Interlink

INTERLINK International Institutes (INTERLINK) was founded in 1979 in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Originally incorporated as INTERLINK Associates, the organization provided academic placement of international students and orientation for mid-level professionals moving for the first time to another culture. In response to demand and organizational expertise, priority soon shifted to academic preparation, cross-cultural training, and English as a second language instruction. The objective was to make learning in a cross-cultural setting a successful experience for those coming to the USA for study or work. To reflect this change in emphasis, INTERLINK Associates was renamed INTERLINK Language Centers in 1987. As INTERLINK approaches its 40th year in higher education, plans are underway to expand internationally and further develop our online course offerings. It is only fitting that we adopt a new name that best expresses our evolution. “INTERLINK International Institutes” best reflects this expanded focus.

From its inception, INTERLINK’s philosophy and style were shaped by the US Peace Corps experience of INTERLINK’s founders Robert L. Steiner, John Bing, and first Institute Director, Ahad Shahbaz (now President and CEO). Steiner served as Peace Corps’ first country Director in Afghanistan, and later Regional Director for North Africa, Near East, and South Asia (NANESA); Bing had been an early Peace Corps volunteer and subsequently conducted Peace Corps training programs for Afghanistan; Shahbaz coordinated Peace Corps training initially in Afghanistan and subsequently for the Teacher CorpsPeace Corps program at the State University of New YorkCollege at Buffalo. The Peace Corps mystique of learning from and with others continues to define and instruct organizational purpose and practice.

Committed to transformative education, INTERLINK strives to promote mutual respect, cross-cultural understanding, and peaceful coexistence by enabling participants to: recognize and appreciate cultural differences; communicate in accurate and thoughtful ways; and become creative and humane leaders. Guided by standards of quality and fairness, INTERLINK offers English language instruction, academic preparation, cross-cultural orientation, and professional development training in ways that empower participants to become engaged students, independent learners, critical thinkers, and effective communicators.