Ms. Yoko Omori was first introduced to Michigan through her English language tutor, Ms. Marilyn Schlief, when Marilyn taught in Shiga Prefecture during a teaching exchange. Within the decade after that encounter, Yoko continued her studies through a summer term at our ELC in 1997. She and Marilyn recently stopped
Ms. Jeici Carla Eichstädt participated in the ELC’s Brazil PDPI English teacher training program in the summer of 2024. When she returned home to Brazil, she wrote a collection of stories about her experiences during her time in Michigan. That collection was recently published. Her book, “Histórias de um intercâmbio
The Faculty and Staff at the English Language Center would like to cordially invite you to an Open House in our repurposed spaces in B135, B129, B127 and B125. Our rooms will be open for all to visit on Wednesday, October 1st from 3pm to 5:30pm. We invite you to visit our space! If
During the Fall and Spring of the last academic year, Amy Kroesche, Ann Letson, and Matthew Rynbrandt delivered a program dedicated to advancing English language proficiency for Hydrology and Water Resource Specialists from the TIIAME National Research University in Tashkent. These incredible faculty members provided a specialized program for 15
The ELC is so happy to see the Korean Language Club using B125 for their activities this semester. Stay tuned for more student activities by this fantastic student group. If you or your language students are interested in reserving spaces like this one, be sure to go to https://elc.msu.edu/elc-room-reservations/ or
Congratulations on earning your TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to celebrate Liyu Tu for this accomplishment by adding her name to our wall of certificate holders. We are confident that she will apply the knowledge gained in this program to support language learners in their academic success.
Since we’ve been in our new space, we started a puzzle tradition where anyone is welcome to stop by and spend some time tackling the puzzle of the moment. We finished our first puzzle back in July. It was a DaVinci Code inspired 1000-piece puzzle. It was just hard enough
The ELC trips to Chicago on September 6 and Lake Michigan on September 13 included ELC students, many other MSU students and scholars, and a few family members. We lucked out and had mostly good weather for both trips, and everyone had a great time. We look forward to more
Melissa Rich and Grace Stasolla have been selected to receive the Shigeo & Isako Imamura Graduate Fellowship. Please join us in sending Melissa and Grace a hearty congratulations on this award. This fellowship is awarded to graduate students in the MATESOL program who are in good standing in their academic studies,
The ELC hosted a team of professionals from Central Michigan University. Their team used one of our newly opened spaces (B129) to conduct team building activities and familiarize themselves with the offerings at MSU and the Greater Lansing Area. We were happy to host them and, we look forward to
Our B135 ELC office hosted therapy dogs from Buddy’s Pals at the welcome event for Interdisciplinary Humanities (IDH) and Humanities Pre-law majors (HPL) (with many from other majors joining in!).
When: Saturday, September 13, 2025 – 7:30 am to 6 pm Details: We’ll spend a day on Michigan’s west coast, a popular tourist destination. The trip includes an exciting dune ride, a few hours to eat, shop, and wander around downtown Holland, and an hour or two at the beach.
When: Saturday, September 6, 2025 – 6 am to Midnight Details: A one day trip to downtown Chicago. A bus will drop you off at Millennium Park and you will spend the day as you wish. You will board the bus at the same location to return to MSU at
Brazil PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Lingua Inglesa nos EUA) came to an end on Friday, August 8, and the teachers are all safely back at home. It was a busy, wonderful 6 weeks with this group of 40 committed and passionate teachers, and they’ll be missed
Brazil PDPI teachers were super excited this week to run into MSU’s own Magic Johnson who was also staying at the Graduate Hotel. The ELC would like to thank Magic Johnson for being such a gracious man and accommodating our wonderful students practically every time he walked through the lobby!#MagicJohnson#graduatehotels
The African Studies Center (ASC) and the English Language Center (ELC) at Michigan State University (MSU) partnered to provide English language training to faculty and researchers from French-speaking African countries. For six months, MSU, through the ELC, provided a course dedicated to English-language improvement with a subject focus of English
Congratulations on earning your TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to celebrate Sherry Shafer for this accomplishment by adding her name to our wall of certificate holders. We are confident that she will apply the knowledge gained in this program to support language learners in their academic success.
