All posts by Gail Borden

Reaccreditation Update

Midd Points

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.  In July, two review team members came to Vermont to visit the Language Schools and the Bread Loaf School of English.  The Institute is hosted a site visit for two other review team members on October 1-2. On October 13-14 a team member will travel to the School in Jordan.  The full review team will be in Vermont on November 3-6. 

Faculty, staff and students in Vermont are encouraged to attend open meetings which will be held on November 4 and 5. 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. There will also be a meeting on the morning of November 6 for the review team to report out of their visit. Details on these meetings will be announced in the next few weeks. 

Envisioning Middlebury: Panel presentation – Tuesday, July 12 – Immersive Learning and the Future

For Faculty, For Staff, middpoints

blue envision with bars cropped

Tuesday, July 12, · 4:00 p.m. · Wilson Hall

Join us for a panel moderated by Susan Baldridge, provost, discussing the value of immersive pedagogy, whether and how it’s changed in the last 100 years at Middlebury, and how our increasingly digital world impacts immersive environments.

PANELISTS
Each panelist has a unique history with Middlebury and a unique perspective on immersive learning.

Jason Merrill, Director, School of Russian
Robert Stepto, Professor, Bread Loaf School of English
Steve Trombulak, Director, School of the Environment
Patricia Rodriguez, Director, School in Spain
Beryl Levinger, Professor, Development Practice and Policy Program, Middlebury Institute
Susan Baldridge, Provost, Moderator

The event will be streamed live: Online

Envisioning Middlebury: Talk by Gardner Campbell on Friday

events, For Faculty, For Staff

Gardner Campbell

We are pleased to announce the second in our series of speakers for Envisioning Middlebury, our yearlong conversation.

Dr. Gardner Campbell serves as associate professor of English and special assistant to the provost at Virginia Commonwealth University. In his talk, he will discuss how the paradigm of “romantic computing—the experience of wonders [and] uncanny encounters” through technology—can help us fulfill our highest educational ideals.

Dr. Campbell will speak at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey on Friday, May 6, at 12:15 p.m., PDT, in the 499 Van Buren videoconferencing room. Vermont participants are encouraged to attend and participate in the videoconference in Davis Library 105 at 3:15 p.m., EDT.  Opportunity for discussion immediately following.

Envisioning Middlebury is a community conversation to engage individuals across the Middlebury community. These discussions will form the foundation for Middlebury’s strategic planning process. Please join us by attending the talk and engaging in our community conversation.

Sincerely,

Susan Baldridge

Google Ventures Founder Bill Maris ’97 – Monday at 7 – Wilson Hall

For Faculty, For Staff

Bill Maris photo

Google Ventures founder and CEO, and Middlebury alum Bill Maris (’97) has had quite an unpredictable career.  Currently he invests in startups at the epicenter of science, technology, and medicine.  He oversees $2.4B in capital, and has funded more than 300 companies in the GV portfolio, including Uber, Slack and Nest. In this talk, he’ll share his perspective on how he went from Vermont to Silicon Valley, and how entrepreneurs and innovation will shape our future.

This talk, held Monday, April 11 at 7:00 p.m. in Wilson Hall, will provoke, challenge, and inspire us as we engage in conversations that envision the future of Middlebury.

Following Bill Maris’ departure the Faculty Strategy Committee will be hosting a breakfast for all faculty, staff, and students who are interested in sharing ideas raised by this thought-provoking talk. Please join Cheryl Faraone, Chris Klyza, and Amy Morsman for breakfast and meaningful conversation in Redfield Proctor at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 12.