Dear colleagues,

It’s Friday of Welcome Week as I write. It is so affirming and motivating to talk to new students, in person and online; to learn about the journeys that brought them here, and about their dreams and goals at MIIS and beyond. I hope you have been as energized by these interactions as I have, all this week. For those of us working on the Monterey campus, it has been particularly gratifying to be part of a revitalized in-person campus setting. I hope that we can maintain some of that Welcome Week vibrancy on campus throughout the coming academic year. At the same time, we must be committed to the experience of new and continuing MIIS students studying remotely; and we of course remain committed to the new flexible work arrangements that we have adopted over the last year or more. An important question of the year ahead is how best to balance vibrancy and interaction on the one hand, and flexibility on the other.

Early in the semester, you can expect news of opportunities to learn more about, and contribute to the development of, the Institute of the Future. In particular, I am excited to share the Institute Council’s Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) for the fall semester in the next couple of weeks, for your review and comments. These OKRs focus on our near-term priorities. There will also be news regarding our longer-term objectives: the development of online programs, new nondegree initiatives, and study-away opportunities for undergraduates at the College and elsewhere, among other ambitious new plans. Look for more information in these weekly updates.

My warmest thanks to all of you for the work you’ve done to attract the remarkable group of students we’ve met over this past week. Thanks as well for your efforts in organizing the varied orientation activities that have introduced these students to MIIS.

My best wishes to all of you for the fall semester. 

Jeff