GSIPM

For Spring 2018, a total of 57 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey students will participate in our distinguished semester long immersive learning programs, to be placed around the country and the globe.

Domestically, students are as close as Monterey, CA and as far away as Washington, DC. Top cities include 7 positions in DC, 6 in the Bay Area, and 6 in New York City. Internationally, they are spread across five continents and 21 countries (Peru, France, Senegal, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Russia, Austria, Thailand, Cambodia, Kenya, Switzerland, Zambia, the Netherlands, Argentina, Laos, Mexico, Canada, Nepal, Ecuador, and Indonesia.

Programs include the International Education Management (IEM) Practicum, DPMI Plus, International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program (IONP), the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO),and the International Professional Service Semester, (IPSS).

Below is a list of current participants, their organizations, and their locations.

International Education Management (IEM) Practicum

 *Dual Degree (IEM/MPA) student

DPMI Plus

Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)

*Also completing IONP fellowships

International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program (IONP)

International Professional Service Semester (IPSS)

FrontierMarketScouts

Conflict Resolution

Independent Practicum

International Environmental Policy

Reminder: Applications for the Spring 2018 International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) are due Friday, March 31, 2017.

Who can apply: IPSS is open to DPP, NPTS, and IEP students graduating in 2018 who are interested in working fulltime in their sector while earning academic credit.

Application/Program Information:

• You do not need to have a job or internship confirmed for next spring when you apply.

• All applicants will be asked to take a 1-hour writing test during one of four testing windows in April. Times will be posted on go.miis.edu/ipss and sent by email.

• IPSS can be taken for 6-12 credits in spring 2018. Internships/jobs can be paid or unpaid and in the US or abroad.

• Students who are accepted to IPSS can switch to other practica programs (DPMI Plus, Independent Practica) at a later date should their professional and academic interests/needs change.

To apply: IPSS application or visit go.miis.edu/ipss

MBA Capstone Information Session – Tuesday April 19^th, 12:15-1:30pm, MG100

Are you a current MBA, Joint MBA/IEP or Joint MBA/IPD degree candidate? Starting to think about your capstone experience next year? Wondering about how the various options work?

Please plan to join Assistant Dean/MBA Program Manager Toni Thomas for an MBA Capstone Information session. Learn the ins and outs, and timing for committing to your capstone project. All MBA candidates that will not have completed their capstone by end of spring 2016 term should plan to attend.

For spring 2016, a total of 61 Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey students will participate in our distinguished semester long immersive learning programs, to be placed around the country and the globe. Domestically, students are as close as the San Francisco Bay area and as far away as Washington, D.C. Internationally, they are spread across five continents.

Programs include the International Professional Service Semester (IPSS), the International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program (IONP), DPMI Plus, the International Education Management (IEM) Practicum , the Student Exchange Program, and the Frontier Market Scouts (FMS) Program.

Below is a list of current participants, their organizations, and their locations.

Best of luck to all of you!!!

This Wednesday 50 coastal leaders lobbied in opposition of offshore drilling exploration plans proposed by the Obama Administration. Data from a Middlebury Institute Center for the Blue Economy report was used in support of the importance of the ocean ecosystem to the local local economy and cited in national media last month.

View full story in ‘The State’.
View full story in ‘Washington Post’

The Monterey Commission on the Status of Women is seeking nominations for its 2016 Outstanding Women of Monterey County awards. Honor Monterey County’s outstanding women by nominating someone who has significantly improved the lives of others, and the adversity they overcame. The 2016 awards will be presented March 20th at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Nomination forms are available at the Monterey Commission on the Status of Women’s website in both Spanish and English.

For J-term 2016, we had 70 students travel to  Chile, Rwanda, Peru, Nepal, and Spain.

Conner Anderson, who is on the Chile Practicum on human rights and Chile’s vulnerable populations, sent me the following photo of his cohort (to the left).

In their first three days in Chile, 23 Middlebury Institute student delegates have had the pleasure to meet with several Chilean champions of human rights, including politicians, professors, judges, community activists, everyday citizens, all working to make progress in this time of transition for Chile, but not at the expense of forgetting the injustices of the past.

Conner Anderson wrote the following about his journey so far, “We have been learning about the human rights violations under the dictatorship of Pinochet in Chile. But what has had such impact is that these aren’t just theories and stories, these are the emotions, the actions, and the lives of those that not only were impacted by the injustices, but are also those fighting to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.”  Conner also wrote about one of the most impactful interactions the students have had so far was with Gabriella Zuñiga, a wife of a Disappeared, who told the student delegates, “To remember is to pass it again through your heart.”

