Welcome to the Michigan State University English Language Center and congratulations on being chosen to take part in the Fulbright Pre-Academic Program! We are thrilled to be working with you as you begin your Fulbright journey.

Program Description

The Fulbright Pre-Academic Program at MSU is a four-week-long on-campus program. The goal of the program is to help you prepare for your graduate studies in the U.S. by providing you with:

  • coursework to help you refine your oral and written communication skills that you will need for academic success
  • seminars on the following topics: U.S. Higher Education Institutions, U.S. Classroom Culture, Understanding Key Relationships in Academia, U.S. Healthcare, Appropriate Interpersonal Relationships and Sexual Assault, Police Interactions and Rights as Non-U.S. Citizens, Mental Health and Contemporary Issues
  • networking opportunities to orient you to your graduate studies and the Fulbright organization
  • cultural immersion activities to assist with your adjustment to and understanding of U.S. culture, some of which will be trips to Detroit, Chicago, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, Lake Michigan, the Michigan Capitol, the Michigan History Museum, and a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game
  • access to MSU campus resources

Fulbright PAP 2023 Agenda

Arrival Instructions & Orientation

Prior to your arrival in East Lansing, Michigan, the MSU English Language Center will provide you with access to the program Facebook page so that you have opportunities to communicate your questions and concerns to ELC coordinators. In addition, you may contact the ELC program coordinators at the email addresses and phone numbers provided below.

MSU English Language Center program coordinators will pick you up at the Lansing – Capital Region International Airport (LAN) or at the Michigan Flyer bus drop-off point in downtown East Lansing. As soon as we receive confirmation that you will be coming to MSU, we will share a pre-arrival survey with you which will give you a chance to share your arrival plans with us.

On Sunday, July 9, the day after your arrival in East Lansing, you will have a day of orientation where program coordinators will go over the schedule, residence hall facilities, campus resources, and safety guidelines. Then you will be given a walking tour of campus and directions on where you can purchase items you might need during your 4 week stay at MSU.

Housing Information

During your time at MSU, you will be housed on-campus in double occupancy rooms in the Brody Neighborhood. You can find more information about your residence hall on the liveon.msu.edu website. The residence hall will provide you will bed linens and towels, so you do not have to bring these items from home.

The Brody neighborhood is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the center of campus, but you will also be given a bus pass (cata.org) to help you get where you need to go.

Meal Information

picture of a cafeteria shop named dolce

You will be provided with three meals a day, which you can take at Brody Square. For more information about this dining facility, please visit eatatstate.com. MSU dining facilities are highly ranked, and you will find a huge variety of food that you will be able to eat as much (or as little) of as you like.

Facilities

picture of someone holding their MSU ID against a card reader

During the four week program, you will have an MSU ID, which will give you the same access to university facilities as MSU students.  These facilities include: MSU libraries, Intramural (IM) Sports facilities, MSU computer labs, health care and counseling centers, etc. 

Michigan State University

picture of sparty statue, he is holding the spartan helmet in his right hand

Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan in the Midwest of the United States, and its campus is one of the largest in the U.S.  East Lansing is a quiet but active college community, and it is a very safe and relatively inexpensive area to live compared to larger cities. Founded in 1855, Michigan State University (MSU) is a research-intensive land-grant university that offers more than 200 programs of study for undergraduates and graduate students, taught by more than 5,000 academic faculty members in seventeen degree-granting colleges. About 50,000 students attend MSU, which is one of the leading universities in international research, education, and outreach programs.

The English Language Center

The English Language Center (ELC), established in 1961 in the College of Arts and Letters, serves the English language needs of MSU’s international students, scholars and visitors. In particular, the ELC serves two types of students, those admitted directly for intensive English study and those provisionally admitted who need to take intensive English courses in order to meet minimum language requirements. Currently, the ELC has several graduate students and 20 full time faculty, all with master’s degrees in TESOL or a related field and many years of teaching experience in country and abroad. 

View the ELC brochure to learn more about our Center

The English Language Center is situated in Wells Hall, which is located in the center of the Michigan State University campus.

four girls in spartan apparel with their arms up in front of a red brick building named 'Wells Hall'

MSU is in the city of East Lansing, which is in the center of the lower-peninsula of Michigan. It is a short car ride from other Michigan cities, such as Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Detroit, and it is surrounded by lakes and natural beauty. It is also conveniently situated for excursions to popular tourist attractions such as Mackinac Island, the city of Chicago, and Niagara Falls in Canada.

Address

English Language Center
619 Red Cedar Road Room Wells Hall B230
East Lansing, Michigan 48824

Contact Information

Mark Albee, External Programs Coordinator

malbee@msu.edu

Kimberly Benedicto, Special Programs Coordinator

benedi59@msu.edu

Amy Kroesche

Instructor, Academic Writing Skills Class

kroesche@msu.edu

Matthew Rynbrandt

Instructor, Oral Communication Skills Class

rynbran1@msu.edu

Sponsoring Organization

For more information, please visit the Fulbright program website.

This activity is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs as part of its Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program supported by the people of the United States and partner countries around the world.

For more information, please visit the Fulbright program website.

Connect with Fulbright on social media: 

This activity is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). For more information, please visit the Institute of International Education program website.