The newly created Lisa Gorman Language Learning Center has opened its doors to English Language Learners at Southern Maine Community College. The Center will offer specialized individual and small group tutoring sessions and access to support to improve writing and math skills that are crucial for their overall academic success.
The Lisa Gorman Language Learning Center was established thanks to a collective gift to the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges in honor of Lisa Gorman’s 70th birthday by her family and friend, Elaine Rosen. The gift supports SMCC’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.
Lisa Gorman is passionate about ESOL instruction, and this gift pays tribute to the significant commitment she has made to the program for the past several years. Since 2016 more than 1,500 students have participated in SMCC’s ESOL program.
“I am extremely honored to have my name associated with this Center,” said Lisa Gorman, a founding member and vice-chair of the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges. “I am just thrilled that my family honored me in this way to support English Language Learners on their path to a brighter future.”
“English acquisition is the single greatest barrier to immigrants as they seek to enter the workforce and to participate in the American dream,” said Joe Cassidy, president of SMCC. He noted that the college recently instituted a new approach to teaching English language skills beyond the traditional classroom setting and includes one-on-one support and regular contact with the English Language Learners. The Lisa Gorman Language Learning Center is a key component of this new approach to teaching English, which builds on the foundational work in the traditional classroom setting by offering ongoing and guided contact for students’ ultimate success.
The Lisa Gorman Language Learning Center is housed in the Learning Commons in the South Portland Campus Center and integrates ESOL programming with all other support services provided to SMCC students.
“Lisa has been one of the great champions of New Mainers. She believes they are an integral part of Maine’s new economy and that they embody the American dream,” said John Fitzsimmons, President of the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges.