The University of Bohol marks another milestone as the only university in Bohol that offers English Language Training Program for foreign students. UB gave the welcome and orientation program to the accompanying professors and staffs, Prof. Ousoon Choe, Prof. Hoon Joon Kouh, Mr. Insu Park and Mr. Heesam Kang and thirty students from Korean's Kyungin Women's College yesterday, June 25, 2010, 8:30 a.m. at the UB Instructional Resource Center (IRC). The very warm reception was led by University President lawyer Victoriano B. Tirol, Jr., chairman of the board of trustees, Jes B. Tirol, trustee Fe G. Icamen, trustee Asuncion R. Mira, trustee Amparo B. Castaneda, Vice-President for Administration and City Vice-Mayor-Elect Nuevas T. Montes, and the members of the Academic Council headed by the Vice President for Academics, Dr. Lumin T. Pamaran.

In her welcome remarks, Pamaran, vice president, UB academic affairs, said it gave her immense pleasure and honor to welcome the supervisors and students from the Korean college. She thanked them for making UB their destination of choice to undergo English Language Training Program. It was the first time that UB offered a unique and innovative program for international students who wish to learn English as a second language for academic, professional and personal purposes. According to Dr. Pamaran, UB undertook this responsibility with a passion that was based in the belief that teaching others to learn a second language was not simply a technical feat; it was an expansion of perspective. Citing that “we live in a world community that speaks more than 5,000 distinct languages, we cannot hope to understand ourselves and our place in the world without understanding the enormous impact of linguistic and cultural diversity on the human social condition”.

In closing, the UB official thanked the members of the planning committee of the two schools for “all the hard work in putting together such partnership that brings us together”. She said she was confident that this program will prove to be highly relevant, stimulating and fun adding that she greatly looked forward to the outcomes of this venture. Fifteen UB students who passed the rigid and thorough screening as peer tutors for the crash course ushered, identified and gave their UB IDs to their Korean tutees upon arrival at the Students' Lounge. The Vice-President for Administration gave them a brief tour of the campus before going to the orientation venue. An assessment followed after the orientation program to determine what level of English instruction will be most appropriate for the group.

The intensive English Learning Package was carefully crafted after the Memorandum of Understanding was sealed between the UB President and Kyungin Women's College President, Dr. Joon-Surch Park represented by Dr. Michelle R. Kim last April 30. It was well-attended by the members of the BOT and deans. The new Dean of the Student Personnel Services (SPS)/Student Affairs Office (SAO), Dr. Janice B. Tirol, fresh from her training and teaching stint in Thailand is tasked as the program manager of the crash course. The Korean students will come to UB in two batches. The first batch of 30 will start their classes on Monday, June 28, 2010 until July 21, 2010. The second batch of the same number will start on July 23, 2010 until August 17, 2010. The team of experts from the English Department of UB, Prof. Imelda Bolanio, Prof. Cherry Malaque and Prof. Josephine Alas will handle the classes.