Historical Note
Established in 1965, the English Language Institute (ELI) offers
intensive English language instruction to English language learners on the OSU
campus in Corvallis and through distance education as well as instruction to
teachers on best practices for teaching foreign languages or English as a
second language. ELI is a self-supporting unit at Oregon State University and
provides a conditional admission program for OSU students whose English
proficiency is below the required level for full OSU admission. ELI enrolls
students from around the world with many participants from Asia, the Middle
East, and Central and South America.
The Yemen-American Language Institute, an intensive English Language
teaching program in Sana'a, Yemen Araba Republic, was operated and managed
through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Agency for International
Development and the English Language Institute from 1985 to 1990.
The Asia University America Program was established at OSU in 1988 to
bring Japanese students from the Asia University in Tokyo to OSU for intensive
English language training as well as classes in American history and culture
and physical education. The English Language Institute designed and implemented
the program, which was also established at three Washington universities. The
program at OSU was closed in August 1994.
Content Description
The English Language Institute (ELI) Records document the Institute's
outreach and promotion to potential students, including participation in
American education fairs overseas, and reflect ELI's interaction with
prospective students, recruitment agents, and the U.S. Agency for International
Development. The records include agreements, correspondence, newspaper
clippings, notes, proposals, reports, and videotapes. The records also document
special programs administered by ELI, including the Yemen-American Language
Institute and the Asia University America Program. The five videotapes include
four promotional productions about the English Language Institute prepared in
1994-1998 and a recording of the 1998 memorial service for Chika Kobayashi, a
Japanese student enrolled in the ELI program who died in a car accident in
Oregon.