Month: April 2009

Burian Receives Eliason Award

The recipient of the Fourth Annual Leslie
Eliason Excellence in Teaching Award is Professor Laura Burian.  Professor
Burian has a record of excellence in teaching and an ongoing, inspiring
commitment to providing our students the highest quality education
possible.  She has a wonderful rapport with her colleagues and students,
an exceptional teaching record that reflects her ability to provide an
excellent learning experience to our students, and an intensive commitment
to the Institute’s mission.

As a professor dedicated to her students and to delivering quality
education, Professor Burian embodies much of what Professor Eliason also
dedicated her teaching efforts towards.  Leslie Eliason was a strong
woman, dynamic and passionate about her chosen profession of teaching.
She pursued her responsibilities as a teacher and mentor with great warmth
and care for her students and colleagues, reflecting her intelligence,
integrity, good humore, and commitment to quality in all of her endeavors.
Professor Burian has a similar thoroughness in her role as teacher,
colleague, mentor and advisor.  As was true for Professor Eliason,
Professor Burian is interested in building the capacities of her students,
in helping them and the Institute reach their greatest potential, and in
working collaboratively with her colleagues to achieve their goals.  There
is no question that Professor Burian reflects the qualities Professor
Eliason valued the most — hard work, intense and at times passionate
commitment to students and sound academic programming, and good colleagial
interactions and collaborations.  Her commitment to excellence both inside
and outside of the classroom is greatly appreciated and valued.

Congratulations to Professor Burian — we will celebrate her selection on
April 21st during the “quiet hours” at lunchtime in the Samson Center
Reading Room.  More details will follow about this celebration.

Thanks to all of you who nominated faculty for this award and helped in
the selection process.

–Provost Sands

International Environmental Leaders Address Forest Conservation At MIIS

When: Saturday, April 25, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (reception following)

Where: Irvine Auditorium

Guest speakers including Dr. Dick Rice, chief economist of Conservation International; Chris LaFranchi, founder of Natural Equity; Stephan Schwartzman, the Director of the Tropical Forest Policy Program at Environmental Defense Fund; and Keegan Eisenstadt, CEO of ClearSky Climate Solutions LLC will participate in a series of panel discussions focused on the central role of forest conservation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Other conference themes will include biodiversity conservation, indigenous rights, carbon markets and climate change.

MBA Program Chair Announced

Dean-designate Yuwei Shi announced today that Dr. Bruce Paton will be the Chair of the Fisher Program in International Business (Fisher International MBA). The decision has been made after deliberation and consultation with President Sunder Ramaswamy, Provost Amy Sands, the Fisher Faculty and Staff, and the incoming Program Chairs of the Graduate School of International Policy and Management.

Dr. Paton is Visiting Associate Professor of Sustainable Business and Strategy at the Monterey Institute. He is Associate Professor at San Francisco State University’s College of Business, where he teaches courses on corporate social responsibility and sustainable business at undergraduate, graduate, and executive levels. He was named the Teaching Professor of the Year for the College of Business in 2005. He has also been an Adjunct Professor at Monterey Institute since 2002. Dr. Paton has been actively involved in curriculum reform at SF State. He served on a Dean’s Taskforce on Graduate Programs that led to streamlined MBA program requirements. He also chaired the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee during its preparation for the AACSB’s re-accreditation process. Dr. Paton currently serves as Board Chair for Sustainable Silicon Valley, a collaboration of nearly 100 businesses, cities, and community organizations that works to focus the region’s leaders on its most important environmental challenges and opportunities. He also serves on the International Planning Board for the Greening of Industry Network, and on the editorial board for the Journal, Business Strategy and Environment.

