On October 28, 2016, scholars from around the world gathered on the fourth floor of the University of Michigan's Rackham Graduate School to discuss current trends and future directions of the fields in which ELI has made a mark: applied linguistics, English for academic purposes, ESL/EFL teacher education, and language textbook writing and publishing.

In his opening remarks, LSA Dean Andrew D. Martin praised ELI's long history of support for international students at Michigan and its commitment to innovative, research-based pedagogy. The day's first panel, moderated by LSA Associate Dean for the Humanities Anne Curzan, focused on recent developments in the field of corpus linguistics, including MICASE and MICUSP, two important corpora of academic language which were created at the ELI. Next up, ELI's own Christine Feak moderated a panel which explored issues in graduate communication, including those facing international and U.S.-educated students.

Lunchtime featured poster presentations by ELI faculty highlighting current creative partnerships with other units across campus. Lunch was followed by a panel moderated by U-M Professor Emerita and former ELI Director Diane Larsen-Freeman on ESL/EFL teacher education, with a particular focus on the cultural context of English teaching and learning. ELI lecturer Melinda Matice described ELI's community-engaged teacher-training courses and programs.

The day's final panel, hosted by the University of Michigan Press's ELT/Applied Linguistics specialist Kelly Sippel, brought together current and former ELI faculty to discuss the textbooks they developed here which have been used by literally millions of learners around the world and had a profound and lasting impact on the field of English teaching.

In between panels, and at a pre-event dinner the evening before, speakers, current and former students, faculty, and staff from all eras of ELI's history mixed, mingled, and re-connected, offering a vivid reminder of the deep devotion and fierce loyalty the ELI has inspired among those who have called the Institute home over its long history.

Follow these links for a COMPLETE PROGRAM of the ELI's 75th Anniversary Colloquium: A History of Innovation, in Engagement with the World, as well as PHOTOS, VIDEO RECORDINGS, and POSTER PRESENTATIONS.