In June 1941, by action of the Board of Regents, the English Language Institute was established at the University of Michigan.

The charge to the ELI was twofold: to conduct research in teaching English as a foreign language and to test new scientifically-based materials for the teaching of English. 

In the first year, the ELI inaugurated an intensive course in English as a foreign language, the first ever offered on a university campus in the Western Hemisphere.

Read more of the ELI's story on our History page.