American English Institute
Our History
In the summer of 1972, the English Language and American Studies Program began at
Fresno State for fifteen Japanese students from the International Language Services
in Japan. Five years later, this program became the American English Institute (AEI)
under the direction of Graham Thurgood from the Department of Linguistics. Over the
years, over 6,500 students from nearly seventy-five countries have received quality
English language instruction at the AEI.