tailored to a diverse student audience.
INTERLINK's most precious assets are its students, a faculty that nurtures them, and leaders able and willing to help both flourish. This student-centered approach assumes diligence on the part of learners who, with justifiably high expectations both of themselves and of INTERLINK, are willing to take responsibility for their own learning when coached by competent and caring professionals.
This approach calls for a curriculum that challenges, is responsive to research findings, and is receptive to constructive criticism from faculty, students, and concerned members of the larger community. It assumes an environment where quality and fairness are accepted elements of all policy discussions and constant objectives of all decisions. By endorsing and adhering to standards set forth by the American Association of Intensive English Programs, by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, INTERLINK expresses its commitment to a learning environment rich in linguistic and cultural opportunities for qualified international students and professionals.
By striving to play its small role well, INTERLINK believes it can improve communications between peoples by helping to bridge those precious differences that give us roots and rudders in an ever shrinking and restless world.
Historical Background
INTERLINK Language Centers (ILC) was founded in 1979 in Princeton, New Jersey. Originally incorporated under the name of INTERLINK Associates (ILA), the organization provided academic placement of international students, and cross-cultural training and orientation for mid-level professionals moving for the first time to another culture. However, in response to demand and organizational expertise, priority soon shifted to the teaching of English as a second language. The objective was to make learning in a cross-cultural setting a successful experience for those coming to the USA for study or work. To reflect this change in emphasis, INTERLINK Associates was renamed INTERLINK Language Centers, Inc.
From inception, INTERLINK's philosophy and style were shaped by the US Peace Corps experience of INTERLINK's founders Robert L. Steiner (now Chairman), John Bing, and first Center Director, Ahad Shahbaz (now President). Steiner served as Peace Corps' first country Director in Afghanistan, and later Regional Director for North Africa, Near East, and South Asia; Bing had been an early Peace Corps volunteer and subsequently conducted Peace Corps training programs for Afghanistan; Shahbaz coordinated Peace Corps training in Afghanistan as well as at SUNY/College in Buffalo and Afghanistan. The Peace Corps mystique continues to define and instruct organizational purpose and practice.
INTERLINK's first Language and Training Center was opened in 1980 at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. The initial staff of 3, with 9 students, found Guilford College's Quaker environment a hospitable host in which to test INTERLINK's training strategies. A spreading reputation for quality instruction and academic preparation, student-centered curriculum, rich faculty/student ratio (average 1:8), serious students, and a safe, supportive environment led to a steady but remarkable growth in enrollment. Additional INTERLINK centers were opened at Indiana State University in Terre Haute (1987), Colorado School of Mines (1990), Valparaiso University (1992), and The University of North Carolina/Greensboro (1997). This institutional diversity gave qualified student applicants a wide selection from which to choose.
With the home office now in Golden, Colorado, INTERLINK is a unified organization in which curriculum is being constantly researched and improved, quality regularly monitored and evaluated, to make certain that the highest standards are met. At the same time, enough diversity is encouraged to let students and teachers achieve a challenging learning environment tailored to the needs of the student.