MIIS Photo Archive on Flickr

Good News!! There is now an archive of MIIS campus photos on Flickr!

Over the past year Jenny Manseau, with the help of a few colleagues, has created a photo archive for the Monterey Institute of International Studies. We currently have over 2,500 photographs on our Flickr site. This account has been purchased by the Recruiting department and this is the official account for the Monterey Institute of International Studies (there are several Flickr accounts on campus that use a similar name and profile picture, but please keep in mind this is the official site). If there are photographs on campus that need to be added to this account please contact Jenny at miisphotos@gmail.com.

To access the site you must Create a FREE account and request to be a contact of MIIS_Photos. We have set the account to private so not just anyone online can use these photographs. Many of these photos do not have photo release forms so we need to be careful about who can access to them. If you have questions on whether or not you can/should use these in any publication or on the website please contact Jenny.

Once you are approved as a contact, you may view the photo stream, view images in all sizes, download the different sizes, view/add tags, and see/add comments about the photographs (waiver forms, location, subjects etc.). You will not see any of this information unless you have been approved. The photographs have been “tagged” to help with the searching process. When you are using the search feature please be sure to search “your photo stream” and not every one’s photographs. Jenny will continually be adding photographs and tags to help with this process, maintaining this account and approving requests to become contacts.

Check out the new web site!

The web strategy team is pleased to invite the MIIS faculty and staff to preview our work in progress. We expect to be ready to launch the site publicly on approximately September 15.

Between now and then, we would like you to be the first to experience some of the new features of this site:

* Language pages (linked from the home page) offer an introduction to MIIS along with relevant dynamic content for eight languages.

* Constituency pages provide lists of the pages most often needed by specific groups.

* “Theme Pages” offer a way to navigate the site by broad area of interest. For example, the Environment page provides links to degree the MBA and MAIEP degrees, as well as to the shorter Conservation Leadership Practicum, offers a list of Environment-related news items, and lists Career resources, employment statistics, etc.

* The “sky” theme of our header photos both celebrates our beautiful location and invites people to shift their focus beyond place to a more global viewpoint… the sky touches everyone, everywhere. We are particularly grateful to Eduardo Fujii, who shared some of his wonderful sky images with us.

* The site is constantly changing and the number of possible contributors is limitless. Many places on the site invite participation in social networks, and there are many examples of content fed dynamically from a blog or twitter account, or from tagged content elements on the site itself. See the bottom of the main Careers page for an example of a twitter feed.

* The search box at the top of each page allows you to go straight to the information you need, including directory information (Just type all or part of a person’s name.)

* On the faculty page, and the offices and services page, you can simply begin typing what you are looking for, and you will be offered options from which to select.

You can access the site at http://miis2.middlebury.edu/

You can only access it from on campus right now.

We want to emphasize that THE SITE IS NOT FINISHED! You will see mistakes, omissions, empty pages, spaces where photos or videos need to be inserted, and placeholder text that needs to be rewritten. Rest assured that the web strategy team is still working hard on content, and Middlebury colleagues remain engaged in fine-tuning the CSS and the content management system. If you notice something amiss with the site, and would like to report it, please do not use the comment feature of this blog to do so. Instead, contact the individual on the web strategy team who represents the department in whose section the problem occurs. The team members are all listed here:

You can also help by contributing stories to the site. You will find some there now, but we need many more to convey the incredible diversity of interests and experiences represented within our community. Please send your stories and images to the appropriate strategy team member as well.

What’s happening in Kade?

There have been many changes on campus this summer and Kade is no exception.  In the beginning of the summer, IT moved the printer, scanner and PC computers out of Kade.  Student printing is available in three locations: Pacific Lab (CF 442), Coleman library and Lab & Media Services (Morse A 101).

Kade hours will be posted at the beginning of the semester.

Kade is the exclusive hub for the Teaching and Learning Collaborative (TLC).  Staff who are a part of the TLC are:

  • Bob Cole
  • Sarah Springer
  • Kristen Byers
  • Lynn McDonald

Activities of the TLC staff:

  • Innovation: Pedagogical & organizational
  • Digital & New Media Development
  • Idea Development

We love visitors to Kade who are interested in exploring, learning and sharing.

Classifieds: New and Improved!

