Resources for Students and Faculty
Professional English Language Support (PELS) Program
PELS Program Objectives
PELS will help to all students, including multilingual and multidialectal students to:
- Enrich reading, writing, and speaking abilities to meet their academic goals and professional expectations in their fields
- Enhance confidence in their communication abilities
- Develop a sense of community and collegiality with other students and faculty
- Enrich university practices through their knowledge and diverse experiences
- Enhance their awareness of resources available to them to achieve their goals
PELS will help faculty to:
- Support students to advance their professional communication abilities
- Gain cross-cultural insights to better engage diverse students in the classroom
- Expand their knowledge of global English
PELS will help FAU to:
- Better prepare multilingual and multidialectal students for professional work in their fields
- Meet and exceed key performance indicators (KPI) and other metrics
- Enhance resources and support writing across the university
- Increase growth funding
- Expand the university's recruiting potential
- Further the impact of student publications and grants
Contact Us
PELS Office
The PELS office is located in GS 215 F, BOCA RATON Campus (Inside the University Center for Excellence in Writing)
Email PELS: pels@fau.edu
Dr. Sipai Klein | Director UCEW, WAC, PELS
kleins@fau.edu
561-297-1221
Dr. Klein is an Associate Professor in Rhetoric and Composition in the Department of English at Florida Atlantic University. He is also the Director of the University Center for Excellence in Writing, and Writing Across the Curriculum program at FAU.
Dr. Claudia Amadori | Assistant Director PELS
Dr. Amadori is a Senior Instructor in the Department of English at Florida Atlantic University and co-founder of the PELS Program. Dr. Amadori earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Florida Atlantic University and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Miami. Dr. Amadori's research and teaching fields include: 19th century American and British Literature, Transatlantic Literary Studies, Caribbean Literature, and Creative Writing. Dr. Amadori teaches PELS 6003 Thesis and Dissertation Writer Workshop, as well as teching various courses for the Department of English.
camadori@fau.edu | 561-297-3830
Claudia Alvarez | Graduate Assistant, PELS
Claudia Alvarez is a Neuroscience Ph.D. candidate at Florida Atlantic University's Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. Her research examines the interaction between the vestibular and auditory sensory systems and their contributions to motor and cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease, utilizing AI clinical tools. She brings expertise in vestibular neuroscience, cognitive assessment, molecular biology, and clinical testing, with publications spanning topics from exercise-induced neurogenesis to traumatic brain injury, as well as pending publications in neurodegeneration. Claudia has presented her work at national and international conferences, earning recognition through fellowships and awards, including the ASCEND Fellowship across multiple years and the Outstanding Graduate Student Engagement Award at the Florida Consortium on the Neurobiology of Cognition. Alongside her research, she is committed to teaching and outreach, serving as a lecturer, teaching assistant, and instructor in programs that expand neuroscience education and community engagement.
claudiaalvar2021@fau.edu