Category Archives: MIIS News & Events

New Photo Exhibit on Cultures in Transition

Midd Points, MIIS News & Events

Middlebury Institute faculty, staff, and students may have noticed the new photo exhibit in the upper McCone atrium installed earlier this month. Oliver Klink built a 15 year photographic project, called Cultures In Transition, based on 5 Asian countries (Bhutan, Myanmar, Mongolia, China, India). In 2001, on his first trip, he was completely in awe of the incredible diversity, both in the environment and the culture of Asia. Countries seemed to be in rapid transition, from agrarian to urban, from antiquated to modern, from a historical relic to a future superpower. The exhibit will be on display through December 31, 2019.

Cultures in Transition aims at showing the changes that people go through, the subtleties that make their life evolve, the spiritual guiding light. Klink resisted depicting the visual transitions, such as the new electronic devices, the high-rise buildings going up like mushrooms, the freeways built as quickly as sand castles, the modern transportation, the influence of western clothing, the packaged food and the old villages turned into tourist attractions. Cultures in Transition is about something deeper, something that it took time to observe, to detect, and to understand. Klink watched people, started to feel their emotions about change, their worries, their acceptance. He witnessed them falling behind, trying to hold on to their comfort zones, their culture, and their spirituality. Everyone that he interacted with described transition differently, but one thing that was common was that the typical visual signs of “progress” were the least of their worries. The loss of emotional connection with themselves and their communities was their most significant concern. These people lived their lives on Spirit, Heart, and Soul.

Photograph: Oliver Klink

25 Years at the Middlebury Institute with Moyara Ruehsen

Institutional News, Midd Points, MIIS News & Events

Moyara Ruehsen, Associate Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, recently passed her 25-year mark of employment.  She overseers the Institute’s Financial Crimes Management program and is a well-respected expert in money laundering, terrorism and proliferation financing, and cyber-related financial crimes. Moyara took a few minutes from her busy schedule to share her thoughts of “Life at the Institute” over the past two and a half decades.

What did you do prior to coming to work at the Middlebury Institute and where were you located?

I was a post-doc at UC-Berkeley and an Adjunct Professor at MIIS.

What job titles have you held while working at the Middlebury Institute?

Assistant and Associate Professor

Take us back to your first year as an employee at MIIS. What were the most significant things happening in your life outside of work then?

Juggling a new baby, a new job, and new course preps!  Those were crazy times.  I have to give a lot of credit to Steve Baker for having enough confidence in me to hire this visibly pregnant woman with a May due date, who looked younger than her 30 years. I assured him that I would be ready to hit the ground running in August 1994, following in the footsteps of my mother, who famously took only one month off from her medical career to have both of her kids.  I was true to my word.  I never took any maternity leave the entire time I was at MIIS, timing both of my pregnancies to deliver in May so I would be ready to teach again by the end of August.

What are the most significant things happening in your life outside of work now (that you’d like to share)?

That “new baby” is now 25 and his younger sister is 22.  They are both successfully “launched” in their lives and careers, so this mama is a happy empty nester living her best life.

Have your interests/hobbies/athletic endeavors changed over the past 25 years? Have any of these been influenced by your work at MIIS or due to your association with others who work here?

Toastmasters was a hobby I picked up in 2009 with the idea that I might want to venture into politics someday.  Sitting through one too many City Council meetings and County Supervisor meetings quickly killed that inspiration, but the dedication to Toastmasters continued.  I have been able to bring those interests and skills into my classroom, encouraging students to pursue and deliver multimedia projects like narrated videos, podcasts, and pecha kucha-style summary presentations.

What is your fondest memory or experience that you’ve had while working at MIIS?

That’s easy.  The MIIS Follies.  I’ve probably contributed in some capacity (as an actor, dancer, MC, video director, sketch director, or script writer) to between 10 to 15 productions over the years.  I have tended to work behind the scenes in recent years, but it’s a labor of love that never gets old.

Many people change jobs/careers multiple times in their working life. Something must have kept you here for 25 years. Is it anything that you can put into words?