There is a new location for the MIIS classifieds forums with increased functionality.  The MIIS classifieds is now located on the elearning (moodle) site. When you arrive at the elearning homepage, you’ll find a direct link to classifieds located under “community”.  There are four categories of items, please choose your category and add a new discussion topic to sell your wares. 

Improved:

  • Search enabled – find exactly what you want
  • Reply to a post and you won’t see the post on the main page – less spam
  • Edit and delete your posts as needed

New students will log into the elearning site with their exchange login and password.

For more information on how to use classifieds, please view this short instructional video.

Astronaut Jim Newman addresses Fulbrighters

Dr. James Newman of the Naval Postgraduate School was on campus July 30 to talk with visiting Fulbright students. He shared stories of his time as an astronaut during four Space Shuttle missions. Dr. Newman has logged over 43 days space, including working in the International Space Station and six space walks. He gave the visiting Fulbrighters a taste of what it’s like to be inside a space vehicle as well as his insights for the future of space exploration. Addressing students in both German and Mandarin during his presentation, Dr. Newman expressed his hope that nations would work multi-laterally to set up outposts on the Moon and Mars. His lecture inspired at least one Fulbrighter to consider a career with NASA.

Add to your collection of MIIS logo items!

All staff and faculty are eligible for a 10% discount on MIIS merchandise purchased on-campus at the Simoneau Alumni House.  MIIS merchandise makes a perfect gift for campus visitors, graduating work-study students, and other colleagues and friends.

Apparel items include polo shirts, short and long-sleeved t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and fleece-lined vests.

Logo items include baseball caps, glass and plastic mugs (perfect for Happy Hours), lapel pins, and tote bags.

Simoneau Alumni House is open for merchandise sales Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Idea Fair

Please join us the afternoon of Thursday, April 16th for a poster session where participants in the latest pizza process will share their ideas with the larger MIIS community.

Ideas include:

  • Coopetition
  • Entrepreneurship Incubator
  • Reconnecting Alumni
  • The Feedback Loop
  • Rebranding of the MPA Program
  • OneMIIS in CS
  • MIIS Bookstore & Information Bar
  • Micro-solutions

Following the event, the community will be able to provide feedback to the groups to help them reshape and improve their ideas.

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Holland Center
Croce’s Pizza Provided!

Burian Receives Eliason Award

The recipient of the Fourth Annual Leslie
Eliason Excellence in Teaching Award is Professor Laura Burian.  Professor
Burian has a record of excellence in teaching and an ongoing, inspiring
commitment to providing our students the highest quality education
possible.  She has a wonderful rapport with her colleagues and students,
an exceptional teaching record that reflects her ability to provide an
excellent learning experience to our students, and an intensive commitment
to the Institute’s mission.

As a professor dedicated to her students and to delivering quality
education, Professor Burian embodies much of what Professor Eliason also
dedicated her teaching efforts towards.  Leslie Eliason was a strong
woman, dynamic and passionate about her chosen profession of teaching.
She pursued her responsibilities as a teacher and mentor with great warmth
and care for her students and colleagues, reflecting her intelligence,
integrity, good humore, and commitment to quality in all of her endeavors.
Professor Burian has a similar thoroughness in her role as teacher,
colleague, mentor and advisor.  As was true for Professor Eliason,
Professor Burian is interested in building the capacities of her students,
in helping them and the Institute reach their greatest potential, and in
working collaboratively with her colleagues to achieve their goals.  There
is no question that Professor Burian reflects the qualities Professor
Eliason valued the most — hard work, intense and at times passionate
commitment to students and sound academic programming, and good colleagial
interactions and collaborations.  Her commitment to excellence both inside
and outside of the classroom is greatly appreciated and valued.

Congratulations to Professor Burian — we will celebrate her selection on
April 21st during the “quiet hours” at lunchtime in the Samson Center
Reading Room.  More details will follow about this celebration.

Thanks to all of you who nominated faculty for this award and helped in
the selection process.

–Provost Sands

White Whale Visits MIIS

Mike Roy, Dean of Library and Information Services, announced last week that White Whale has been chosen as the web design company to partner with us on our joint web makover project. White Whale will visit Monterey on April 2.  You may see them wandering around campus, and they’ll hold an open meeting at 11 a.m. in the Board Room for anyone interested in hearing about their approach to this project.

