Dear ELI friend,

Fall 2003 marked ELI’s silver anniversary. That’s right, it has been 25 years since the University of Delaware approved the creation of an intensive English program to meet the linguistic needs of international students seeking advanced degrees at Delaware and other institutions of higher learning. Since 1978, we have served an estimated 11,000 clients from over 100 countries, some of whom are now second generation alumni.

	Director Scott G. Stevens

Over a period spanning two and a half decades, ELI’s student body has been characterized by breathtaking diversity— from refugees to royalty, from the sons of peasants to the daughters of prime ministers. Our program offering has become equally diverse. Having been founded as an English for Academic Purposes institute, ELI now also offers pre-MBA and pre-law courses, teacher training, business and professional English, corporate training and language-based study abroad programs for foreign universities. In addition, we serve our campus by coordinating the master’s degree program in teaching English as a second language (TESL) and by conducting screening and training for all of the university’s international graduate teaching assistants. We serve our community by providing on-site ESL language instruction for limited English proficient children in our local school district, Christina.

In 25 years, the Institute has earned a reputation for excellence in all of its course and training offerings. ELI has been described by other intensive English program directors and by overseas counselors as one of the top 10 programs in the country (out of more than 1,000). We owe this success to our faculty and staff’s single-minded dedication to excellence in teaching and client service—creating an atmosphere of caring that prompts many students to describe ELI as their second family.

There have been many milestones since 1978:

• 1978: offering private tutoring to all full-time students, a benefit that would become the hallmark of ELI and set it apart from other language programs;
• 1979: relocating ELI from its original venue on an extension campus of the university in Dover, Delaware, to the main campus in Newark;
• 1985: winning our first externally funded training grant (and our 70th just this year);
• 1987: establishing English for Academic Purposes Reading/Writing class as a creditbearing class and providing opportunities for ELI students to take university credit courses on a part-time basis;
• 1988: establishing separate tracks of study (English for Academic Purposes, Business/Professional, and American Culture) to meet the specific needs of our clients;
• 1989: creating a scholarship program to help financially disadvantaged students learn English;
• 1992: moving into our current home, a gracious mansion built 100 years ago but renovated to provide technologically-enhanced classrooms;
• 1996: opening our state-of-the-art self-access learning center;
• 1997: establishing the American Law and Legal English Institute to provide training for international legal professionals;
• 1998: establishing the Delaware English as a Foreign Language Teacher Training Institute;
• 1999: enhancing the quality of student housing by offering the choice of either apartment-style campus dormitories or carefully screened homestay families;
• 2000: initiating with the Office of Admissions the university’s first conditional admissions program (CAP) for international students applying for undergraduate admissions;
• 2001: becoming only the 25th IEP to be fully accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA); and
• 2002: joining the university’s College of Human Services, Education, and Public Policy to work collaboratively with a faculty dedicated to community outreach and international education.

Of all our many accomplishments, however, we take the greatest pride in our students. Our alumni have gone on to earn degrees in every field imaginable and have returned to their countries to become leaders in all sectors of society—from science and medicine to education and law, from business and international trade to government and diplomacy. As a result of lifetransforming experiences at ELI, our graduates have gained fluency, not only in English, but in the language of peace and cross-cultural understanding—and a desire to teach that language to all who will listen. Such is ELI’s legacy after 25 years.

It is humbling to be part of a program with such far-reaching impact and a great privilege to work with an incredibly talented faculty, who, besides carrying out many other responsibilities, worked diligently to publish this holiday newsletter. May the year to come bring joy and laughter to you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,

Scott G. Stevens Director