"You have worked at the UW for several years. You have ideas for improvements in the functioning of your unit and want to bring them to the attention of your supervisor and coworkers. You want to contribute more in staff meetings, but you hold back. You avoid communication opportunities because you believe your English language skills are not good enough."

This has long been the situation of many non-native-speaking workers at the UW, some of whom Long has employed over the years. Long said it got her thinking, several years back, "We offer other kinds of employee development training, we should offer English skills, too."

Long also took note when she learned that the University of California system already had a program in place to teach English to non-native-speaking staff members, on the job. She did some local research, studying campus options and resources, and then called International Outreach Programs. Stevens took the call.

The two — who are now fairly well rehearsed in telling their story in tandem — remember that phone call well: It was Christmas Eve 2000, and the business day was winding down.

"I agreed it was a fabulous idea," said Stevens, and that got the ball rolling. "It seemed like a no-brainer that UW English Language Programs, one of the top such programs in the country, would offer classes to campus employees, so how could we say no?"

Now, it's not like these two don't have jobs of their own. Alison Stevens is director for program development of the International Outreach Program, under Educational Outreach, and Karen Long is UW director of Financial Services. "We did this out of love," Long said, to which Stevens added, "The rewards have always come from seeing the transformations in employees' lives."

The next step was to take their idea to V'Ella Warren, vice president of the Financial Management Department and treasurer of the UW Board of Regents. "She's been very supportive of employee development for many years," Long said. "She encouraged us from the very beginning."

Warren helped arrange funding for a pilot program in 2001, which was deemed successful, and the English in the Workplace program grew from there. Long and Stevens were, and remain, willing to go anywhere on campus to advertise the program and spread the word in what they call their "dog and pony show." And it has paid off. In 2004, the program was awarded $80,000 in operating funds from the Provost's Fund for Innovation and Redesign, which has kept the work going.

Key to the success of these classes — and the two can indeed point to some successes as measured through surveys and assessments — is that they are free to employees and happen during work hours. Evening classes are not an option for many staffers with families, some of whom may also work second jobs. The employees are not required to attend, and the classes are unrelated to work evaluations. Employees of all types take these classes, including research scientists with a professional interest in improving their English.

And how has the program gone? Lynn Duong, an accountant in the UW payroll office and former participant in the classes, wrote, "I have learned how to write more effective e-mails, pronounce difficult words and construct an essay, and my grammar has improved ... the efforts of the English in the Workplace team have made a big difference to me…"

Elizabeth Warrick, UW director of Training and Development, added praise for Long and Stevens' work in her own letter of nomination: "The program's effect is palpable at the graduation ceremonies for those individuals who complete the English in the Workplace Program," Warrick writes. "There is a new sense of pride … Ali and Karen have led an effort that has transformed lives, work units, departments and at some level, the University."

This year's graduation ceremony for the program will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 6 in 200 ABC HUB. On that day, the applause will all be for the students, and that's just how Long and Stevens like it.

"This program is about all the people who are doing the work and taking the classes," Long said. "They are doing the hard work."