Fitzer Named Assistant Director of UB Esl Program

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- John K. Fitzer has been appointed assistant director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program at the English Language Institute (ELI) in the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education.

He previously was assistant director for professional programs and academic support at ELI, where he developed and promoted its evening division focusing on courses for international professionals in the Buffalo area.

In his new position, Fitzer is responsible for the administration of the ESL programs and the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) testing program. He also continues to teach upper-level ESL courses.

Some of his accomplishments at UB include the development of an accent-reduction course and an orientation program for international students entering the master's of business administration (MBA) program.

Fitzer holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics from California State University at Fresno, and a master's degree in education, with a concentration in teaching English as a second language, and an MBA, both from UB.

He has taught secondary English as a second language in Xiamen, China, and at the International English Institute in Fresno.

A member of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Fitzer also belongs to the National Association of International Educators and serves as the regional representative for the association's administrators and teachers of ESL.

He resides in North Buffalo.