
NeMLA was officially recognized after growing out of a New York-Pennsylvania association of faculty organized by William A. Wehmeyer (St. Bonaventure University) at the 1967 Modern Language Association (MLA). He and other MLA members were interested in continuing scholarly discourse at annual conventions smaller than those hosted by the MLA. With F. M. Burelbach as the editor of the NeMLA Newsletter (later Modern Language Studies), Wehmeyer organized conferences in April 1968 and in April 1969 at St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan Catholic university in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, within the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. In 1969, the organization moved to wider regional membership, election of officers, formal affiliation with MLA, and adoption of its present name.
On April 3, 1970, the Inaugural NeMLA Annual Convention took place in Buffalo, NY.
In 2013, NeMLA came back to its original home when the
University at Buffalo, SUNY, College of Arts and Sciences signed a contract to serve as NeMLA’s administrative host institution.
In collaboration with the University at Buffalo, NeMLA inaugurated its very first Undergraduate Forum for its 50th Anniversary Convention in Washington DC (2019).
Every year, NeMLA and the University at Buffalo collaborate with another institution of higher learning in the local city in which the Convention takes place to organize the annual convention.
2020 - 51st Annual Convention
2019- 50th Anniversary Annual Convention
2018- 49th Annual Convention
2017- 48th Annual Convention
2016- 47th Annual Convention
2015- 46th Annual Convention
2014- 45th Annual Convention
2013- 44th Annual Convention
2012- 43rd Annual Convention
2011- 42nd Annual Convention
2010- 41st Annual Convention
2009- 40th Annual Convention
2008- 39th Annual Convention
2007- 38th Annual Convention
2006- 37th Annual Convention
2005- 36th Annual Convention
2004- 35th Annual Convention
2003- 34th Annual Convention
2002- 33rd Annual Convention
2001- 32nd Annual Convention
2000- 31st Annual Convention
1999- 30th Annual Convention
1998- 29th Annual Convention
1997- 28th Annual Convention
1996- 27th Annual Convention
1995- 26th Annual Convention
1994- 25th Annual Convention
1993- 24th Annual Convention
1992- 23rd Annual Convention
1991- 22nd Annual Convention
1990- 21st Annual Convention
1989- 20th Annual Convention
1988- 19th Annual Convention
1987- 18th Annual Convention
1986- 17th Annual Convention
1985- 16th Annual Convention
1984- 15th Annual Convention
1983- 14th Annual Convention
1982- 13th Annual Convention
1981- 12th Annual Convention
1980- 11th Annual Convention
1979- 10th Annual Convention
1978- 9th Annual Convention
1977-8th Annual Convention
1976- 7th Annual Convention
1975- 6th Annual Convention
1974- 5th Annual Convention
1973- 4th Annual Convention
1972- 3rd Annual Convention
1971- 2nd Annual Convention
1970- 1st Annual Convention