ABSTRACT
The Programs in English as a Second Language (PIESL) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is housed in the English Department and consists of an Intensive English Program (the IEP) and a Credit English as a Second Language (CESL) program that offers undergraduate and graduate writing courses. The IEP was started in the mid-1970s on a small scale as a support service to UNU’s international students, and it has remained a small program up to the present time. During the five 8-week sessions of 1995-1996, the IEP enrolled 185 students. The programs’ mandate comes from a 1975 report from the vice chancellor for Academic Affairs Admissions and Advising Committee, which read in part,
If… English study is needed, you will be required to enroll in a special English class as part of your academic program. Enrollment in special English classes during the following semesters will be required until you attain a level of language proficiency that enables you to make normal and satisfactory academic progress.
