The mission of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Department is to enable students to function successfully in both academic and non-academic English speaking environments. The mission includes providing high quality instruction that is innovative and challenging and meets the language needs of our diverse non-native English speaking student population as they pursue their educations, build their careers, and interact in the community. It emphasizes the development of critical thinking and the sophisticated language and literacy skills that enable students to be engaged citizens. Students who complete this certificate will demonstrate the ability to read simple authentic texts and to write unified, coherent, adequately-supported multi-paragraph compositions, will demonstrate the ability to understand introductory lectures and presentations, and will demonstrate the ability to express themselves through extended conversations or short presentations.