Dr. Paton focuses his research on business strategies and public policies for sustainability, especially the development of methods for designing and evaluating voluntary and collaborative initiatives to address social and environmental issues in management. His research and teaching draw on more than twenty years of decision-making experience in industry, government and higher education, including the District of Columbia government, an environmental policy consulting firm, Hewlett-Packard, and a Silicon Valley startup. He also served for two years as Director of Admissions for the MBA Program at Stanford University. Dr. Paton holds a BA in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University, an MBA from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Running “One MIIS”

Following up on discussions at the community-wide retreats at the end of February, President Ramaswamy, Provost Sands, and the deans-designate who will assume office in June announced a series of task forces to ensure smooth implementation of a new, streamlined administrative model for the Institute.

The One MIIS Working Group is assigned the task of analyzing and making recommendations on organizational and infrastructural issues regarding

• the reorganization into two schools
• the transition to full integration with Middlebury in 2010

We plan to approach this task by holding Community Feedback Sessions on each of the following topics: Advancement, HR, Admissions, Communications, Student/Academic Info Systems, Technology, Physical and Financial Resources, and Maintenance of Accreditation. The administrator(s) responsible for each of these areas will prepare a draft report that analyzes current practices, raises unanswered questions, and outlines possible changes needed for a smooth rollout of the reorganization in Fall 2009, and for integration with Middlebury in June 2010. Each of these drafts will be the topic of a Community Feedback Session:

The schedule of Community Feedback Sessions is as follows:

May 5  –  Advancement
May 19  –  HR
June 2  –  Communications
June 16  –  Admissions
June 30  –  Maintenance of Accreditation
July 14  –  Technology
July 28  –  Physical and Financial Resources
August 11  –  Student/Academic Info Systems

(All sessions from 12:15 – 1:30, locations TBA.)

All members of the Institute community are invited to attend and participate in these sessions, providing feedback to improve the drafts before they are added to a master set of recommendations to be assembled by the middle of August. Since much of the work will be done during the summer, we will post all report drafts to the Reorganization website for comment by faculty and students who wish to participate virtually. We believe this process will not only produce better reorg implementation plans in all departments, but will also provide an opportunity for each of us to understand and appreciate the work of our colleagues in other departments, creating stronger bonds of collaboration across the Institute.

Questions?  Contact Amy McGill

MIIS Hosts Conference on Trade and the Environment

You are cordially invited to the Annual Trade Conference
TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: The Value Proposition of Greening a Business

Keynote Speaker Ambassador Alan Wolff
“International Trade & Climate Change: Opportunities & Risks”

Panel Discussions covering (see descriptions below):
* The WTO & Global Environmental Policy
* Green Trends in Silicon Valley
* Greening Your Supply Chain
~
When: Friday, April 17 2009
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Irvine Auditorium
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY April 10, 2009
www.miis.edu/tradeconference

“The Value Proposition of Greening a Business” is an interdisciplinary conference meant to engage the international business and MIIS academic communities in a conversation about international trade and the
environment. We will discuss the current economic and political implications of approaching business ventures from an environmentally conscious perspective. Recent trends to implement methods in sustainability, climate change, clean tech, green business, and corporate social responsibility at the international level will be the discussion buzzwords of the day.  This dynamic event aims to inform the MIIS
community and beyond of efforts being made to increase the visibility of the link between trade and environment issues. This event is co-sponsored by the International Trade and Commercial Diplomacy Club, Monterey Institute of International Studies, Net Impact Monterey Chapter, and the Monterey Bay International Trade Association.  Simultaneous interpretation will be delivered in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.

The WTO and Global Environmental Policy – This panel will address the current policy issues regarding international trade and the environment. Areas of discussion include: environmental standards, multilateral
agreements conflicting with the WTO, climate change and whether agricultural subsidies lead to sustainable agricultural production. Moderated by Nevin Rosaasen, MAITP

Green Trends in Silicon Valley – This panel will discuss how private, public, and non-profit organizations headquartered in the innovation hotbed of the U.S. are incorporating sustainability and corporate social
responsibility in their operations. Moderated by Elizabeth Rogers, MAIEP

Greening Your Supply Chain – This panel will discuss how businesses are addressing transparency and accountability measures within global and social-cultural standards when implementing socially responsible supply chains. Moderated by Clayton Snyder, MAIEP/MBA