Linguistics Faculty Welcome Colleagues from Czechia and Uzbekistan

This March, University of Utah linguistics faculty served as site hosts for the TESOL International Association’s annual conference, welcoming thousands of scholars and teachers of English to Salt Lake City. As colleagues from around the globe poured into Salt Lake City, it opened doors for additional relationship building across borders, including a guest lecture from a former president of the TESOL International Association and a delegation of educators from Uzbekistan. 

Pathways to Teaching English

Gabriela Kleckova, professor of English at the University of West Bohemia, Czechia, delivered a lecture about the TESOL profession (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) drawing on her own career journey and leadership experience in both Europe and the United States. Students and faculty joined in a lively discussion of teaching and research and opportunities to teach English abroad. 

Maryann Christison, Distinguished Professor of linguistics, and other members of the TESOL Committee, Melissa Mendelson and Sonca Vo, organized the lecture and hosted the delegation from Czechia on campus for four days. Professor Tereza Havrankova, who is the Vice-Dean for Internationalization at the University of West Bohemia joined the delegation. She is working with the Department of Linguistics to create collaborative exchange opportunities in TESOL for undergraduate students. 

Aaron Kaplan, chair of the Department of Linguistics, is enthusiastic about such opportunities; “Connections such as these enhance the world-class TESOL training our students receive, and they give our students a head start on their careers.”

Building Relationships in Central Asia 

A delegation of faculty from Uzbekistan’s Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages (SSIFL), hosted by the Utah-based Baskerville Institute, met with faculty from the Department of Linguistics, the U’s English Language Institute (ELI), and the Office of Global Engagement to discuss teaching practices, the U’s TESOL program offerings, and potential collaborations that the two institutions may be able to launch in the future. 

Visiting faculty included Laziz Kudratov (Senior English Teacher), Iroda Utaeva, (Dean of the Faculty of Languages), Khilola Khusanova (Senior English Teacher), Tozagul Nasrullaeva (Senior Teacher), and Safo Saydullayevna Karimova (Lecturer in Translation Theory and Practice). They delivered a presentation on SSIFL’s language education programs and opportunities for Utah students to study abroad in Uzbekistan. 

Bahman Baktiari, executive director of the nonprofit Baskerville Institute, organized the visit. “The more we engage teachers and international education, we strengthen our own education system in Utah,” says Baktiari. “The more we have an emphasis on language as a bridge of empathy—the humanities as a bridge of empathy—those relationships are a win-win situation for both sides.” The institute frequently works with universities to fulfill its mission to promote peace and mutual understanding by connecting people across cultures through education, dialogue, and collaborative partnerships. 

Melissa Mendelson, associate instructor of linguistics, was one of the faculty involved in the conversation. “The visit with the delegation of teachers from Uzbekistan was such a delightful opportunity to share ideas and exchange thoughts on teaching and learning in the language space,” she says. “The visit inspired us to start thinking about new international and cross-cultural partnerships for our students, linguistics, and the University of Utah with Uzbekistan.”

Humanities Across the Globe 

Uzbekistan and Utah share similar demographic profiles and geographies, and the U considers international relations with Uzbekistan to be a high priority. The country is one of a handful that the U has identified as holding great promise for mutually-beneficial partnerships, including student and faculty exchange, enhanced research opportunities, and access to diverse resources and knowledge. 

Randy McCrillis, associate vice president of University Connected Learning and senior international officer, says, “We are delighted to see the relationship between the University of Utah and the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages in Uzbekistan continue to deepen and evolve. This growing partnership reflects our shared commitment to global engagement and academic collaboration, and we are especially grateful to our community partners whose support has been instrumental in making this progress possible,” he says. 

As former Soviet republics continue to build their modern identities, institutions such as SSFLI are eager to host TESOL students during their required student teaching; such exchanges have long been a part of soft diplomacy efforts in building positive relationships across borders. 

The English Language Institute (ELI) offers English instruction to community members as well as international students enrolled at the U. ELI Director Casey Poe highlights the importance of these relationships: “Our institute relies heavily on international partnerships, particularly those that allow us to host cohorts of students studying abroad from their home institutions. These collaborations are among the most stable and offer the greatest potential for sustained growth and deeper cooperation. With more than half of our students coming through partner university cohorts, maintaining and expanding these relationships is essential.”

The visits with faculty from both Uzbekistan and Czechia highlighted how important positive international relationships are for the university and all that we can learn from colleagues abroad. As McCrillis points out, “For students in Utah and Uzbekistan, this partnership represents more than just an institutional connection. It opens doors to cross-cultural understanding, language skills, and academic exchange. It's a bridge between communities, ideas, and shared futures.”