Professors Sarah Stroup and Caitlin Meyers continue to host this popular webinar series that debuted in the spring of 2020. These 45-minute webinars offer attendees glimpse into the impressive and varied work being done by Middlebury’s faculty. Please register in advance to receive a zoom link.

Visit the Faculty at Home website for additional information on topics and dates. This page also has a link to register to receive a zoom link to the events. If you log in a few minutes early, you may introduce yourself (via the chat), and see who else is in the virtual audience.

Professors Sarah Stroup and Caitlin Meyers continue to host this popular webinar series that debuted in the spring of 2020. These 45-minute webinars offer attendees glimpse into the impressive and varied work being done by Middlebury’s faculty. Please register in advance to receive a zoom link.

Visit the Faculty at Home website for additional information on topics and dates. This page also has a link to register to receive a zoom link to the events. If you log in a few minutes early, you may introduce yourself (via the chat), and see who else is in the virtual audience.

Hairwork, ekphrastic poetry, Aristotle and Alexander, the rhetoric of white supremacy, conspiracy and disinformation — these are the topics brought to you by Middlebury’s esteemed faculty this spring 2021. Please visit the Faculty at Home webinar website for additional information on the next two: Jason Blazakis on May 6th and Glenn Andres on June 8. If you missed one, recordings are available on this website about a week after the event.

Tuesday, April 27 – 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. ET

A presentation of four new initiatives that illustrate Middlebury’s strategic framework. 

Public Humanities Labs Initiative – Presented by Marion Wells, Henry N. Hudson Professor of English and American Literatures and Co-Director of the Axinn Center for the Humanities and Febe Armanios, Professor of History and Co-Director of the Axinn Center for the Humanities

Bread Loaf Beyond the Page – Presented by Emily Bartels, Dean of the Bread Loaf School of English and Craig Maravich, Program Director, Beyond the Page and Assistant Visiting Professor of Theatre

Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies for Undergrads – Presented by Jeff Knopf, Professor and Program Chair, Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies and Jessica Varnum, Deputy Director, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Adjunct Professor

midd.data – Presented by Kathy Morse, Professor of History and John C. Elder Professor in Environmental Studies and Caitlin Myers, John G. McCullough Professor of Economics

Click here to register in advance for this webinar.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Sponsored by the Provost’s Office.  For additional information, contact Gail Borden – gborden@middlebury.edu.

Hairwork, ekphrastic poetry, Aristotle and Alexander, the rhetoric of white supremacy, conspiracy and disinformation — these are the topics brought to you by Middlebury’s esteemed faculty this spring 2021. Please visit the Faculty at Home webinar website for additional information on this series. The series runs about every other week through early May.

Professor Caitlin Myers and Sarah Stroup are continuing to host this popular series of lectures by Middlebury faculty this fall (via Zoom). Faculty from a variety of fields, from the College and the Institute, speak for 20-25 minutes on important and engaging topics, followed by a moderated Q & A. Check the schedule and join us by registering. Additional information is available at the Faculty at Home website.

September 24 – 4:15 – 5:00 p.m ET

Jason Grant, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Alex Lyford, Assistant Professor of Mathematics

Hosted by Caitlin Myers, John G. McCullough Professor of Economics

Big data are ubiquitous. Although this may not come as a surprise, you may be surprised at how easy these data are to access without any specialized technical skills! In this talk, we’ll begin by showing the power of accessing big data and the ease at which it can be done by the layperson. We’ll then discuss the pros and cons of the availability of such data and provide examples of each. Finally, we’ll talk about decisionmaking based on big data in facial recognition and how it will affect the future of humankind.

Jason Grant is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. His research areas include computer vision and biometrics, with emphasis on detecting dangerous and abnormal crowd behavior in large crowds, especially at sporting events and mega-concerts.

Alex Lyford is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics, and he has been at Middlebury College since 2017. He recieved a Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Georgia, and his research areas of interest are machine learning, text analysis, statistics education, and math games.

Visit the Faculty at Home website to register for this (free) webinar.

Wednesday, September 9 – 12:15 – 1:00 p.m. ET

Peter Stavros, Supervising Attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), faculty, School in Jordan

Hosted by Sarah Stroup, Associate Professor of Political Science

Our ability to effectively respond to forced migration flows in the 21st century is hampered by legal and regulatory regimes that reflect neither the reality of modern displacement nor the moral and social imperatives of our age. Looking at Syrian refugees in Jordan as well as the forthcoming issue of the climate displaced, Peter Stavros will discuss how current regimes serve hardly any party’s interests in the ongoing debate over how to address forced migration.

Peter Nash Stavros (Honours B.A., University of Toronto ; J.D., Harvard Law School) is a Supervising Attorney at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in Amman, Jordan where he provides legal assistance to refugees in the resettlement and family reunification processes. Peter teaches at Middlebury’s School in Jordan and is a fluent Arabic speaker and a member of the New York Bar. He has experience at several international organizations and NGOs including UNICEF, UNHCR, The International Criminal Court, and Earthjustice.

Visit the Faculty at Home website to register for this (free) webinar.

June 22 – 12:15 – 1:00 p.m. ET

Julia Alvarez discusses her first novel for adults in fifteen years with John Elder. Afterlife — a novel about what happens when the life we plan goes awry, retirement after a long career teaching, and honoring the diversity in each other and ourselves — is especially timely in this moment in our national and global history.

In the course of their discussion, John will invite Julia to place this novel in the larger context of her writing, to relate it to the place of Vermont in her life and work, and to reflect upon its implications for the stresses and opportunities of the present moment.

Additional information is on the Faculty at Home Website

Link to Register

As noted in an email from Provost Jeff Cason on September 18, Middlebury is currently undergoing its decennial comprehensive evaluation for accreditation.  The evaluation consists of the preparation of a Self-Study, a site visit by a review team of peers, and, ultimately, a decision by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

The 100-page self-study was completed in early June, and has been sent to NECHE and the review team.  It is also posted on the Provost’s Office website for your review.

The next phase of the evaluation are site visits.  Representatives of the review team have already visited the Language Schools, the Bread Loaf School of English, The Institute, and the School in Jordan.  The full review team will be in Vermont on November 3-6. 

NECHE asks schools that are undergoing their comprehensive evaluations hold these open meetings so that the faculty, staff, and students can provide input to the review team about the institution. 

• Staff Open meeting – Monday, November 4 –  12:30 – 1:30 p.m. – Wilson Hall in McCullough
• Faculty Open meeting – Monday, November 4 at 4:30-5:30 p.m. – MBH 216
• Student Open meeting – Tuesday, November 5 – noon – 12:50 p.m. – Lunch will be provided – Crest Room in McCullough – please RSVP by October 30

On their last day of meetings the Review team will hold an open meeting for the Middlebury Community to report their initial findings.  Faculty, Staff, and Students are invited to attend this meeting which will be held Wednesday, November 6 – 11:00 – noon p.m. – Wilson Hall in McCullough. This meeting will also be live-streamed.