We anticipate that a new public-facing website for MIIS will be launched in August. Middlebury’s public site will launch in December. Portal-like functionality for members of each campus community is expected to become available sometime during the next academic year. Much of the work of building the new sites for both Middlebury and Monterey is on the shoulders of the excellent technical team at Middlebury.  Kristen Byers, Digital Media Specialist, will serve as the project manager for work at MIIS, which will revolve, this summer, around developing the content for the new site. We will be looking to many of you to help us tell our story.

White Whale will focus on design and information architecture, helping us to achieve a high degree of usability, while providing us with a new look that will express out uniqueness and at the same time identify visually our connection to Middlebury .

Staff Advisory Team Formed

We are pleased to announce the formation of the new Staff Advisory Team. We’re very fortunate to have a group of volunteers who represent several different departments at the Institute, and bring diverse backgrounds, perspective, interests and skills to the important work of ensuring that issues of concern to Institute staff are articulated.  They are:

Kenley Butler, JMCNS
Rachel Christopherson, GSTI
Trinidad Gomez, ITS
Gail Lu, Student Affairs
Devin Luedekke, Recruiting
Raphael Ochoa, Financial Aid
Edy Rhodes, current GSIPS Career Development Officer, future Advising Staff

Thanks to the ad hoc staff group that has been working for the past several months to develop alternative frameworks for staff organization, and to carry out the process of vetting these frameworks  and implementing  the one favored by the majority of the staff:

Karen Weiss, Dean’s Assistant GSTI
Priscilla Lorenzo, Office Services Coordinator
Toni Thomas, MBA Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator
Lynn McDonald, Postgraduate Fellow in Organizational Development
Susan Wolfe, Manager of Foundation and Corporate Relations
Erika Johnson, Acquisitions Librarian
Kenley Butler, CNS Senior Project Manager, Executive Officer

Once the new team members have had an initial meeting, they will call an all-staff meeting to develop ideas for the agenda for the coming months.

MIIS Chosen to Orient Fulbright Scholars

Intensive English Programs is pleased to announce that they have been
selected to host 35 Fulbright scholars this summer. Monterey Institute is
one of the sites chosen to hold pre-academic orientation for newly arrived
Fulbrighters. The program is designed to cover an orientation to the U.S.
academic system, English language training and field-of-study preparation.
The program is also aimed at building a basic understanding of current
issues in U.S. society and a solid foundation of U.S. social values, both
of which are necessary for successful intercultural communication in the
scholars’ host communities. The scholars will represent a wide variety of
fields of study and cultural backgrounds and will be on campus from July
20 – August 7, 2009. If you are interested in learning more about this
program, please contact the program coordinator, Katherine Braun at
english@miis.edu.

Reorganization: Next Steps

President Ramaswamy, Provost Sands, and the deans named recently to head GSIPM, GSTILE and the new Advising, Career, and Student Services area have been working together since the retreats two weeks ago to consider the input generated by the community and to craft next steps that will help us translate that input into workable implementation plans.  Attached to this post is a powerpoint document that connects “takeaways” from the retreats with planning processes for four sets of issues: curricular development in each of two schools, creation of a seamless advising function, and consideration of the myriad administrative details and workflows that must be aligned to make both the reorganization, and integration with Middlebury, as smooth and efficient as possible.

On page 16 of the document, you will find information about the leadership of each of these four processes. Please feel free to contact any of them regarding your interest in contributing to the planning activities described.

Program Chairs, School and Advising Staff Announced

After deliberation and consultation with President Sunder Ramaswamy, Provost Amy Sands, and faculty members, the deans are pleased to announce additional information regarding the structure of the two new schools and the Office of Advising, Career, and Student Services, including key staff and faculty appointments.  They are excited about the leadership teams they have put together and look forward to working with them and all of you to achieve our goals of academic excellence, enhanced faculty collaboration and innovation, and new student learning and career opportunities.

