Described by a colleague as "one of the quiet and tireless heroes, a champion for students at UMBC, in Baltimore City and throughout the world," Elsa Collins is about to retire after spending nearly a decade at UMBC's English Language Center. Says Beverly Bickel, the center's director, who nominated Collins for the community leadership award, "She will leave behind hundreds, perhaps thousands, of students, teachers and colleagues who have been touched by her teaching and unshakeable belief in the power of learning to transform lives."

As a turn-of-the-century prairie schoolteacher, Elsa Collins's grandmother taught mostly the children of Norwegian immigrants. "I like to think that she was one of the early teachers of ESOL," says Collins, who has spent a great deal of her own life as an instructor of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).

Collins's career has included nearly a decade with UMBC, where she was one of the initial instructors and is now academic director of the English Language Center.

Long intrigued by the world and its inhabitants, Collins studied French, Spanish and history as an undergraduate. "I had wanted to work for the United Nations," says Collins, who received her master's degree in instructional systems development with an ESOL/bilingual concentration from UMBC in 1995.

She briefly taught social studies before taking time off to raise her family. When she returned, she became an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor for high-tech companies and then an ESL teacher consultant to several local Massachusetts school systems. Her students included Russian immigrants and Southeast Asian refugees.

When Collins's husband retired in 1992, the couple returned to Maryland. In addition to her involvement with UMBC, Collins has volunteered with the South Baltimore Learning Center, mentored new Baltimore City teachers in the Department of Education's Resident Teacher Program and trained teachers in Xiang Fan, China. She has also been an active and enthusiastic participant in the Maryland chapter of TESOL (Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages).

In recent years, she has seen an increased "globalization" at universities. "International students bring a different view of life and history," she says. "This can broaden the educational experience for all."