History of NASK

In the late 1960s Catherine (Cathy) L. Schulze and her husband William (Bill) H. Schulze conceived the idea, of starting a high-level official Esperanto teaching program at San Francisco State University (SFSU). This program would have two main goals: The training of Esperanto teachers and the raising of the level of language ability of U.S. Esperantists.

In 1970, after a long period of negotiation and persuasion of the SFSU authorities, the courses began with two instructors, two levels of instruction, and 52 students. By comparison, the courses in the year 2000, the last year of instruction at SFSU, had 66 students in four levels with three instructors. During the years since the beginning of this program, various NASK instructors have created separate methods courses for Esperanto teachers.

Cathy Schulze received high praise for instigating and maintaining the courses, even from the then Mayor of San Francisco, Frank Jordan, who issued an official proclamation in 1994, citing the valuable role of Esperanto in furthering understanding among peoples, and praising Cathy's long efforts to that end, and mentioning that the courses had contributed much to education generally as a model of high-quality foreign language instruction. Mayor Jordan then named July 27, 1994, the "Day of International Friendship in San Francisco."

Over the years since the first classes in 1970, over 1,800 students from all continents have benefited from the guidance of a truly international roster of instructors, many of them eminent Esperanto figures. (A list is available in the Faculty section of this web site.)

The three-week study at NASK includes more than just class work. In the evenings and during weekends, entertaining and instructive occasions take place, including lectures, singing, dancing, conversational circles, picnics, and excursions in the area. An important part of these courses each year are the friendship and inspiration which enrich the lives of the participants.

Four educational funds of the Esperanto League for North America (ELNA), a number of individuals, and various clubs and organizations provided financial support to worthy students. A group called "Esperanto Past-students of San Francisco" (in Esperanto ESSF, "Esperantaj Studintoj de San Francisko") not only added financial support for scholarship grants, but also for the cost of the daily class bulletins and for various other things which smoothed the functioning of the classes.

Beginning in 2001, due to schedule changes at SFSU, NASK changed academic venues: in 2001 it took place at the University of San Francisco, and from 2002 through 2006 at the well known and respected School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont. In 2007, Esperanto was added to the summer language programs at the University of California, San Diego. NASK moved back to the west coast.

After Cathy's death in 1999, the Esperantic Studies Foundation, the recipient of the Schulze's Trust, became the major underwriter of the summer Esperanto programs. The organization funds an administrator, guides the selection of instructors, provides scholarships and guarantees the program against any loss to the participating school. This has made it possible to continue Cathy's mission now and into the future.

In the years since 1970, the hopes of Cathy and Bill Schulze continue to be realized. The goals of training Esperanto teachers and raising the level of language ability of U.S. Esperantists have been and continue to be achieved. The future promises continued growth and improvement for Esperanto and for NASK.

[Derived from HARMON, Bill: A HISTORY OF THE ESPERANTO LEAGUE FOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. (2002: Esperanto League for North America, P.O. Box 1129, El Cerrito, CA, USA 94530 www.esperanto-usa.org )]