Melissa Hewitt, who is currently attending the cultural immersion portion of Design, Partnering, Managing, and Innovation(DPMI) training at Partners in Health Rwanda, wrote, “Our trip to Rwanda has been inspirational and an incredible learning experience. We have been able to see and experience the transformation the country is currently undergoing. I feel that the lessons I am learning will stay with me and influence me for years to come.”  Ayako Yamada, also participating in DPMI Rwanda, wrote, “Before coming to Rwanda, even with the pre-assigned readings, I was blown away with how little I knew about Rwanda. All I knew was about the genocide and I’ve learned that Rwanda has been a successful country in slowing down the spread of HIV and managing it.  But I didn’t know as much about ICT and gender equality.  It has shown me how little I was paying attention to Africa.”

Stay tuned for more comments from Nepal, Peru, and Spain!

CCS Director, Dr. Pushpa Iyer

As described on the Center for Conflict Studies website, “the theme of this year’s Reflections magazine is race and conflict.  CCS seeks to discuss race as more than color, but rather as power, privilege, identities, and discrimination tied to shades of color and the role that this plays in conflict around the world.  In recognizing that the resolution of race based conflicts requires a long term strategic approach, we seek to understand the potential that we have in transforming race conflicts to better relationships and communications between human beings, improve equality and provide social justice in every society.”

Reflections magazine with include: Opinion, People, Art, Culture, Field Musings, and Film and Book Reviews.

If interested please consult CCS Director, Dr. Pushpa Iyer (ccs@miis.edu).  Submissions should be between 1,000-1500 words and include at least 2 pictures.  Submissions are due by February 15, 2016.

IPPSers and DPMI Plusers will soon begin a new adventure at their internships in Geneva, Washington D.C, New York City, San Francisco, Chile, and Zambia.  These respective internships are essentially an audition for work at UNHCR, the State Department, the Peace Corps, Catholic Relief Services, the IAEA, and/or the IUCN to name a few.

As this years fellows are not the first to embark on such an adventure, we would like to share advice from last years cohort.

Last year, we asked fellows, what challenges did you experience that MIIS didn’t really prepare you for?

IPSS and DPMI Plus Fellows mentioned the following challenges:

-email chains with over 10 cc’ed co-workers and navigating who to cc on which email.

-saying yes to everything and taking on too much

-social media management

-not being assertive about project selection

How can IPSS and DPMI Plus fellows mitigate these challenges?

IPSS and DPMI Plus 2015 fellows offered the following suggestions:

1. Have a strong backbone
2. Stay organized
3. Keep an open mind
4. Don’t take on too much
5. Manage your expectations
6. Be creative and come up with an innovative project proposal
7. Remember that knowledge gained at MIIS is not the end-point
8. Learn office culture and adjust your style accordingly
9. Send an introductory email with a list of your skills and interests
10. Nurture relationships.

Forbes, LinkedIn, and TED also have a number of recommendations:

1. Ten ways interns can create a great first impression
2. TED Talk with Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are 
3. The ultimate intern to-do list 
4. 6 simple steps to make a good first impression 

Help MIIS defend its title!

The Economist Case Study Competition is now live! That means that the People’s Choice voting is now open, so be sure to vote for MIIS, and tell your friends!

Students Hesham AlSaati, Thomas Gilmore and Michael Mahoney are representing MIIS with their Real Vision Investment Case Study. View their presentation! Don’t forget to vote and share!

For more information on the challenge description and prizes, check out this link.

Did you know that all MIIS students are able to take International Professional Service Semester workshops this January?

IPSS workshops include: High Value Organizational Consulting, Designing and Evaluating Interventions, Quantitative Analysis with Excel, and Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis.

In Applied Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis(IPSS 8531 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 6-7, 2016 with Instructor Erika Takada, “Participants will design an intervention with an accompanying monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system.”

In Designing and Evaluating Interventions(IPSS 8533 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 9-10, 2016 with Instructor Emily Morris, “Students will learn and practice key methods of applied qualitative data collection and analysis.”

In High Value Organizational Consulting (IPSS 8530 A, 1-2 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 14-15, 2016 with Instructor Beryl Levinger, “Participants will learn tools for analyzing an organization, its culture, its approach to meeting mission, and ecosystem analysis.”

In Quantitative Analysis with Excel (IPSS 8532 A, 1 Credit, Pass/Fail) January 16-17, 2016 with Instructor Kevin Lorenzi, “Students will improve their understanding and abilities to collect and analyze data using Microsoft Excel.”

These professional skills workshops are open to students and professionals outside of the IPSS program, space permitting.  Please email ipss@miis.edu to express interest.

