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Sharon Dansereau, and OALPD instructor, reviews ESL materials with George
Mason staff members Elena Martinez and Sandra Ramirez
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Mason Reaches Out to Employees with Basic Skills Classes
By Elena Barbre
At a university the size of George Mason, where nearly 25,000 students take
courses in more than 100 degree programs, where practicing professionals come
to beef up their skills, and where tuition is waived for faculty and staff members,
it is easy to overlook the many employees who support and sustain all this activity.
These workers often lack access to the opportunities for self-development and
learning that many of the university’s students, faculty, and classified
staff take for granted. This paradox is being tackled head on by the Office of
Adult Learning and Professional Development (OALPD) in the Graduate School of
Education (GSE) with the help of Human Resources.
“Universities are in the business of education,” says Ed Jones, director
of OALPD. “Yet we provide learning opportunities for everyone but this group
of folks who are the backbone of the university.”
Whether these support staff lack high school diplomas or do not speak English
as a native language, most can benefit from basic skills instruction. Following
the lead of a handful of universities across the country, Jones and Carol Henderson,
staff development manager for Human Resources, are working with supervisors at
George Mason to develop a basic skills program to even up the equation.
The first step, modeled after Harvard’s “Bridge to Learning and Literacy”
program, was taken last fall with the offering of free classes in English as a
Second Language (ESL), General Education Development (GED) preparation, and basic
literacy skills for university employees. Verizon Corporation funded teacher salaries
and instructional supplies. Three ESL classes taught by former and current GSE
master’s students filled up quickly, and the basic skills classes were well
received by both employees and supervisors.
“We see improved communication, as well as better work performance and
higher morale, from our employees who have taken the classes,” says Paul
Kashmer, assistant director of administration and personnel for Facilities. “They
are enthusiastic, and supervisors have noticed a definite improvement in their
speaking and listening abilities.”
Fairfax Campus Physical Plant employee Fulton Aguiar says he “learned
a lot with a good atmosphere” in his ESL class. Asifa Khan, a Print Services
employee at the Arlington Campus, agrees. “It is a great opportunity for
us,” says Khan. “I am learning more about slang and fast speaking and
also improving my reading.” Both Aguiar and Khan hope to continue in the
program.
Jones anticipates demand will increase as word of the opportunity spreads.
He notes that a new university policy lets supervisors be flexible when scheduling
employees who take classes during working hours.
“George Mason can enhance its reputation as a responsible employer by
supporting and encouraging campus workers to improve skills that will bear fruit
in all parts of their lives,” says Jones. “By improving employees’
language proficiency and other fundamental skills, we have the potential to improve
not only their job performance, but also their customer service skills and their
ability to communicate in a multicultural environment. George Mason can serve
its own long-term interests by developing all of the workers it recruits.”
Ultimately, Jones envisions supplementing the courses with one-on-one tutoring
and creating a service-learning component in which students work with employees
to improve their language, reading, or computer skills. “This broadens the
perspective of the students, who may never have thought about the lives of the
people who prepare and serve the food they eat or keep facilities clean and in
good working order.”
Short-term plans are to offer additional classes this semester in hopes of
attracting employees for sessions in basic education skills for native English
speakers, as well as for three levels of ESL sessions. The next step is to develop
a graduate seminar in the adult education master’s program that explores
service learning and its application in a university setting. This initiative,
patterned after successful efforts at Cornell and the University of California
at Berkeley, would combine academic content with a mechanism to pair students
with Mason employees who could benefit from tutoring. Eventually, a service-learning
course for undergraduates could expand student involvement with these workers.
Registration for spring classes starts Feb. 4, and classes begin Feb. 11. For
more information, contact Jones at x33675.
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