On Thursday, July 17, our amazing summer students held a Mock Moth where audience members were able to enjoy live storytelling from 1-2:50pm. 12 students told stories about their lives and experiences that ranged from serious to humorous, and they rocked their storytelling. Audience members applauded, laughed, and cheered them
This summer, the ELC moved to a new space in Wells Hall. Many of our faculty and advisors are now in B135. We welcome you to visit our new main space where you can spend some time during the day. We have a reading area with many books and comfortable
The ELC is so happy to welcome its 6th cohort of teachers through Brazil PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Lingua Inglesa nos EUA). Brazil PDPI is funded by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and administered by IIE and the Brazilian
Congratulations on earning your TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to celebrate Kirsten Day for this accomplishment by adding her name to our wall of certificate holders. We are confident that she will apply the knowledge gained in this program to support language learners in their academic success.
With the summer semester in full swing, the students in the Integrated Skills Course led by Maida Walters visited sites around campus to learn more about MSU. First, the students competed in a scavenger hunt around campus and visited the many incredible facilities and sites at MSU. Second, the ELC
ELC External Programs Coordinator Mark Albee spent the past few weeks in Japan where he met with international office staff and faculty and gave presentations to prospective ELC students. He also enjoyed spending some time with former ELC students.
On Friday, April 11th, many of the ELC faculty attended the 2025 IAH Spring Luncheon to celebrate the accomplishments of so many students, faculty, and staff. Our very own Laura Ramm received her Fintz Award Plaque. Carol Wilson-Duffy was also an important part of this year’s nominating committee. She, along
Our ELC Faculty attended this year’s TESOL conference in Long Beach, California. Last day of TESOL! Learned lots about AI.
We are pleased to share the following announcement! Our very own, Ms. Laura Ramm, was selected as a winner of the 2025 Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities by the Faculty Advisory Committee in the Center for Integrative Studies in the Arts and Humanities (CISAH). Ms.
Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University students made a visit to the Gene L. Klida Utica Academy for International Studies (GLK-UAIS) on the last day of their program at MSU where they shared an hour of language exchange with Erin Sillivan’s 11th grade class.
ELC students and teachers gathered last Friday to wish their Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University classmates farewell. The students spent a month studying English, taking part in Japanese English Language Exchanges with MSU students, and enjoying campus life. We’ll be sorry to see them go!
Our very own Nagoya City University students spent the day at the Restore Your Roots event sponsored by the Arts At MSU and the MSU Beal Garden. Read more here: https://www.instagram.com/p/DGTuA65J896/?img_index=8
ELC students and friends made a winter day trip to Chicago on Saturday. While it was a bit snowy and chilly, everyone made the most of their time in Chicago. Ever wondered why the Chicago Flag has four stars? Our visitors learned the reason beyond each star. Check out our
On Friday, full-semester program students and teachers said farewell to the Keimyung University students and welcomed students from Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University with a super tour of Spartan Stadium!
Congratulations on earning your TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to celebrate Nathan Holth for this accomplishment by adding his name to our wall of certificate holders. We are confident that he will apply the knowledge gained in this program to support language learners in their academic success.
Soeyeon Shin (Senior International Admissions Counselor), Dustin De Felice (ELC Director), and many other Certified Tourism Ambassadors were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the State of Michigan’s Hall of Justice. If you haven’t taken this tour, please do so, and you can learn more about this impressive
When: Saturday, February 15, 6 a.m.– Midnight (Leave Chicago at 6 p.m.) What: A one-day trip to Chicago. A bus will take you to downtown Chicago and drop you off. You can spend the day as you wish. You will have a meeting time and place to get back on
Keimyung University students enjoyed a cold but fun weekend in Chicago. Their experiences included visits to Willis Tower, the Chicago Art Institute, a jazz bar, the Chicago Bulls game, deep dish pizza, and much more.
The ELC is so excited to welcome students from Keimyung University in Daegu, South Korea to kick off the new semester. The group will spend the next month at MSU in IEP classes, take part in Korean/English language exchanges, and make trips to Detroit and Chicago.
This week, the ELC Testing Office team hit the studio, along with some ELC faculty members and MSU undergrads, to bring audio scripts and dialogs to life for upcoming listening exams. With the inevitable last-minute script tweaks and silly mistakes, it’s always a fun time! The pros over at WKAR
Ms. Ruelaine Stokes, Lansing’s poet laureate and a former full-time instructor at the MSU English Language Center, wrote and shared a poem for the season with WKAR and our local community. Enjoy! Poem for the Holidays
The Intensive English Program at the MSU English Language Center held the last fall semester classes on Thursday, December 5 and enjoyed a celebratory gathering in the Wells Hall Atrium in the late afternoon. Students recognized with an Outstanding Performance Award were Ms. JungEun Lee, Mr. Lewis Wenrui Liu, Ms.
