From his arrival in 1993 to his retirement in 2018, Frank Li served as a relentless advocate for non-native speakers of English and for international education at Chico State.

Early on in his tenure in the Department of English, Li created the English as a Second Language (ESL) Center, now known as ESL Support Services. As a linguist and ESL teacher, Li understood that non-native speakers learn English differently than native speakers, and that unique tutoring methods are needed to support their skill development. Thanks to Li’s efforts, Chico State is a model campus for English support services across the entire California State University system, with the first and only stand-alone ESL tutoring center.

He also helped the Department of Education establish a master’s program in Second Language Studies and played a leading role in creating the upper-division linguistics offerings needed to support the program. Li worked tirelessly to advance internationalization at Chico State and helped expand the Office of International Education into five distinct subunits: Study Abroad, International Student Services, International Admissions, International Training Programs, and ESL Support Services in partnership with the English department.

A former international student and professor himself, Li knew firsthand the complexity of the support foreign students needed to be successful. While simultaneously directing the Honors Program, in 2010 he became the first formal director of the newly formed Office of International Education, a role which centralized international education at Chico State.

“He had high expectations of himself, his staff, and the profession,” said Jennifer Gruber, Associate Vice President for International Education and Global Engagement (IEGE). “He advocated fiercely for his staff and students and elevated the field to a profession in itself instead of a standalone program supporting a specific population.”

From 2010–15, Li played a leading role in developing the University Internationalization Plan and as well as an international education enrollment plan. He represented Chico State on an array of international matters, such as leading recruitment visits to China to develop partnerships and working with sponsoring government agencies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to create a pipeline of students studying electrical engineering at the University.

During his leadership, which included serving as Interim Associate Vice President of IEGE, international student enrollment soared to 700 and participation in the study abroad program flourished.

Li is a leading expert on Southeast Asian languages, with a focus on the documentation of endangered languages. His work has received major recognition and funding, including several highly coveted National Science Foundation grants. His 2002 NSF grant provided funding for an impressive research agenda and resulted in a major book project.