Mark your calendar to have lunch with Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland!

Who: All interested MIIS community

What: Discussion and Q&A on: Military Support to Foreign Disaster Response

When: Tuesday, December 1 (12:15-1:15)

Where: Morse B106

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland

Lieutenant Colonel Christopher W. Wendland is the current U.S. Army War College Fellow at MIIS. LTC (P) Wendland worked as a Military Crisis Response Planner at United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) from 2009-2012. He worked alongside representatives from the Department of State, USAID, and the United Nations  to develop complementary disaster response plans for a number of devastating natural disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear reactor meltdowns, tropical storms, and flooding) and will provide an overview of the U. S. Government process to provide U. S. military support with anecdotal stories from the following response efforts: Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Haiti, Japan, Thailand, and Nepal.

Last week a group of 7 students, led by Professor Patrick Cotter, went to London to attend the London Convention and London Protocol on ocean dumping of wastes and other matter at the UN’s International Maritime Organization(IMO) in London. Before leaving for the London Meeting students were asked prepare a position paper on the topics that were going to be discussed by the delegates. The topics for the papers were front-line environmental issues being considered at the meeting, including, marine geoengineering, carbon dioxide capture and storage, compliance with the treaties, technical cooperation and assistance, ship recycling, disposal of mine tailings, marine litter, environmental effects of chemical munitions disposal, and 25-year review of radioactive waste disposal in the ocean. The students were able to then listen to the discussions and debate on issues during the meeting.

During breaks for tea or lunch, they had the opportunity to interact with delegates who expressed their positions during the plenary session, including delegates from the Canada, Panama, Turkey, the US, GreenPeace and the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat. In total there were 49 Contracting Parties (nations) at the meeting, 2 associate members, 11 observer nations, 5 NGO observers, 3 UN agencies, and MIIS student observers at the meeting.  The meeting was chaired by Nigeria with support from the London Convention/London Protocol Secretariat.

The MIIS Digital Learning Center setup a chat for the group using “SlackBot”.  During the meeting, Professor Cotter was able to comment instantly on points that were being made to allow the students to understand the importance or implications of an intervention by a national representative.

Design, Partnering, Management, and Innovation (DPMI) is 3-week training open to development professionals, career-changers, and graduate students.  The modules include (1) Managing Development Projects, (2) Social Change and Participatory Development, and (3) Strategic Partnership and Social Entrepreneurship. DPMI uses a cross-sector approach, taking promising practices from the development field and combining these tools with successful concepts drawn from the private sector.

The focus of this course is to apply and practice leadership methods within the areas of international development project management and social change.  We are looking for a diverse group of individuals whose passion revolves around the development and empowerment of communities at large.  Apply for January programs offered in Monterey and/or Rwanda by October 31.

With DPMI you will….

-Learn ground-breaking and ‘tried and true’ tools to solving problems, motivating staff, and establishing partnerships.

-Use the tools and standards set by major non-profits that break down and quantify processes through the lifespan of a project.

-Gain critical project management skills.  And learn how to put your training into action.

After participation in DPMI, Middlebury Institute students have the opportunity to go into the field for 3-9 month professional internships and be part of the DPMI Plus program. Read more about this opportunity on our DPMI LinkedIn Blog. Apply for DPMI Plus by October 31.

Mark your calendars to have lunch with Major General William C. Hix!

Who: All interested MIIS students and faculty

What: Briefing and Q & A on: “Military Support to Conflict Resolution in the World Today”

When: Wednesday, October 21 (12pm-1pm)

Where: Morse B206

Food and Drink Provided!

Major General William C. Hix

Major General Hix’s almost 35-years of military experience provide him the necessary background to answer any questions youmay have about the U.S. Army’s support to Conflict Resolution in the World Today.

Prior to his current assignment at the Pentagon, Major General Hix was the Deputy Director for the Army’s Capabilities and Integration Center where he oversaw the linkages between emerging technologies and soldier success on the battlefield.

His experience includes combat tours to both Iraq and Afghanistan, assignments with 82^nd  and 101^st Divisions, the First Special Forces Group in Japan, as a Military Observer in the Western Sahara, as policy officer in the Republic of Korea, and as a Strategist on the Joint Staff.

Born in Washington, D.C., Major General Hix was commissioned as an infantry officer following graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in 1981. He holds a Masters of Military Art and Science, was a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace at Stanford University and is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Theiline McMahon Cramer in the field in Mindanao (Photographed by Maritza Munzón)

Theiline McMahon Cramer (Talie), duel degree candidate in TESOL and IEM, participated in last January’s Center for Conflict Studies field course entitled, Challenges to Peacebuliding in Mindanao led by Dr. Puspha Iyer.