The students.  MIIS draws students who have the maturity and global perspective that’s often missing in an undergraduate institution, and they have such noble motivations.  I also appreciate that we are a professional school, first and foremost.  We are in the business of helping students launch into exciting careers where they are making a real, positive difference in the world.  I live vicariously through them and their exciting professional accomplishments.

What are your plans for the next 25 years? 

Getting a new online M.S. in Financial Crime Management launched.  But I’d like to think that it won’t take that long.

Do you have a favorite place on campus?

My cozy office.  But being in the classroom with my students is a close second.

Is there any person on campus (or retiree, former employer) that mentored you, or you feel helped you grow into your job, grow to enjoy your work and your time at the Institute?

Steve Baker and Amy Sands were excellent bosses and mentors, who helped encourage me and guide me whenever challenges arose.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new employee at MIIS, what would it be?

Volunteer to perform at the Follies!  If we can’t occasionally take time out to laugh together and at ourselves, then we’re doomed.

Anything else to add?

Thirty years ago I had the opportunity to sit down and talk
for nearly an hour with the late Senator J. William Fulbright.  As I got up to leave he asked, “So are you
going to go out there and make a difference?” I promised him that I would try.
I would like to think that training the next generation of public policy
professionals and financial crime management professionals is one way of doing
that.

MIIS Staff Mark the End of the Academic Year

Midd Points, MIIS News & Events

Middlebury Institute staff came together to celebrate the end of the academic year. The annual event brings staff together during a relatively quiet time of year to celebrate the hard work of the past 12 months. The event honored departing staff members for their service.

During the event, MIIS alumna, Lauri Pastrone, (MIIS BA in International Economics ’84) gave a short presentation on Peace by Piece International, an organization dedicated to sourcing socially conscious gifts.

During the event, each staff member received a card holder handmade from pineapple leaves.

Lauri shared fond memories of her time at the Institute, including visits to the 100 square foot snack stand affectionately called “The People’s House” that used to stand in the Holland Center courtyard.

New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Requirement for CA Employees

Midd Points, MIIS News & Events

As part of the 2018 Legislative Session, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1343, which expands existing harassment training requirements.  The new regulation requires existing non-supervisory employees to undergo harassment training by January 1, 2020.  Specifically, SB 1343 requires employers with five or more employees to provide:

  • Two hours of
    sexual harassment prevention training to all supervisors; and
  • One hour of
    sexual harassment prevention training to all non-supervisory employees.

The law requires that
employees be trained during calendar year 2019. Employees who were trained in
2018 or before will need to be retrained. Under the regulations, the definition
of “employee” includes full-time, part-time, and temporary employees. Both
managerial and non-managerial employees must receive training by January 1,
2020. After January 1, 2020, employees must be retrained once every two years.

To meet our training obligations, we will enroll employees in the SafeColleges online training system beginning the week of July 15.  Employees will receive an email from SafeColleges which will provide them with a link to the site. The training can be completed at the employee’s own pace; however, employees will receive reminders until the training is completed.

Middlebury is committed to maintaining a campus environment free from discrimination and harassment and where people are treated with dignity, decency, and respect.  Participation in this training initiative will help ensure we live up to this obligation.

Inaugural Monterey Threat Financing Forum March 20-22

Midd Points, MIIS, MIIS News & Events

The Middlebury Institute Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism is hosting the Monterey Threat Financing Forum this March. The event will take place on the Monterey campus and feature experts from government, FinTech, and the finance industry. The event is geared towards professionals in the threat finance, sanctions, and anti-money laundering fields with 3-5 years of relevant work experience. Current graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to attend.

The Middlebury Institute’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism (CTEC) and its Financial Crime Management program are hosting the first Monterey Threat Financing Forum
(MTFF), an ambitious international conference featuring government and
private sector speakers in the field of counter-terrorism financing,
counter-proliferation financing, threat financing investigations, and
sanctions compliance. The conference will be held on the Institute’s
Monterey campus on March 20-22.

“We’re excited to be hosting this inaugural event,” says Professor Moyara Ruehsen,
director of the Financial Crime Management Certificate. “No other
educational institution can match the Middlebury Institute’s curricular
focus and expertise when it comes to threat financing. And thanks to our
sponsors, we’re also excited to be able to provide this learning and
networking opportunity to professionals in the field at minimal cost.”