Graduate School of International Policy and Management

On June 1, 2009, The Graduate School of International Policy Studies and the Fisher Graduate School of International Business will officially combine to become the Graduate School of International Policy and Management (GSIPM). The new School will consist of four programs:

The Program in Public Administration in International Management (MPA)
The Program in International Policy Studies (MAIPS)
The Program in International Environmental Policy (MAIEP)
The Fisher Program in International Business (MBA)

The Program Chair of Public Administration in International Management will be Dr. Beryl Levinger. Dr. Levinger is Distinguished Professor of Nonprofit Management at the Monterey Institute where she also serves as Academic Director of the Development Project Management Institute (DPMI). She has had a distinguished career in international NGOs: President of AFS Intercultural Programs; Senior Vice President of CARE; Vice Chair and Co-founder of InterAction; and Senior Adviser to President of Save the Children. She has served on a number of prestigious expert groups, written extensively on capacity building and development for nonprofit organizations, and worked in nearly 80 countries as a Peace Corps Volunteer, trainer, facilitator, or presenter at development assistance meetings. Dr. Levinger received her MA and Ph.D. in educational planning and administration from the University of Alabama and her undergraduate degree in social sciences from Cornell University.

The Program Chair of International Policy Studies will be Dr. Fernando De Paolis. Dr. De Paolis is an Associate Professor specializing in research methods, data analysis, quantitative policy analysis, regional economics, development economics, and geographic information systems. He has also served as Assistant Dean of GSIPS, as a senior research consultant with the UCLA North American Integration and Development Center, and as a consultant for state and national governments, international organizations, and the private sector. He received his Ph.D. in urban planning from University of California, Los Angeles; Master’s in Urban Planning as a Fulbright Scholar from the University of Kansas; and Professional Degree in Architecture – Summa Cum Laude from National University of San Juan, Argentina.

The Program Chair of International Environmental Policy will be Dr. Jason Scorse.  Dr. Scorse has been on the Monterey Institute faculty as Assistant Professor since completion of his Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics at University of California at Berkeley. He teaches courses in environmental and natural resource economics and sustainable development. He has also served as Coordinator of the International Environment Policy Program since 2007. Dr. Scorse is currently the Lead Non-Market Economist for the National Ocean Economics Program and has consulted for major environmental organizations and published in leading journals. He recently completed a book manuscript entitled What Environmentalists Need to Know about Economics.

The Program Chair of the Fisher Program in International Business will be announced soon.

The several non-degree GSIPM activities and programs — including DPMI, CLP, IPSS, CEAS, MonTREP, and the GLOBE Center — will continue to report directly to the dean and will be grouped together under “Special Programs.” I expect to identify the synergies between some of these programs and, where appropriate, strengthen opportunities for expansion and collaboration.

The GSIPM organization will also have an Assistant Dean and a Dean’s Assistant. It is my great pleasure to announce that Toni Thomas has agreed to take on the role of Assistant Dean, and that Nina Dutra has agreed to take on the role of Dean’s Assistant.

Ms. Thomas has been the Academic Advisor and Program Coordinator for the Fisher Graduate School of International Business since Fall 2001. In addition to advising MBA candidates on academic requirements, her current role encompasses managing the data compilation and submission for surveys, rankings, and AACSB accreditation, coordinating curriculum development with the Dean and faculty, and dealing with marketing activities for both the degree and non-degree programs.

Ms. Dutra brings a wealth of experience in education, international development and women’s rights. Over the course of her career she has worked and traveled in Eritrea, the Swahili Coast and India. In 2007, Ms. Dutra received her Master’s degree in Social Anthropology of Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. While in London, she established and directed a nonprofit society teaching yoga and meditation courses to over 250 students.

With this excellent team of professionals, I am confident that the business of GSIPM is in good hands and that we are a significant step closer to realizing our shared vision for the new School and the Institute. I am simply thrilled to be part of this team.

— Yuwei Shi

Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education

On June 1, 2009, the Graduate School of Translation & Interpretation and the Graduate School of Language and Educational Linguistics will officially combine to become the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education (GSTILE). The new school will be organized around its degree and language studies programs:

The Program in Language Studies
The Program in TESOL/TFL (MATESOL/MATFL)
The Program in Translation and Interpretation (MATI)
The Program in Conference Interpretation (CI)
The Program in Translation and Localization Management (MAT/MATLM)

I am very enthusiastic about the faculty who have agreed to serve as GSTILE Program Chairs.  Each of these individuals has a record of demonstrated leadership, enthusiasm for their respective programs, and successful collaboration both within and across programs.

The Program Chair of Language Studies will be Naoko Matsuo.  Naoko is a graduate of the TESOL program at MIIS and has been a faculty member in the Graduate School of Language and Educational Linguistics since 1995.  She has taught all levels of Japanese, from complete beginning to highly-advanced content courses. She has participated in a number of Monterey Model courses, collaborating with colleagues in language studies, international policy studies, and translation and interpretation.  She has served as the head of the Japanese Studies program since 1998, and has been involved with summer and winter intensive language programs and numerous custom language programs.