Talie’s blogs speak to the immersive learning experience at MIIS, “I’m basking in the opportunity to reflect on my own experience as I learn a mile-a-minute.  It’s day one and my mind is full of preconceptions and is ready to be filled and sculpted and filled with the knowledge of the people that live in this very foreign world. ”  Her stories from Mindanao are very introspective and humble, “the longer we are here, the more I learn – and more and more I realize I know nothing at all.”

Tylie’s blog posts also highlight profound learning moments, “Going from meeting to meeting, community to community, I’ve begun to zoom in on the details of an individual’s experience, what the meaning behind a certain man or woman’s answer to a question about their experience with peace education may mean on a broader scale.  This trip is so rich with knowledge and experience that, honestly, I had started to focus in on the details – the details that lead you to the broader picture that these international organizations maintain.”

Read more about Tylie’s and her cohorts experiences in Mindanao on the field course blog Challenges to Peacebuilding in Mindanao>>>.

Merideth Bush touring the Japanese Diet in Tokyo.

The Dean of the Graduate School of International Policy and Management, Dr. Kent Glenzer, describes immersive learning as, “flying in a plane while you build it.”  Merideth Bush, duel degree candidate in IPD and MBA, participated in last Spring Break’s East Asia Practicum course, on foreign policy, trade, and security led by Dr. Tsuneo Akaha and Dr. Wei Liang.  During the seminar, Merideth “flew her plane” with a great deal of openness, awareness, and humor.

Thinking back on her experience, Merideth wrote, “I think of a region where I was impacted by the blend of the ancient with the modern, something that for me, as an American and and therefore a citizen of a very young country, was new and fascinating.  –I remember standing in the middle of Tiananmen square trying to imagine the immense plaza 26 years earlier, packed with passionate university students like myself, many of whom would meet tragic deaths in the very place where I stood.”

She also remembers, “a hilarious tutorial on how to eat noodles with chopsticks and a memorable first-experience with a high tech toilet fully equipped with a heat seat, sound effects, and frankly a rather over zealous bidet.”

Merideth concluded, “the political education I received in Tokyo and Beijing was invaluable, but it is the cultural experiences that will stay with me for years to come.”  Read more about Immersive Learning experiences available this January-term 2016 and Spring Break 2016>>>.

At MIIS, our immersive learning experiences extend beyond the classroom. There will be an Informational Session on Tuesday, September 22nd about Immersive Learning opportunities for MIIS students. The session is open to all degrees and will give students an opportunity to learn more about the various international and domestic immersive learning programs. The session will also cover ways to fund your immersive learning. To learn more now visit: go.miis.edu/immersivelearning

Date: Tuesday, September 22

When: 12:00-1:00pm

Where:  Morse B106

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This Tuesday, September 15th, there will be an informational session about the International Professional Service Semester (IPSS).  The IPSS program is offered through the Graduate School of International Policy and Management (GSIPM) during the Spring Semester.  IPSS is an immersive learning experience, in which fellows secure internships with international organizations in the US and abroad and earn up to 12 units of academic credit.  This session will cover IPSS requirements, syllabi, and stories from Spring 2015 IPSS fellows.

When: Tuesday, September 15th

Time: 12-1pm

Where: Morse B106

To learn more information about IPSS visit go.miis.edu/ipss or email ipss@miis.edu

Cervando graduated from the Institute in August 2015 with a masters in Non-proliferation and Terrorism Studies and is now pursuing a masters degree in Computer Science at the Naval Post Graduate School.

IPSS Fellow Cervando Banuelos, worked at the Verification Research Training and Information Center (VERTIC) in London this past spring.  Based on his experience at VERTIC, Cervando believes, “Cyber security is an issue in economics, finance, infrastructure, nuclear power, and his ability to view adorable kittens online.  In other words, cyber security is now a fundamental part of everything.”

The question is, can we stop all  cyber attacks today with a deterrence agreement?  Unfortunately, no we can’t.

Cervando believes that our first step should be to deter state-sponsored cyber attacks, “these are attacks carried out by foreign government agents and members of foreign intelligence communities and they could be for disruption, theft or damage.  And I say that an agreement for the deterrence of state sponsored cyber attacks with international cooperation and an overseeing and enforcing body, and compliance through verification would limit the amount of attacks and the destructiveness of the attacks.”

Read an article that Cervando co-wrote during his IPSS fellowship at Vertic, in Trust and Verify, Issue 148.