Tag Archives: Students

Where in the World are MIIS Students?

Thailand alumni – all part of the diplomatic corps – and their families gathered for a group photo.

MIIS students work and learn all over the world. They are global movers and shakers, engaged in some of the most critical social change and cultural exchange work of our time. Immersive Learning opportunities at MIIS, as well as an internationally-connected Center for Advising and Career Services contribute to our ever expanding network of MIIS students and alumni.

36 MIIS Students on Immersive Learning and International Professional assignments at organizations like the United Nations, the Nature Conservancy, the International Labour Organization, the World Bank, and the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Trade and Development students spent spring break visiting the Shanghai Free Trade Zone. They met local policy makers, learned from guest lectures by industry professionals and scholars, and explored the impact and policy implications of the Free Trade Zone (FTZ).

Alumni continue to connect across the globe with fellow MIIIS grads, like these alumni who find each other while working at the International Labour Organization, and U.S. Embassies in Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, and Germany.

Amnesty International USA Executive Director at Human Rights Fair April 11

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Steve W. Hawkins
Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

The Monterey Institute is pleased to welcome the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, Steve W. Hawkins, to the 4th Annual Human Rights Fair. The Fair is organized and spearheaded by the student-led MIIS Chapter of Amnesty International, and Dr. Jan Knippers-Black, professor, life-long human rights advocate, and Amnesty International Board member since 2011.

Steve W. Hawkins will deliver the keynote address on Friday, April 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the Irvine Auditorium at the Institute’s downtown Monterey Campus. Hawkins’ address, titled “Bringing Human Rights Home,” will be followed by a reception in the lobby of the McCone Building. Both the keynote address and reception are free and open to the public.

Before joining Amnesty International USA as its Executive Director, Steven W. Hawkins was the Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer of the NAACP. He is a nationally renowned attorney and grassroots advocacy leader at the forefront of social justice issues, including death penalty abolition, criminal justice reform and defending civil liberties. As an attorney, he brought litigation that led to the release of three teenagers wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death row in Tennessee. He was also a law professor in South Africa during apartheid, teaching black lawyers who faced discriminatory treatment in the courts. Steven obtained his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and New York University.

Water Innovation in Monterey County, Student Teams Compete for Prize

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Join us in the Eco-Dome on the MIIS Campus!

Monterey County faces critical fresh water challenges. Some experts argue we are very near absolute limits to growth in agriculture, business, touristic, and domestic use. As the county’s aquifers are tapped, salt water from the ocean infiltrates, contaminating drinking and irrigation supplies. A local problem, yes. But one growing in many localities around the globe.

To foster creative thinking, the Monterey Institute is organizing an Innovation Challenge for Spring 2014. Watch the KION report here! The challenge seeks to illuminate ideas that are:

sustainable across future generations
progressive regarding economic growth
affordable
socially, economically, and politically just, and
compelling to local stakeholders

A panel of external judges will select winners on April 23rd, 2014 at the Final Event of the Innovation Challenge. It is with enthusiasm that we extend an invitation to you to attend the Innovation Challenge Final Presentations, along with a community reception and chance to connect with student presentors, judges, and local stakeholders all interested in tackling Monterey County’s most pressing sustainability issues. The Reception will take place in the Eco-Dome on the MIIS campus – a unique space celebrating Earth Week and brought in by TEDx Monterey. You’ve never experienced hors d’oeuvres like this before!

Student groups brainstorming at MIIS’s Digital Learning Commons (DLC)

Welcome and Happy Hour: 5:00 – 5:45 p.m.
Student Presentations: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Reception, Eco-Dome Mingle, Winners Announced! : 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Among the judges will be local stakeholders, so the practical value and feasibility of the idea to them will be critical to your success. The winning team will take home a $2,500 prize. The competition aims to encourage students to reach across degree silos, enhance collaboration, capitalize on a variety of classes, and promote interdisciplinarity. MIIS has partnered with with The Sustainability Academy on this event, with co-sponsorship and participation at the event from professionals affiliated with The Big Sur Land Trust, Carmel River Watershed Conservancy, Cal-Am Water, Eco Carmel, Mussey Grade Foundation, the Offset Project, Sustainable Carmel and more.

Visit the Water Challenge Website or go to the MIIS Newsroom to learn more!

Donor Pledges $2 million to Immersive Learning for MIIS Students

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—Students in the Monterey Institute’s unique immersive learning programs have the opportunity to work on real-life projects such as local development efforts in Peru.

The Monterey Institute has received a $2 million gift pledge from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous. The gift will be divided equally between support for the Institute’s unique immersive learning programs, which provide real-world professional opportunities for students as part of their academic experience, and the school’s endowment, which provides general support for all Institute activities.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous and visionary gift, which will allow us to expand opportunities for both students and faculty at the Monterey Institute,” commented President Sunder Ramaswamy. “Immersive learning is one of the signature elements of a Monterey Institute education, and this gift will allow us to explore new opportunities for our students to learn in the field as well as the classroom while enrolled here.”

Congratulations 2013 Graduates!

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As Saturday’s graduation ceremony swiftly approaches, the eMIISsaries Steering Committee extends our congratulations to 2013 graduates. Nearly 300 students representing 31 different countries will be awarded degrees in Translation and Interpretation, Public Administration, Language Teaching, International Business Administration, International Policy Studies, and International Education Management. Graduates will go on to work at home and abroad on some of the most urgent social and environmental issues of our time. From pioneering coastal management strategies in the Pacific to transforming education in Afghanistan, MIIS students across the globe are embracing the challenge to Be the Solution.

The Institute welcomes Dr. Clara Yu as this year’s commencement speaker. Dr. Yu served as the 12th president of the Monterey Institute, and was instrumental in facilitating MIIS’s merge with Middlebury. She also founded the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education, a non-profit that pioneers the use of technology for teaching, learning, research, and information management. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Dr. Yu’s selflessness, hard work, and devotion to MIIS’s students and mission has won the respect of the Institute at home, as well as the admiration the Middlebury community, her alma mater.