“One of CTEC’s three core focus areas is threat finance and sanctions,” adds CTEC Director Jason Blazakis.
“The discussion led by top notch experts in the area of sanctions and
threat finance at the MTFF fits squarely within the CTEC mission.” Participants can earn 12 Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) credits by attending this conference.

Organizers announced this week that the keynote speaker
will be Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the
U.S. Department of the Treasury Andrea Gacki. OFAC is the federal agency
charged with implementing and enforcing economic sanctions on behalf of
the U.S. government. Before joining OFAC 10 years ago, Gacki spent
eight years at the Department of Justice’s Civil Division in the Federal
Programs Branch. She holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a
J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Participants can earn 12 Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist
(CAMS) credits by attending this conference. Sessions will cover the
latest sanctions evasion typologies, and how blockchain forensics can
trace cryptocurrency transactions, supplemented by break-out workshops
that offer the chance to analyze a fictitious terrorism financing case,
trace the transnational workings of a real North Korean
proliferation-financing operation, and learn how network analysis tools
can aid investigators.

For the full agenda and more information about the conference visit the Monterey Threat Financing Forum website.

Staff Advisory Team Announces Spring Staff Meet-Up Schedule and Training Opportunties

MIIS News & Events

MIIS staff are encouraged to save the date for these spring events. Please visit http://sites.middlebury.edu/staff for past meeting notes and more information.

Future Staff Meet-Ups (12-1pm in MG 102)

Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Project Management Workshop

Tuesday, January 15

10:30-12pm, CF 452

Sign up: go.miis.edu/projectmanagement

Oratory Now Workshop

Monday, February 4

10:30-12pm, Morse B106

Sign up: go.miis.edu/oratory (space is limited to 18 participants)

MIIS Community Surpasses Food Bank Donation Goal

MIIS News & Events

The Middlebury Institute community collected 624 pounds of food for The Food Bank for Monterey County, whizzing by its 500 pound goal.

The campaign kicked-off with a presentation by Food Bank for Monterey County Executive Director Melissa Kendrick ’94 during the annual MIIS Staff Halloween party.

Naomi Braswell coordinated the effort and shared this message with faculty and staff:

“Simply put, if it wasn’t for our wonderful Staff and Faculty, we couldn’t and wouldn’t have made a dent in the much needed food donations. So thank you for supplying the can foods, dry foods and cash donations that we needed to make a difference in the lives of those who struggle with hunger, right here in our own County and local community. Your generosity will make an immediate difference in the lives of those that these donations feed and enable many to gather around their tables for a wholesome meal this holiday season in an atmosphere of dignity and respect!”

MIIS faculty and staff interested in volunteering at the Food Bank for Monterey County can contact:

Sandra Nunez at (831) 758-1523 | snunez@food4hungry.org
Stephanie Robles (831) 758-1523 | srobles@food4hungry.org

SAT November Meeting Notes and December 4 Save the Date

MIIS News & Events

The Middlebury Institute Staff Advisory Team (SAT) would like to share the following updates:

1.) November Staff Meet-Up recording and notes are available on our blog.

2.) Save the date for our December 4 meeting from 12-1pm in MG 102. This meeting will feature presentations from Jeff Dayton-Johnson on our financial sustainability goals and Patricia Szasz on the new structure of Language and Professional Programs.

Learn more about SAT and other staff news in our monthly newsletters.

25 Years @ The Middlebury Institute with Nukhet Kardam

25 Year Club, Human Resources, Institutional News, MIIS News & Events

Nukhet Kardam, Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, recently passed her 25-year mark of employment.  Nukhet took a few minutes to share her thoughts of “Life at the Institute” over the past two and a half decades.

1. What did you do prior to coming to work at the Middlebury Institute and where were you located?

I was working as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pomona College in the Department of Politics in Claremont, California.

2. What job titles have you held while working at the Middlebury Institute?

I think I came as Associate Professor, and then became Full Professor. I was the Program Chair for the MPA Program for several years.

3. Take us back to your first year as an employee at MIIS. What were the most significant things happening in your life outside of work then?

