Erin Mikulec has been named interim director of Illinois State University’s English Language Institute (ELI). The English Language Institute, which is relocating to the second floor of Fell Hall in the spring semester, provides English language training to a variety of international students and special groups.
Mikulec is an associate professor in the School of Teaching and Learning. Mikulec received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in second language acquisition, foreign language education, and TESOL from Purdue University. Her research interests include teacher education, international education, and second language studies.
Mikulec has taught foreign language at the secondary and university levels. While completing her master’s degree with Middlebury College in Spain, she taught English at a local elementary school. She has also given workshops in English language and English language teaching to groups on campus from Germany, Thailand, and Panama and has guest lectured at Akita International University in Japan. In spring 2014, Mikulec was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Helsinki in Finland, where she studied teacher education and taught English at schools throughout the area. She serves as director-at-large for the International Society for Language Studies, where she also serves as conference co-chair and co-editor for the Readings in Language Studies book series.
“I am very excited to be working with the ELI program and the Office of International Studies and Programs. Assistant Provost Dr. Rita Bailey has been instrumental in helping me prepare for this transition,” said Mikulec. “The move to Fell Hall is a wonderful opportunity for our students to become part of the Illinois State University community. There are many new and exciting projects on the horizon for ELI as the result of an international recruitment campaign initiated by Dr. Luis Canales. I believe that these efforts will bring new students to Illinois State and are crucial to internationalizing our campus to meet the goal of Educating Illinois.”
