Expanding global educations while empowering future leaders

In an effort to enhance accessibility and provide opportunities for high school students to earn college credit, Western Michigan University continues to expand dual-enrollment programs in partnership with several Michigan schools. 

These agreements, aimed at enhancing student learning and creating new academic pathways, open doors for students to earn college credit at little to no cost while still in high school. WMU’s dual-enrollment programs allow eligible students to complete the equivalent of a Spanish or Chinese minor at WMU by the time they graduate from high school.

 WMU has built unique partnerships with several schools, including Forest Hills Northern High School since 2017, Kalamazoo Christian High School since 2019, Greenville Public Schools since 2021, West Ottawa Schools since 2023 and Kalamazoo Public Schools since 2024

WMU has built unique partnerships with several schools, including Forest Hills Northem High School since 2017, Kalamazoo Christian High School since 2019, Greenville Public Schools since 2021, West Ottawa Schools since 2023 and Kalamazoo Public Schools since 2024.

"Through robust dual-enrollment options, both the Department of World Languages and Literatures and the Department of Spanish provide the means for high schools with second-language immersion programs to earn advanced credits in languages such as Spanish or Chinese," says Pablo Pastrana-Perez, chair of WMU's Department of Spanish.

Each school district offers a program tailored to the needs of its students, providing up to eight undergraduate courses offered on the high school campuses. WMU offers dual-enrollment Chinese programs at Forest Hills in Grand Rapids and Greenville High School in Greenville, both of which also offer Chinese-immersion programs for younger students. Kalamazoo Christian High School, West Ottawa Schools and Kalamazoo Public Schools each have feeder Spanish immersion programs, with WMU offering dual enrollment on site for high school students starting in ninth grade. Combined, there are nearly 250 students enrolled in these dual-enrollment programs.

Three WMU faculty specialists teach full time at Forest Hills and Greenville,

"They are the sole instructors there and they have developed the programs," says David Kutzko, chair of WMU's Department of World Languages and Literatures. "We established one class per semester, ninth through 12th grades, to complement the Forest Hills and Greenville districts Chinese immersion programs."

In the advanced-level classes, students explore topics such as international and global issues in their target language. "Offering college-level language courses to Chinese immersion students not only elevates their language proficiency to an advanced level but also fosters critical thinking and organizational skills," says Li Xiang, faculty director of WMUs dual-enrollment program for the Department of World Languages and Literatures. "Since these courses are taught by college instructors, students benefit from exposure to diverse teaching styles and more innovative, effective approaches to language learning." Xiang adds. "Providing rigorous, college-level coursework supports students' academic development and better prepares them for success in both higher education and their future careers."

In addition to their classwork, Xiang says many of the dual enrollment students at Forest Hills have participated in national-level speech competitions each year, consistently winning second place, third place and honorable mention awards.

Furthermore, Xiang says, "A variety of Chinese cultural events, instructor-supervised Chinese Club activities, and innovative course-related projects also help enrich students learning experiences,"

At both Forest Hills and Greenville school districts, children begin learning their target language starting in pre-kindergarten, with the instruction style transitioning as children enter middle and high school.

While not every district offers immersion programs, Pastrana-Pérez says that some area schools continue to move in that direction. "We are hoping that our dual-enrollment options help the schools bridge those gaps by starting from the top (high-school) and hoping it permeates through to middle school." West Ottawa Public Schools are scheduled to open a brand-new immersion Spanish bilingual academy at North Holland Elementary, called Los Lagos.

KPS also has an immersion bilingual school, El Sol Elementary.

"The strength and vitality of Spanish at Kalamazoo Christian High School has increased significantly across all ages since we started our dual-enrollment program with them," Pastrana-Pérez says, adding that their enrollment numbers reflect that growth. By the time their middle school students enter high school, some have already developed Spanish language skills beyond that typical at any other school.

"In order to continue their language learning, our students continue at an advanced level by enrolling in WMU's program," says Dirk Walhout, principal of Kalamazoo Christian High School. "This is an embedded, dual-enrollment program, and it is an extraordinary opportunity for our students to earn the equivalent of a Spanish minor."

Students involved in the dual-enrollment program also have opportunities to participate in WMU's study abroad programs. As an undergraduate in 2001, Lindsay Jeffers, faculty director of WMU's dual-enrollment program for the Department of Spanish, was in one of the first WMU groups to study abroad in Burgos, Spain. "One of my dual-enrollment graduates from Kalamazoo Christian Schools, who is now a second-year student at WMU, is applying to travel to Burgos in fall 2025," Jeffers says. "Things have really come full circle."

Jeffers traveled with a group of 14 dual-enrollment students to Panama for a homestay in 2023, and during spring break of 2025, she took 12 students to Mexico, where they also did a homestay visit in Merida, Yucatan.

Jeffers acknowledges that it is a lot of hard work to learn another language. "I'm really impressed by people who speak many languages," she says.

Among the many benefits of studying other languages and cultures, Jeffers says the job market has a lot to offer those who are multilingual, "I have no doubt that there will be many high-level jobs available to those who speak many languages," which, she says, is evidenced by online job searches.

Pastrana-Pérez agrees, "Our graduates end up doing all sorts of cool things because it is very easy to combine languages with other careers."

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.