It was 1993, my son was 6 years old and started elementary school in Pacific Grove. We moved as a family to Pacific Grove and rented a house and hoped that my husband would find a job in this area, but it never happened. The first year I was at MIIS, he was on sabbatical from Scripps College in Claremont and he continued working there as a faculty member until he retired in 2008.

4. What are the most significant things happening in your life outside of work now (that you’d like to share)?

I am putting on “Aging Creatively” workshops for people in my generation. I absolutely love it and would like to expand these workshops, perhaps offering them to faculty across Middlebury who are close to retirement or already retired.

5. Have your interests/hobbies/athletic endeavors changed over the past 25 years? Have any of these been influenced by your work at MIIS or due to your association with others who work here?

I have realized that I don’t just want to be an intellectual and focusing on my mind, but become a ‘whole person’. So, I have become a Qi Gong and Zumba instructor. I am convinced that to live a fulfilled life, one has to combine all faculties and functions (imagination, thought, feelings, sensations) and trust one’s heart. I am on a Sufi spiritual path and I would like to combine my creativity, philosophy, and spirituality to offer to others and learn from others.

6. What is your fondest memory or experience that you’ve had while working at MIIS?

I don’t have a fondest memory. What I enjoy most is hearing form my former students and having a continuing relationship with them.

7. Many people change jobs/careers multiple times in their working life. Something must have kept you here for 25 years. Is it anything that you can put into words?

Yes, the ability of the school to allow me to change and grow. As I changed, the school accommodated me and allowed my creativity and different ideas to take shape and blossom. As the school changed, I stuck with it. What school would have given me the chance to write a book about my grandfather, go to Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and ultimately publish a book on Identity (from Ottoman to Turk and Beyond: Watercolor Identities)? This research was very close to my heart and also led to a successful seminar I still teach called Powerle Identity and Multiculturalism.

8. What are your plans for the next 25 years?

Offer “Aging Creatively” workshops around the U.S and in Turkey; teach Zumba Gold and Qi Gong classes, continue playing the piano and learn jazz piano and composition.

9. Do you have a favorite place on campus?

My office is perfect – large, great view, and all.

10. Is there any person on campus (or retiree, former employer) that mentored you, or you feel helped you grow into your job, grow to enjoy your work and your time at the Institute?

Yes, I could mention Ed Laurance who mentored me when I first came. We taught a couple of courses together which helped me a lot. Amy Sands, as Dean and then later Provost, always supported me and provided space for me to change. Amy McGill has been and is a great supporter.

11. If you could give one piece of advice to a new employee at MIIS, what would it be?

Give yourself time to grow into the job, make sure to get to know people from different programs, including staff, faculty, and students. Become part of the community and ENJOY it.

12. Is there anything else that you would like to share about your time at MIIS?

I have loved it!!

MIIS Open House at the Monterey Sports Center

MIIS News & Events, Wellness

Save the date! The Office of Student Services, in collaboration with the Vice President’s Office, invites you to the Monterey Sports Center on Sunday, October 14 between 6:30pm and 8:30pm for a MIIS-only open house night.

After closing for the evening, the Sports Center will reopen its doors at 6:30pm for Middlebury Institute community members only. Staff, Faculty and Students are all invited, and we encourage you to bring your family members, partners and guests. Children are welcome to join with their parents! Bring your student, staff or faculty ID for entry; all guests must arrive with their accompanying host.

Stop by 301 E. Franklin Street between 6:30pm and 8:30pm to:

  • Try a Sports Center sampler class
  • Experience an intro to Kettlebell Flow class
  • Play indoor soccer with the MIIS Globadores Futbol Club
  • Enjoy the hot sauna and pool area (including the kids pool for those with children!)
  • Grab a snack at the indoor Café
  • Try out your regular workout in the Sports Center’s fully equipped workout rooms, mat areas and weight room
  • Check out the facilities at the Sports Center and consider a membership

We will follow up with you shortly to provide a full schedule of activities and classes being offered during the Open House.

 

Alisyn Gruener

Assistant Dean of Student Life and Engagement

Middlebury Institute of International Studies

460 Pierce Street

Monterey, CA 93940

831-647-6583 | agruener@middlebury.edu

miis.edu