Intensive English Program, Western Washington University

IEP Faculty & Staff

Steve Robinson - IEP Program Director

Steve.Robinson@wwu.edu

Steve Robinson has been the Director of the

Intensive English Program since 1992. His
main focus for program development has

been on helping international students

prepare for undergraduate and graduate

study in the university. He manages the

Conditional Admission process for the Office

of Admissions, and he is the primary advisor

for undergraduates in the Academic English

Program. He highly values the interactions

that IEP students have with Western students,

both individually and in the classroom, as a

way of learning the academic culture of the

university. Steve grew up in Minnesota and

moved to Bellingham, Washington, in 1976. He

completed his MA in English at Western in

1988. His interests include photography,

playing music, writing fiction, and training

dogs.

Georgina Muska - IEP Program Coordinator

Georgina.Muska@wwu.edu

Georgina (“Georgie”) Muska runs the

Intensive English Program office. She grew

up in England and graduated from the

University of London. Georgie met her

American husband when she was on vacation

in Washington State. They raised their two children in the beautiful San Juan Islands. The whole family lived an adventurous life at sea during the summers, fishing commercially for salmon off the coast of southeast Alaska. Now they live in the Bellingham area, where they

enjoy the combination of the outdoors

and city life. Georgie has a strong interest in international students and enjoys her job

very much. Her favorite thing is to spend

time with her family.

Bryce Sasaki

Student Services Coordinator & Instructor

Bryce.Sasaki@wwu.edu

Bryce started in the IEP program in 2003,

when he began as a part-time ESL teacher.

Since then, he has enjoyed teaching English

to many international students from around

the world. In 2005, Bryce became the Student

Services Coordinator for the program but he

also continues to teach IEP courses as he

enjoys the interaction with other cultures that

teaching ESL provides. Bryce is a graduate of

Western Washington University where he

received both his TESOL certification and his

Master’s Degree in Education. Bryce is a

Washington native and he has a great love of

the outdoors. He enjoys playing bass guitar,

and he and his wife Sachiko like to spend time

scuba diving, hiking & camping, bird watching,

and traveling.

Vickie Farmer - Instructor

Vickie.Farmer@wwu.edu

Vickie was born in the Philippines and has lived

in Texas, Morocco, Montana, England, California, Wyoming, and Washington. At Western Washington University, she graduated with a

BA in English literature and taught English 101 while completing her MA in English Composition and Rhetoric. She then worked as a food writer and also an editor for the journal Optical Engineering. She returned to teaching writing and taught in the IEP and at Whatcom Community College. Vickie's interest in multiculturalism in higher education led her to earn her doctorate

in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

from the University of Washington in 2005. Her dissertation is entitled Effective Teaching Practices in the Linguistically Diverse University Classroom. Vickie has been a writing teacher for 20 years,

but she also likes gardening, feeding people, watching science fiction, making candles, hiking with dogs, and reading late into the night.

Donna Germaine - Instructor

Donna.Germaine@wwu.edu

For the past ten years, Donna has taught

academic communication, conversation and

pronunciation as well as many other classes

in the IEP program. Her main focus is using

current TESOL methods and creativity to

enhance language learning and fluency.

Teaching in the TESOL program at WWU and

supervising TESOL practicum students has

helped her create a bridge between the two

programs. TESOL students work with IEP

students, assisting and learning from each

other throughout the quarter. Before coming

to WWU, Donna taught ESL in public schools

in levels k-12. Her special interest was in

immigrant and migrant education programs.

When she is not teaching, she enjoys sailing

in the San Juan Islands and spending time

with her family.

Michelle Van Slyke - Instructor

Michelle.VanSlyke@wwu.edu

I began teaching in the Intensive English

Program at Western Washington University

after graduating with a TESOL/Cross-Cultural Education degree in 1994. Prior to joining the Intensive English Program, I instructed immigrants/refugees at Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College, and at

local public schools. I am a passionate and

active instructor who strives to help students

to reach their goals. I also believe that teaching language, as well as cross-cultural education makes a difference in our relationships with the world.

Tom Nicholas - Instructor

Tom.Nicholas@wwu.edu

Tom Nicholas isn't always as serious as he

looks in this picture. In fact, one of his goals

as a teacher is to make language learning an

enjoyable experience for his students. In the

IEP, Tom teaches grammar and writing at the

high-intermediate and advanced levels. He

received an M.A. in English from WWU in 1987.

He has taught ESL at Western for many years.

In addition, for two years he taught ESL to

refugees and immigrants at Skagit Valley

College, and for four years he taught writing

classes at Skagit Valley College. Tom grew up

in Bellevue, Washington, and lived in various

parts of the U.S. before settling in Bellingham

with his wife, Trula, and his daughter, Amelia,

in 1983. In his spare time, he likes to go for

walks in the woods, watch old movies, read

novels and poetry, play folk songs on his

guitar, and listen to jazz (especially tenor

saxophone players).

Celia Farr - Instructor

Celia.Farr@wwu.edu

Celia moved to Bellingham seven years ago

from the Uplake Chelan area. She graduated

from Western Washington University with degrees in linguistics and in French. She also completed her TESOL certification at WWU. Celia has been teaching in the IEP for 2 years. She

has a passion for language learning with a special interest in phonetic transcription using

the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet). Celia enjoys the unique beauty of Bellingham. In her free time, she likes to laugh with her two daughters, hike with her two dogs, drink espresso, dance, write, and play a wide array

of musical genres on mandolin, fiddle, and accordion.