Page 20 - ELG1601 Mar Issue 434

ELpeople
Page 20 March 2016
director of the Lan- Top team leads to top ranking

is
atrick
Brook
Pguage Institute at
the University of Brighton,
our new number-one- Melanie Butler asks Patrick Brook, director of the University of Brighton’s Language
ranked university language
centre based on British Institute, how he ended up running the British Council’s top-ranked uni language centre
Council inspection reports.
But being the director of
a top language centre was says, adding that a num- He boasts of support whilst being able to iden-
not one of his childhood ber of years ago he was from academic services, tify areas they need to work
ambitions, he admits to me. instrumental in synthesis- marketing and even the on’ – as well as the growing
‘I wanted to work for ing ‘what seemed to be a finance department. ‘It was number of bespoke profes-
the National Trust,’ Patrick disparate bunch of courses’ a nightmare for them when sional programmes they run
says over coffee. But hav- into the Language Institute, we set up our extended in the summer.
ing taught English in France of which he is now director. masters programmes, Patrick knows that he
as part of his undergradu- ‘I didn’t do this by a type of validated and is lucky, though his luck
ate degree, he headed back myself, and I don’t want to integrated pre-sessional is bolstered by his charm
there to teach English after take all the credit,’ he says, programme which involves and his sheer dogged deter-
becoming disillusioned with singling out his deputy, ‘the students going from the mination. When it comes
teaching French in UK sec- meticulous and infinitely Courtesy University of Brighton Language Institute language preparation to to the location of the uni-
ondary schools. ‘I found it all patient’ Sally Nichols. their degree programme as versity, though, Patrick’s
rather challenging – a lot of ‘Our creative discussions an “unconditional” student. character doesn’t come into
crowd control!’ he explains. were really the driving University finance systems it. ‘Brighton is a great stu-
He ended up moving force behind the changes. just don’t cater for that sort dent city. Popular, lively,
on to Cyprus and Russia I couldn’t have done it of thing – but they did it!’ vibrant, on the sea and just
before returning to work in without her, nor without The extended masters is an hour from London.’
London. ‘In 1999 I went to the team of highly quali- one of Patrick’s proudest But the university’s
do my masters in Tesol at fied academic staff who LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN Language Institute director Patrick Brook and assistant director academic achievements. close link with the com-
the University of Brighton. not only know how to think Sally Nichols (front), with vice chancellor Debra Philips (behind Patrick) and key staff ‘The idea was to integrate munity also feeds into the
They offered me a job, and creatively but also how to the language with the stu- international student expe-
I’ve never left.’ operate in the wider uni- aspect of pastoral care.’ He website. Patrick agrees, first experience of the uni- dent experience – also rience. ‘We get Chinese
When Patrick arrived at versity culture.’ is also a firm believer in adding that when the versity, and that’s really organising students spend- students volunteering to
the university, there was A cohort of academics transparent systems ‘which Gazette phoned to tell him important.’ ing time at their subject area help out local people – it
not a language centre as is just one of the elements operate in the best interests that Brighton was the top- Patrick, who is nothing departments once a week, really makes them feel
such but a number of dif- you need for a successful of all students on a year- ranking university centre, if not thorough, had a hand not just sticking them in part of the city.’
ferent sections offering English language centre, round basis’. even the vice chancellor in how the institute features English lessons for a period It is a city that Patrick is
different types of English according to Patrick. The He is, I suggest, lucky to came down to celebrate. on the university’s rede- of time and them throwing now part of himself. Cof-
courses to different types second is a group of spe- be at a university that takes ‘The university really signed website. ‘We have them into their faculty.’ He fee finished he heads back
of students, often in differ- cialised language centre its language centre seri- recognises that the Lan- our own section, but links also talks fondly of the lan- there, pleased as punch at
ent university departments. administration staff. ‘Ours ously, as all too often in my guage Institute has an to our courses can be found guage assessment descriptor his team’s success in the
‘I was lucky over the pride themselves on under- experience they stick it in important central function. on most of the degree system he designed with British Council inspec-
years that I have taught standing the international a basement and hide infor- It knows that for interna- programme webpages, Sally – ‘We are able to give tion, and with a head full
and coordinated each of the student experience, and mation about it deep in the tional students a course reminding students of their a really accurate account of of ideas about the things he
different sections,’ Patrick they get involved in every bowels of the university with us is going to be their English language options.’ how well a student has done wants to do next. n