September 17, 2003
Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Rosenkjar as its first Assistant Dean for English-language Education, effective September 1. In this new position, Dr. Rosenkjar will oversee the Academic Preparation Program (APP) and all activities related to improving the English-language skills of TUJ’s student body.
TUJ has been a leading provider of English-language education in Japan for more than 20 years. English is the language of instruction in all programs at TUJ, so thorough English acquisition is critical to a TUJ student’s success, at school and after graduation. As such, TUJ decided to appoint a highly qualified individual to further support the English-language focus of APP and other programs.
Dr. Rosenkjar’s 15-year affiliation with TUJ provides him intimate knowledge of the university’s programs, students, and needs. He joined TUJ as an instructor in its Intensive English-language Program (now APP) in 1988, following his graduation from San Francisco State University with a master’s degree in teaching English as a foreign language. Since that time, Dr. Rosenkjar has obtained a doctorate in education in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) from TUJ and gone on to teach Intellectual Heritage courses in TUJ’s Undergraduate Program and various TESOL methods courses in the College of Education graduate TESOL program.
In his new role as Assistant Dean for English-Language Education, Dr. Rosenkjar is eager to apply his specialty in second-language acquisition toward further raising TUJ’s reputation for excellence in English-language acquisition. “Dr. Rosenkjar,” says TUJ Dean Kirk Patterson, “is the best person for this position. With his in-depth knowledge of TUJ and its students and of the theory and practice of English-language acquisition, he is uniquely qualified to make TUJ a world leader in preparing students to successfully handle university-level work in English.”
Dr. Rosenkjar has in mind several innovative ideas for realizing TUJ’s potential. He proposes to provide internships for TUJ’s TESOL graduate students to teach in APP. He also intends to set up writing and reading projects that stimulate students to engage extensively in reading in English for pleasure and thereby to develop a high level of literacy. And he will encourage TUJ instructors to adopt a research-oriented teaching method to foster language acquisition.
“I would like,” says Dr. Rosenkjar, “to introduce project-based approaches to improve students’ English ability in reading, writing, and other critical areas. These methods will encourage student participation, leading students to study proactively. I believe that is the best way to learn and to achieve academic and language-acquisition goals.”