The LEAP (Learning English for Academic and Professional Purposes) program at WSU provides
students “full-time intensive English instruction and offers non-native speakers the linguistic, academic
and social skills they need to be successful in an American university. Students come to LEAP for a
variety of reasons,” as described on the LEAP website.
The LEAP program is beneficial to both native and non-native English speakers at WSU by increasing global awareness and diversity on campus. As
business and economics become increasingly globalized, the ability to interact well with others from a
different background on an individual basis is imperative.
This semester, LEAP director Jerannette Horwitz collaborated with Professor Caraffiello and one of her UVC
courses to have about ten LEAP students converse with the UVC class. Director Horwitz described the
collaboration by saying, “I thought this was a great idea as the LEAP students benefit tremendously
from meeting and working with American students while they are in LEAP and preparing for university
classes. With some 1030 international students on campus this fall, international students are practically
everywhere. They have a lot to offer WSU, and it is my hope that more and more American WSU
students get to meet and interact with them as they prepare to eventually enter the global workforce”.
LEAP offers participants many other opportunities, including TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) submission for admission to
WSU to attain an undergrad or graduate degree. Additionally, LEAP provides an integrated curriculum
to improve retention, faculty who hold advanced degrees in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages) or equivalent degrees, field trips to local attractions and other activities in the area,
and access to WSU’s academic and recreational facilities.
The LEAP program is offered both fall and spring semester in addition to summer term and offers five levels of
instruction depending on proficiency and prior study of English.