Ivy Ly and Maida Walters have been selected to receive the Shigeo & Isako Imamura Graduate Fellowship. Please join us in sending Maida and Ivy a hearty congratulations on this award. This fellowship is awarded to graduate students in the MATESOL program who are in good standing in their academic studies,
ESL 093 students visited the Michigan Capitol on October 30th. They’ve spent several weeks this semester learning about US history and government, so it was a great opportunity to experience them in person.
We love it when they come back to visit! Mizuki Okada (left) and Riko Kumura (right), Hosei University students who studied at the ELC in Fall Semester 2022, stopped by for a quick visit during homecoming week.
ESL 092 Content Class Visits the FRIB On October, 11th the ESL 092 Content class visited the FRIB (Facility for Rare Isotope Beams). Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Constan taught us about the exciting and important nuclear physics research happening on the MSU Campus. We toured the labs and learned about the
Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters won the 2024 Delphi Award for its Charting Pathways of Intellectual Leadership (CPIL) initiative, which promotes the inclusion and support of non-tenure-track faculty. This effort focuses on creating career pathways, leadership opportunities, professional development, salary equity, and job stability for VITAL (Visiting,
For this year’s community building activity in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies, the ELC is a stop on their scavenger hunt. Stop by and see this October-themed duck at one of our spaces. Good luck finding it!
On September 30th, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Michigan State’s College of Arts & Letters were Chosen as 2024 Delphi Award Winners. This wonderful award from the Pullias Center for Higher Education is part of their efforts in promotion equity in higher education, and the winners are selected because
On Friday, September 20, the ESL 092 Content course visited the MSU Broad Art Museum. Students had prepared for the visit by learning about different types of art (installation, painting, ceramics, etc.) and by researching the featured artists (Zaha Hadid, Samia Halaby, and Esmaa Mohamoud). During their visit, they explored
On September 14th, ELC students and other MSU affiliated students and scholars enjoyed a gorgeous day at Lake Michigan on Saturday. The trip included Saugatuck Dune Rides, some time to explore downtown Saugatuck, Michigan and a visit to Holland State Park.
Congratulations to the Shiga University students for completing their 4 week Intensive English Program at MSU!
Please sign up if you haven’t already. Registration closes at 5pm today! More on our upcoming trip to Lake Michigan! https://t.co/9jiaWwKzPn — MSU English Language Center (@msuelc) September 13, 2024
There’s still time to sign up for the Lake Michigan Trip! When: Saturday, September 14 from 7:30 am to 6 pm Where: Saugatuck, Michigan We’ll spend the day on Michigan’s west coast. The trip includes an exciting dune ride, a few hours to eat, shop and wander around downtown Saugatuck,
Shiga and Hiroshima University students had a great time last weekend at Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada.
Congratulations on earning the TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to congratulate Saemena Kim on this achievement by adding her to our wall of certificate holders. We know she will take what she learned into her classroom to help language learners succeed in their own academic journeys. Again,
The ELC made its annual fall semester day trip to Chicago on Saturday, August 31st. It was a beautiful day with many activities happening over the long holiday weekend!
ELC Japanese students and MSU Japanese language students took part in their second Japanese/English Language Exchange today. Before the meeting, they had a chance to learn about JCMU (Japan Center for Michigan Universities) from Ben McCracken, the Resident Director of JCMU in Hikone, Japan, and Megan Doi, a JCMU Program
The ELC is so happy to welcome students from Shiga University, Kyushu-Sangyo University and Hiroshima University this fall. The students, some of whom will study at the ELC for 4 weeks and some for the full semester, fought through jet lag to tour campus, visit the Michigan Capitol and get
When: Saturday, August 31, 6 a.m.– Midnight (Leave Chicago at 6 p.m.) What: A one-day trip to Chicago. A bus will take you to downtown Chicago and drop you off. You can spend the day as you wish. You will have a meeting time and place to get back on
Attention:International Graduate Teaching Assistants Request an Advising Appointment for Placement into ITA Support Courses AAE 451, 452, or 453 The ITA Program is currently scheduling advising appointments for international graduate teaching assistants interested in taking ITA support courses. The following courses will be offered for students with an MSU Speaking
Brazil PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Lingua Inglesa nos EUA) came to an end on Wednesday, August 7. It was a wonderful 6 weeks with this group of 42 committed and passionate teachers, and they’ll be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of interacting with them.
