ELS Educational Services, Inc. Celebrates Opening of Flagship Manhattan Location

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Jessica Pepperman
Public Relations and Content Manager
ELS Educational Services, Inc.
jpepperman@els.edu
+1 609.759.5591

ELS Educational Services, Inc. Celebrates Opening of Flagship Manhattan Location

PRINCETON, NJ, 28 August 2018 –The brightly lit reception hall, normally filled with bustling students from all over the world, was a-buzz with university and business professionals. Guests milled through classrooms with large, colorful murals depicting NYC neighborhoods and peered out windows overlooking Battery Park and the Statue of Liberty. They were all there to celebrate the opening of the new ELS/New York – Manhattan Center, and all were impressed.

“I am extremely excited about our brand new flagship center in the heart of Manhattan,” said Reiji Terasaka, Chief Operating Officer at ELS.  “A stylish, modern, and innovative classroom environment resonates perfectly with the key exciting attributes of NYC, and I am confident that this—together with our great staff and great program—will ensure that all of the students at this center will have a priceless and memorable experience.”

The mood at the center was festive as Hye Rim An, an ELS student from South Korea, serenaded the room with classical violin. 

“It’s inspiring,” Frank Prieto Pinto, an ELS student from Colombia, said of the classrooms in ELS/New York – Manhattan. “When I was living in my county I saw pictures, I saw movies, and now I feel like I’m in the movies,” he said, gesturing to the wall-sized mural of Times Square behind him. Pinto, who is a professor of Strategic Thinking and Management Skills at EAN University in Bogotá, stressed the importance of having a positive learning space. “As a student in this moment, I need a good place to study, and the classrooms are so beautiful.”

The innovative learning space was created specifically for ELS/New York – Manhattan. “The goal was to create a youthful, energized environment with crisp details and vibrant materials,” said Kaitie Gillespie, interior designer at KSS Architects, who led the design for the center. “Adopting current workplace trends, the space offers variety and choice including a lounge, café, and collaborative spaces. We want the students to make this place their own.”

And this will be a trend going forward for ELS. “In a sense, the Manhattan center is a prototype of what the future ELS city centers can look like,” said Terasaka.

The ELS/New York – Manhattan Center is one of more than 50 ELS centers worldwide, all having the shared mission of improving people’s lives globally through language and culture. Students take language courses to prepare them for academic life, the business world, or even as vacation programs, all while creating lasting experiences and memories.

For more details about the ELS/New York – Manhattan Center or for high-resolution images, please contact Jessica Pepperman at jpepperman@els.edu.

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About ELS Educational Services

ELS Educational Services, Inc. offers more than 55 years of success in assisting international students—more than 1.2 million to date—achieve their personal and professional goals through English preparation and university study skills. ELS assists international students to identify and gain entry to higher education institutions around the world, including in Canada, India, Malaysia and the United States.

Pictured above: Curt Uehlein, CEO of the Berlitz Corporation, thanks student volunteers at a celebration of ELS’ flagship Manhattan location.

ELS student Aidana Bissengaliyeva from Kazakhstan poses with ELS/New York – Manhattan Center Director Bonnie Fedge in front of a Grand Central Station mural in one of the center’s classrooms. Other classrooms feature scenes from Times Square, Central Park, Little Italy, and other NYC locations.

Curt Uehlein, CEO of the Berlitz Corporation; and Bonnie Fedge, Center Director for ELS/New York – Manhattan; listen as Alexandra Zilovic, Executive Vice President of Global Operations & Business Affairs at ELS, addresses the room at the celebration of the new Manhattan flagship center.