Velsie Pate has been an instructor for the Intensive English Program for the last eleven years after acting as the department’s staff assistant for four years.  She also currently teaches EDHE 101, EDHE 105, and EDHE 303 for the Center for Student Success & First-Year Experience and advises non-major students for summer orientations. Alongside teaching duties, Ms. Pate has been co-advisor to IASA, International American Student Alliance, since 2016.  For IEP Ms. Pate teaches all levels, from beginner to advanced plus, including a Southern Studies course that she designed for second language learners. Her more than 28-year of work span for the University of Mississippi has included jobs in Admissions/Registrar, College of Liberal Arts, Continuing Studies/Outreach, and now in IEP which is housed under the Office of Global Engagement and Modern Languages.  Her assistance and instruction have covered a wide range of students, from high school students taking college classes, teachers taking short courses for re-certification, study abroad, and most recently expanding Mississippi’s global connections as an IEP instructor and Coordinator of IEP Alumni Relations.  Ms. Pate holds a B.A. in Music, a B.A. in English with a minor in Spanish, an M.A in Southern Studies, an M.A. in TESL, and is currently enrolled in a Second Language Studies Ph.D. Program with an Emphasis in Applied Linguistics.  Her favorite hobbies are playing with her pets, photography, gardening, walking for exercise, and good food with friends.