Our Story

The Michigan Language Center (MLC) story began in 1978, when University of Michigan alumni Ira Fisher and Susan Hawley realized the need for a new English language program to service the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor community and the international community.

They opened MLC and established a culture of care, commitment, and excellence in education from the start. Over the years, MLC has built a reputation globally as a world-class English language institute. Since opening its doors, MLC has welcomed over 50,000 alumni from over 35 different countries to learn English and engage in American culture in Ann Arbor.

In 2017, Ira and Susan offered the opportunity to Moses and Julie Lee, also University of Michigan alumni, to lead MLC into the future. Moses and Julie are passionate about education, community building, and global relations. They are privileged to continue MLC’s tradition of quality education and commitment to students and staff, alongside Ira in his role as the Executive Director.

Today, MLC has expanded beyond the Intensive English Program on campus. We have built programs for corporate partners that provide language, communication, and leadership training for teams or individuals who want to advance their careers. We now offer our classes and trainings online so that we can work with students and corporate partners anywhere in the world.

Whether it’s our campus ESL classes, online classes, corporate training or private coaching, our focus will always be our mission: to teach English and American culture to people from around the world and to empower them in their university, career, and personal pursuits.