Sir Winston Churchill once said, &uot;Diversity is the one true thing we have in common.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

Sir Winston Churchill once said, &uot;Diversity is the one true thing we have in common… Celebrate it every day.&uot; This is a tall order to undertake in challenging times. However, in light of recent U.S. and world events and our ever-changing local communities, now, more than ever, we are called to go beyond ourselves to seek tolerance and acceptance of others.

Diversity is an inherent part of a community college environment. Our student body is comprised of many very different people: teen-aged and adult learners, learners geared toward the first two years of a bachelor’s degree, other students seeking specific career-training skills, learners with different skills and learners with different needs. While the majority of our students come from southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa, we are also provide higher education to a number of international students and services to many new immigrants to the United States. Our commitment to celebrate and nurture our differences is demonstrated in many ways.

Currently, the College has 15 international students from the countries of Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Gambia, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, the Dominic Republic, Panama, Russia and Togo. These students have come from foreign lands to experience college in our U.S. cultural setting. Not only do they gain from the experience, but our students, faculty and staff are enriched by their presence – learning more about their respective countries and cultures and expanding our perspectives by developing personal relationships with individuals &uot;different&uot; from us.

The East Building on our Austin Campus features an exhibit in honor of our international students. Currently, 17 International flags are displayed in the Main Street hallway representing the countries from both past and current students.

We have developed various means to incorporate an international viewpoint at the College. The International Student Club provides a forum for social interaction between international and local students. Our efforts are further expanded by the Global Education Committee, whose focus is to develop curricular and co-curricular activities, exchanges and partnerships to integrate a more global perspective.

For immigrants new to the area, Riverland’s English Language Center is for foreign speakers wanting to learn English-speaking skills. Instruction is provided at various skill levels, with flexible scheduling allowing students to enroll full- or part-time. We have the only intensive English program in southeastern Minnesota. Our nationally-recognized program was established in 1977 and has taught students from around the world. All instructors are licensed with English and Second Language master’s degrees.

Our ESL students develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, computer basics and U.S. Culture.

The College also provides services for business and industry including Workplace Spanish and Workplace English instruction and Cultural Appreciation and Awareness training.

In response to an immediate and growing need in the business community, our Customized Training division partnered with Command Spanish⪚, Inc., to develop a series of workplace Spanish courses customized for various industries and company needs. Command Spanish⪚, Inc is the country’s leading provider of customized Spanish language and cross-cultural programs and products for non-Spanish-speakers who interact with Spanish-speakers in the workplace.

These courses eliminate the tedious grammar instruction found in most other language programs. Language basics and workplace pleasantries are covered so participants become quickly versed in Spanish relevant to the workplace. The key to this training is the use of one-way communication techniques and control questions. Participants learn how to say things in Spanish, but not receive or understand complicated incoming messages. By using control questions, participants can take part in conversations relevant only to their jobs.

Workplace Spanish classes include Spanish for Dental Offices, Spanish for Retail Sales, Spanish for Healthcare Workers, Spanish for Bank Tellers, Spanish for Office Personnel, Spanish for Hospitality Staff and Supervising Spanish-Speaking Employees. Our own Riverland staff have recently begun a Spanish for Receptionists and Secretaries class that will enable them to more effectively interact with Spanish-speaking individuals seeking assistance from the college.

To further nurture understanding and acceptance of diversity, Instructor Sue Howard is currently facilitating the SEED workshop for employees. SEED stands for Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity and explores diversity issues from both a personal and professional perspective. Through a variety of experiences including activities, speakers, videos, discussion and readings, participants work to see with different eyes, hear with different ears, and feel in deeper ways to embrace their own and others’ diversity – diversity in gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and physical and mental limitations.

As never before in history, we are able to connect with people from different cultures and expand the way they think about us and we think about them. Technology has increased our ability to make the world &uot;one place.&uot; In fact, some of our international students initially found us on the Internet. Our common link is the fact that we are all different. At Riverland, we hope to plant the seeds of understanding and appreciation to help us celebrate the unique diversity of humankind.

Dr. Gary Rhodes is president of Riverland Community College, which has campuses in Albert Lea, Austin and Owatonna.