After 4 wonderful weeks, the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program at MSU has come to an end. The program concluded on Friday, August 2 with poster session presentations about their experiences at MSU and a farewell dinner. The Fulbright grantees have all headed off to numerous universities around the U.S. to begin
Music students from Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and Changzhou University took a tour of the Michigan State Capitol Building and the Michigan History Museum on Thursday, July 25. These talented students are at MSU for three weeks to work with faculty at the MSU College of Music
Poster Presentations 8/2 from 9-11am at Erickson Hall Kiva: Fulbright Pre-Academic Program The MSU English Language Center has been hosting its 7th cohort of the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program for the past few weeks, and on Friday, August 2, the grantees will be providing a poster session about their experiences at MSU
It was a ‘Go Green! Go White!” kind of day as participants from four ELC summer programs – Brazil PDPI, Fulbright PAP, Music-American Language and Culture, and the Summer English Program – had the unique opportunity to tour the Spartan Stadium building, amble through the football locker room, and get
ELC instructor, Mr. Peter Hoffman, and his class had the opportunity to meet MSU President, Dr. Kevin Guskiewicz, this morning! He kindly took the time to greet each student with a handshake, ask their name and what country they were from, and what they were studying.
Go Nuts! Participants from the Fulbright PAP (Pre-Academic Program) and Brazil PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Lingua Inglesa nos EUA), along with ELC Summer English Program students, enjoyed a beautiful July evening at Jackson Field, home of the minor league baseball home team, the Lansing Lugnuts. The
On July 18, ELC Summer Program students took a field trip to MOOville Creamery in Nashville, MI. We were able to enjoy the peaceful farm scene and scents, thanks to the daytime high staying below 75o F/24o C for the first time in weeks! A picnic lunch, tour of the automated barn
A beautiful day in Chicago yesterday with our Brazil PDPI and Fulbright Pre-Academic Program visiting scholars.
Ms. Gloria Miller, a Chemistry graduate of Michigan State College (we’ve been Michigan State University since 1964) in 1946, spoke to ELC students on July 17. After covering a lesson on living long, healthy lives and another about MSU history, we utilized new vocabulary and curiosity to ask questions about
The faculty at the ELC are happy to support the Bridges RSO. The purpose of Bridges is to provide English tutoring resources to the staff at Michigan State University. Bridges seeks to provide an inclusive environment, develop professionalism, and form a strong community between students and staff. Bridges aims to
During the summer months, the City of East Lansing hosts a Moonlight Film Festival series in Valley Court Park. On Thursday, July 11, some students from the Summer English Program joined their instructor, Ms. Maddie Gregory, for Family Night to enjoy the movie, “Wonka”. East Lansing also hosts a Summer
The MSU English Language Center is hosting its 7th cohort of the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program (PAP) from July 6 to August 3, 2024. 31 participants from 19 countries are taking part in the program, and over the course of the four week program, they will brush up on their oral
The ELC is so happy to welcome its 4th cohort of teachers through Brazil PDPI (Programa de Desenvolvimento Profissional para Professores de Lingua Inglesa nos EUA). Brazil PDPI is funded by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and administered by IIE and the Brazilian
On June 27, the English Language Center – 2024 Summer English Program students enjoyed an informative and interactive tour of the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety. Community Engagement Supervisor, Jaci Sayen, started us off with an overview, and Lieutenant Kim Parviainen introduced us to the various bureaus and
Summer English Program students and teachers attended the MSU Juneteenth Commemorative Celebration last Friday at the Breslin Center where they enjoyed music, dinner, art, and a vendor fair, as they learned about the significance of Juneteenth and about American history through the theme, “Acknowledging the Journey: Freedom, Resilience, Empowerment and
The ELC faculty and staff were treated to a rare visit from our next door neighbor: Brave, the falcon. This wonderful bird spent part of his morning hanging out on the rooftop outside of the ELC in Wells Hall. He treated everyone to some beautiful close-ups of him. At one
The 2024 Takenaka Corporation trainees visited two Construction projects in Grand Rapids during their “New and Renovation Construction” workshop last week. The tours were lead by MSU faculty member James Van Ravensway.
The ELC Summer Program Integrated Skills class attended opening night of the MSU Summer Circle Theater production, Digging Up Dessa, on June 6. During the week, students studied vocabulary and language related to the show and subject matter. Students appreciated the great performance of fellow Spartans!
On May 31st, 2024, Dr. Dustin De Felice was given the honor of throwing out one of the first pitches at the Military Appreciation Baseball Game for the Lansing Lugnuts. The Lugnuts hosted the Peoria Chiefs for game 3 of 6 at Jackson Field. As part of this important event,
Congratulations on earning the TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to congratulate Emily (Emmy) Ammirati on this achievement by adding her to our wall of certificate holders. We know she will take what she learned into her classroom to help language learners succeed in their own academic journeys.
