The mission statement of our division reads: “To enhance the fluency of students in written and spoken English and foreign languages, to broaden their understanding of their literacy heritage, and to provide opportunities for personal growth and for occupational preparation and advancement.” Wow! That sounds like a “tall order,” doesn’t it?!? We hope when you graduate, transfer, or otherwise complete your course of study in English, a foreign language, or speech that you will be a better writer than you were when you first started, that you will be more comfortable speaking in front of a group than you were the first day of speech class, and that you will have broadened your horizons in your exposure to the ideas and themes uncovered in the literature course of your choice. Along the way, we hope you will also find personal fulfillment in the courses you take and some measure of enjoyment in them as well.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has Professor Dumbledore say to Harry, “It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” This sage advice applies not only to life, but also to your decisions regarding your education. We hope when you enroll in an English class, or a Speech class, or Spanish 101 that you will choose to apply yourself to the best of your ability, that you will choose to be challenged, that you will choose to open your mind to new ideas and concepts, but most of all that you will choose to immerse yourself in the learning process. No matter what your background is or your abilities are, it is the choices you make that determine your success. We welcome you to our classes, to our division, and hope that you will discover for yourself the power of language, the answers to some of your questions, and that reading and writing are essential for survival in the modern world!