Vera Wagenfuhr, winner of the 2015 NAFSA Hugh Jenkins Award, with members of the Office for International Students and Scholars staff.  

NAFSA awards

UD colleagues recognized for service, commitment to internationalization

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1:27 p.m., June 24, 2015--Two members of the University of Delaware community were recently honored by NAFSA, the pre-eminent association for international educators, for their contributions toward campus internationalization.

Scott Stevens, director of UD’s English Language Institute (ELI), received NAFSA’s Cassandra Pyle Award for Leadership and Collaboration in International Educational Exchange. Vera Wagenfuhr, longtime Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) community volunteer, was selected as the recipient of the 2015 NAFSA Hugh Jenkins Award for Excellence in Community Programming. 

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The Cassandra Pyle Award honors the contributions of an international educator to international exchange on a global scale. This award extends NAFSA's recognition of international exchange efforts beyond the organization and the profession in the United States to include exchange work around the world. The awardee will have had a lengthy commitment to the field as demonstrated by leadership positions in, and significant contributions to, organizations that foster international exchange.

Stevens, who has served as director of ELI since 1984, has made notable contributions to his field. In addition to overseeing the development of more than a dozen English for Specific Purposes Programs, and establishing a unique partnership with the Christina School District to provide on-site English as a second language (ESL) instruction, he has also served as president of the University and College Intensive English Programs (UCIEP) Consortium. 

During this time and in his subsequent role as vice president for advocacy for the American Association of Intensive English Programs, Stevens collaborated with colleagues to gain passage of federal legislation mandating accreditation for U.S. Intensive English Programs (IEP). The current UCIEP body, along with ELI faculty and staff, came together to nominate Stevens for this prestigious award.

Stevens is the first leader from the intensive English program discipline to be chosen as the winner of the Cassandra Pyle Award.

For his success, Stevens recognizes his colleagues at ELI. “I’ve been so fortunate to be surrounded by such outstanding faculty and colleagues as we have grown,” he said. “They have been so dedicated. Over the years we have really worked hard to hone our mission statement, and have used it as our guide. The mission puts students first, in part by creating a kind of family, a supportive learning community in which we work as a team to help each student find their own path to success and self-discovery. That has really been the source of the innovation that characterizes the ELI and has made it so widely respected in the field of ESL.”

NAFSA’s annual Hugh Jenkins Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting global understanding and international exchange in the local community. 

Since 1985, Wagenfuhr has overseen the University’s internationally-focused volunteer program, which connects members of the University and Newark communities with international students and scholars. Through her efforts and with the help and support of many community members, thousands of international students and scholars have enjoyed the hospitality of U.S. families through short-term stays, Thanksgiving meals and life-long friendships. 

Wagenfuhr, who has had a lifelong passion for volunteerism, drew her inspiration for this work from the transformative experience she personally had with a host family as a foreign student from Germany in the 1960s. At the core of her mission is to promote cultural understanding and break down preconceived barriers between Americans and those from other places around the world. “I want people to see this America,” she said, “the friendliness, and the willingness to help.”

In his tribute to Wagenfuhr, Ravi Ammigan, OISS director said, “Those of us who have had the opportunity to work with Vera know her dedication to volunteerism and her exceptional service to international students and scholars at the University of Delaware. This award is a terrific way to say thank you for all that she has done over the past 30 years to assist OISS and other departments on campus.”

Wagenfuhr accepted her award, in person, at the NAFSA conference in Boston on May 26.

More than a dozen members of the UD community attended the 2015 NAFSA conference, which drew more than 11,000 attendees from across the globe. Representing UD were staff of the English Language Institute, Graduate Admissions, Institute for Global Studies, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, Office for International Students and Scholars, and Undergraduate Admissions.  The team demonstrated UD’s university-wide commitment to campus internationalization.

The University of Delaware was one of five universities to receive the 2015 NAFSA Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Campus Internationalization. That award will be conferred upon the University on Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C., during an International Education Week ceremony.

About the Office for International Students and Scholars

The Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS) serves as a critical resource for the over 4,000 students, scholars and employees that make up UD's international community.  

OISS provides information, programming and advisement aimed at supporting the international community through the challenges of living, studying and working in a different culture, as well as celebrating the presence of international students and scholars on campus and their important contributions to the University.

In addition to cross-cultural programs, OISS offers information sessions on employment and immigration training for students and scholars, and training for UD departments

Those with interest can stay current with OISS programs and services online, via Facebook and Twitter, or by subscribing to the OISS weekly e-newsletter.

About the English Language Institute

Founded in 1979, the University of Delaware’s English Language Institute (ELI) offers the highest-quality intensive English programs for degree-seeking students, business and legal professionals, English language teachers, and general English language learners.

With over a dozen specialized programs for individuals throughout various fields of study and profession, the Institute serves students and professionals from 36 countries across six world continents. On average, ELI hosts over 3,000 students each year.

More information about the English Language Institute at UD can be found on its website, and via the ELI Twitter and Facebook pages.

Article by Amy Greenwald Foley and Nikki Laws

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