On May 13th, the ELC proudly welcomed our summer cohort to the Intensive English Program. New and returning students met together in Wells Hall to complete a half-day orientation, share a meal together, and get ready for the new semester. The ELC is pleased to welcome students from China, Japan,
On May 16, the ELC Summer English Program students and teachers attended the MSU versus the University of Nebraska baseball game on campus. Even a one hour rain delay didn’t dampen our enthusiastic support of our Spartans! We won a pizza, and then a hot dog, and were then invited
In April, Dustin De Felice, on behalf of the ELC, presented virtually at an international conference hosted by Bukhara State University. This scientific-practical conference focused on effective ways of organizing learner-centered classes in English language classrooms. Gulbahor Nazarova, conference organizer and former visiting scholar in the ELC, sent her gratitude
On April 19th, the faculty and staff publicly presented the recipients of the inaugural Dr. Wu-Yi So Memorial Scholarship with their certificates at the ELC’s End-of-Semester Ceremony. The scholarship awards went to Minsheng Lin (pictured here) and Xiangxiang Jiang. Xiangxiang was unable to attend, but we were able to publicly
On April 18th, the students and faculty celebrated the end of the semester with a celebration in the Wells Hall Atrium. Many students joined us in closing out the semester together while also honoring the students who received outstanding performance awards and our first ever scholarship awards. The ELC Faculty
With our spring semester wrapping up this week, the faculty and staff were reminded of our students from Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University. We were honored to present them with their final certificates just a few weeks ago. Please enjoy these photos with their beloved teachers. We hope
On April 10th, the ELC celebrated another successful semester together with a potluck after our usual meeting. Amy brought her famous cheesy potatoes, Matthew brought his Snickers salad, Laura baked fresh bread among many other delicious items. Happy spring semester to all! Staring in January, we moved our meetings to
Wonderful presentations today on cross-cultural communication issues in Professor Masumi Hamada’s JPN 302 class. Congratulations to the Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University students and their MSU peers!
It’s been a busy spring break week for the Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University students – from the Michigan History Museum and the Capitol, to the Henry Ford Museum and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and finally to the Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center. They now know more than
The ELC made it’s annual winter day trip to Chicago on Saturday, February 17th. It was a cold one, but everyone had a great time!
The MSU English Language Center is happy to welcome 13 students from Nagoya City University and Kyushu Sangyo University for a 1 month program. The students will take part in ELC Intensive English Program classes, visit the Michigan Capitol, Chicago, and the Henry Ford Museum, and have numerous opportunities to
There’s only one week left to sign up for the Chicago Day Trip. There are about 20 seats remaining. When: Saturday, February 17, 6 a.m.– Midnight (Leave Chicago at 6 p.m.)What: A one-day trip to Chicago. A bus will take you to downtown Chicago and drop you off. You can
The MSU English Language Center (ELC) is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Dr. Wu-Yi So Memorial Scholarship. The 2023 recipients are Minsheng Lin and Xiangxiang Jiang. Minsheng Lin is a graduate student in the School of Packaging at Michigan State University. In his scholarship essay, Minsheng defined
Congratulations on earning the TESOL certificate! The TESOL Certificate Team would like to congratulate Miyoung Park on this achievement by adding her to our wall of certificate holders. We know she will take what she learned into her classroom to help language learners succeed in their own academic journeys. Again,
When: Saturday, February 17, 6 a.m.– Midnight (Leave Chicago at 6 p.m.) What: A one-day trip to Chicago. A bus will take you to downtown Chicago and drop you off. You can spend the day as you wish. You will have a meeting time and place to get back on
English Partners in Communication – Hybrid again in 2024! EPIC (English Partners in Communication), offered by the TESOL program, returns in the spring to help adult nonnative speakers of English to develop their oral communication skills. Classes are available at different levels of proficiency with experienced teachers and conversation partners
Praew Bupphachuen and Maddie Gregory have been selected to receive the Shigeo/Isako Imamura Graduate Fellowship. Please join us in sending Maddie and Praew a hearty congratulations on this award. We also wanted to provide some additional information on this annual honor. This fellowship is awarded to graduate students in the MATESOL program
While visiting Daegu, South Korea, ELC External Programs Coordinator Mark Albee met with staff at Keimyung University’s International Affairs Office to discuss short-term special programs.
The Dr. Wu-Yi So Scholarship is open for submissions to select international students who are provisionally admitted to a degree program at Michigan State University and enrolled in the English Language Center Intensive English Program in the fall and spring semesters of that academic year. For more information, visit the ELC’s
ELC faculty at the gala celebrating the 150th anniversary of MSU’s first international students at the start of International Education Week.