The Program Chair of TESOL/TFL will be Dr. Lynn Goldstein.  Lynn has been a faculty member at the Institute since 1986.  During this time, she has served as the founder and program head of the EAPP, Campus Writing, and EAPP Bridge programs, and has been an active participant in numerous TESOL initiatives and campus faculty committees. Her areas of expertise include sociolinguistics, intercultural communication, applied linguistics research, second language writing, second language writing assessment, second language writing program administration, and English language structure and discourse.  She has been an active participant in the Monterey Way/Academic Excellence process, and is currently teaching a Monterey Way course entitled “Intercultural Communication in Multilingual/Multicultural Settings” for students from the IPS, IM, and T&I programs.

The Program Chair of Translation and Interpretation will be Dr. Kayoko Takeda.  Kayoko received an MA in Translation and Interpretation from MIIS and a PhD in Translation and Intercultural Studies from Universitat Rovira i Virgili. She has been with the Institute as a faculty member for 12 years, and currently teaches interpreting research and English-Japanese interpreting courses. As a freelance interpreter, she primarily works in the areas of international conferences, corporate litigation, and investor relations. She has organized two internationally-attended Monterey Forums for Translation and Interpretation, the most recent of which will be taking place at the beginning of April.

The Program Chair of Conference Interpretation will be Barry Slaughter Olsen.  Barry received his B.A. in Translation from Brigham Young University, and his M.A. in Conference Interpretation at the Monterey Institute.  He has been working as a conference interpreter and translator since 1993. Before joining the faculty at MIIS, he was Translator in Residence at American University in Washington, D.C. He has taught numerous courses on simultaneous and consecutive interpretation in the United States and Latin America. His clients include the U.S. State Department, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Organization of American States (OAS), National Geographic Society, C-SPAN Television, and other public and private sector clients.

The Program Chair of Translation and Localization Management is the subject of a current search and will be announced soon.  The Chair of this program will play an important role in helping both to articulate and to meet the growing professional needs for individuals with TLM experience.

The directors of the non-degree programs in GSTILE, which include Alicia Brent and Diane Williams in Intensive Language Studies (CLS, SILP, WILP), Patricia Szasz in Intensive English Studies, and Rachel Christopherson with Translation & Interpretation programs, will continue to report directly to the Dean. We are eager to explore ways of enhancing our short-term program offerings as we reach out to an expansive international community.

I am pleased to announce that Angie Quesenberry will be the Dean’s Assistant for GSTILE.  Angie has been working with the Language Studies and TESOL/TFL faculty since 2002.  She has also worked substantially with non-degree programs, and brings much experience to her new position.  Angie’s role as Language Requirement Coordinator will also make her a valuable liaison to the new Academic, Careers, and Student Services Center.

I am very excited to be working with such a distinguished and capable team as we continue to grow and enhance the excellent translation, interpretation, and language education programs here at MIIS.

— Renee Jourdenais

Office of Advising, Career, and Student Services

The substructure for the Office of Advising, Career, and Student Services includes three offices that, while separate, will link a student’s experience from his admission to her first job upon graduation in a seamless fashion — specifically, Records, Office of Student Services, and the new Center for Advising and Career Services.  There will be no changes in the personnel staffing of the first two of these organizations, but the Center is an entirely new entity that will rely on the expertise of several staff already working on academic advising, scheduling, and career services.

Specifically, it gives me great pleasure to announce that Sabrina Atwater, Jen Hambleton,  Edy Rhodes, Jennifer Tuman, Nathan Westrup, and Jeff Wood will be moving over to the Center as soon as our new space is ready for occupancy. Janet Lyon will also be a part of the team but will initially share her time between GSIPS/GSIPM and the Center.  Each person was selected based upon their area of expertise, overall experience, and their ability to deliver the highest level of advising to all Institute students.

There is currently a search underway for a new MBA Career Advisor who, once onboard, will also move into the Center.  Last but not least, at some point over the summer, Jacolyn Harmer will begin a part-time advising role in the Center.

Please join me in welcoming this new team to the Center. We are all looking forward to getting the Center up and running at the earliest possible date so that we can better serve the Institute-wide student community

— Tate Miller