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Rowan University at Camden
English as a Second Language Program (ESL) Director: Student Counselor: Professors:
Patrick O’Neil Rolf Westad
Welcome to Rowan University at Camden's English as a Second Language Program. It is a pleasure to be part of such an outstanding university and program, where the focus is completely on you-the student-and your education. I have been in the field of ESL for twelve years and can't imagine doing anything else. It perfectly combines my passion for education with my love of travel and cross-cultural learning. I do believe that I learn as much from my students, if not more, as my students learn from being a part of our program. My philosophy about education is all about motivation. I design programs that are of high interest to the student, so that they are motivated to learn. Learning a second language can be very difficult. It is our job here at the English Language Program to ensure that you can achieve your goals. I hope you choose to come and experience this dynamic educational environment. A little about myself: I have a CELTA International Teaching Certificate from Cambridge University, and an M.S.Ed. from Temple University. My focus has been on Adult Second Language Acquisition with a specialization in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The last four year have been spent developing General and Vocational ESL programs for recent immigrants to the United States. I have also developed ESP programs for accounting and medical billing for local business schools.
I have a B.A. in International Relations and a Masters in Student Personnel Services: Counseling from Rowan University. I am fluent in Vietnamese and have been working as a counselor at Rowan University for five years.
When I was a child I had to have speech lessons, which got me interested in phonetics and linguistics. So I went to the University of Pennsylvania to get a degree in linguistics. I then taught ESL, writing, linguistics, and computer programming, and wrote a children's book. Now I'm applying linguistics to teaching ESL at Rowan.
I received my BA in Foreign Languages (German and Spanish) from Rutgers in 1975. I taught secondary school and then went into an engraving business on Jewelers' Row in Center City Philadelphia. Several years later, I began to work at the Camden Campus of Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), where I designed a writing curriculum for native speakers of English. In 1979 I was lucky to be involved in the inception of the intensive English as a Second Language program at the Camden Campus. I have taught writing skills, listening, conversation, pronunciation and a 3-credit literature course for the English department. I received my MA in English Literature and Linguistics from Rutgers in 1989 and have continued taking certification courses. I enjoy meeting students from all over the world
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