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President Ramaswamy Appoints Three Deans

This afternoon, President Ramaswamy announced the appointments of three new deans to lead the upcoming academic reorganization at the Monterey Institute. An abbreviated version of the announcement is included here, or you can download the full text of the announcement.

“I am excited to announce the new academic leadership team that will guide the Institute through the ongoing academic reorganization.  In November, I provided the Institute community with job descriptions for these three critical positions within the transformed academic administration, and began the search for strong leaders and managers to fill these posts. After an extensive and thorough review of the candidates with Provost Amy Sands and the Faculty Senate, we reached unanimous agreement on the following appointments:

Dean of Advising, Career, and Student Services

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Tate Miller as the Dean of Advising, Career, and Student Services, effective April 1, 2009.  Tate brings to this position a range of experience and expertise that will be crucial to the success of this newly created post.  Not only does he have direct experience with the Institute from the perspective of a former student, having received his MA from the Commercial Diplomacy program, but for several years he also taught in the Monterey Institute Trade Policy Program and served as an assistant dean in GSIPS, providing career and academic advice to students.  Tate also has taught at Shandong University and lectured at Beijing University in China. While in China he engaged in numerous programs to train Chinese officials in Western business practices and in WTO dispute settlement procedures.

Tate, in collaboration with senior staff and the two other deans, will seek to deliver advising support to the entire student body as seamlessly and efficiently as possible, building upon the existing culture of service among staff and faculty so that students experience this new structure as a step toward fulfilling the Institute’s commitment to academic excellence.

Dean of the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Renee Jourdenais as the dean of the new Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation, and Language Education (GSTILE) effective June 1, 2009.  Renee’s administrative experience, educational expertise, and professional work make her an excellent candidate to lead what will be the only school in the country with sizable and strong programs in both T&I and language education.

Since receiving her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and joining the faculty of the Institute’s TESOL/TFL program, Renee has broadened her academic reach so that she now can teach almost any class within the TESOL program, has strong credentials as a manager of academic programs, and has collaborated with T&I colleagues to develop testing and evaluation tools.  Renee will be able quickly to initiate efforts to enhance the new school’s theoretical expertise and research, professional education and training, and innovative approaches to learning a second language, teaching a second language, and becoming an effective translator and interpreter.  Equally important, she has the leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills required to work with her faculty colleagues, fellow senior administrators, and other deans to attain the Institute’s goals.

Dean of the Graduate School of International Policy and Management

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Yuwei Shi as the dean of the new Graduate School of International Policy and Management (GSIPM) effective June 1, 2009.  Before coming to the Monterey Institute, Yuwei taught at the Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where he was the deputy director of the MBA Management of Technology program and founding director of the Nanyang Executive Program. He also taught MBA and doctoral courses and seminars in major universities in the U.S., China, and Singapore.

Yuwei specializes in corporate- and business-level strategic planning, organizational diagnosis and design, and strategic planning leveraging emerging business technologies. His consulting and executive management training clients range from high-tech startups to global Fortune 200 companies and governments in North America, Europe, and Asia.  Yuwei’s strong commitment to academic excellence is reflected in his receiving the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award and his substantial work on the Academic Excellence Task Force, the Institute’s Innovation Committee, and Scholar Ship pizza group.  He also is now at the center of many of the Business School’s innovative activities and courses, working with its student task force to ensure a smooth transition to the new school structure.  His compassion, creativity, and directness are characteristics of the strong leadership style that will support his ability to turn his vision into specific, effective, and relevant programs and courses.

Finally, I would like to thank our current deans — Chuanyun Bao, Renee Jourdenais, Ed Laurance, and Ernie Scalberg — for their hard work and enthusiastic efforts during the last few years.  Their leadership has been crucial to the success of our strategic planning and academic excellence initiatives as they brought stability and experience to a very dynamic and innovative environment.  Given the strong commitment of Ed, Ernie, and Chuanyun to the Monterey Institute and its future success, I am confident that they will provide the mentoring and insights to ensure a smooth transition as we move a new team of deans into place.

I look forward to working with Amy Sands and this dynamic team of deans to help guide MIIS through the exciting times ahead as the Institute continues its pursuit of academic excellence and formally integrates with Middlebury.”

Retreats Reach Capacity

We have closed registration for the upcoming reorganization retreats, at least temporarily, as we have reached capacity.  We have just sent out messages to all registrants to confirm their participation.  If we find that spaces open up through cancellations, we will repost the online registration page.

The outpouring of interest in making a significant commitment of time to attend the retreats is testimony to the engagement of this community.  Thanks to all of you for your support!  If you are not able to attend the retreat, please speak to colleagues who do plan to attend if there are specific issues you would wish to have discussed.

Conservation Leadership Students On the Air

In case you have heard buzz about the Monterey Way course “Conservation Leadership Practicum” but aren’t sure what it’s all about, then please tune in to an upcoming radio show featuring students from the course.

The show (“Tomorrow Matters”) airs this Sunday, Feb. 8th, from 10:00 to 11:00.  You can also stream it over the internet at ww.krxa540.com

This is a LIVE call-in show.  Anything can happen.  It will feature four MIIS students from IPS, MPA, and IEP:  Philippa Lockwood, Heather Smith, Alice Paipa-Lenard, and Michael Seaman.

The program is part of their ongoing immersive training so please phone in and ask them questions on the air!

Click here for more info about the Conservation Leadership Practicum.

(Thanks to Jeff Langholz, Associate  Professor of International Environmental Policy)

Outlook Tip!

You may have noticed that Outlook has a Junk E-mail folder of its own. This a separate spam filter from our Barracuda filters. If you find some of your messages are ending up in the Junk E-mail folder by mistake, you can fix this by adding trusted email addresses and domains to your Junk E-mail options under Outlook. Check out this document to get the scoop on making Outlook work for you, and not against you! (If you are a Mac user, Entourage has a similar feature.)

MIIS Community Discusses Russian Georgian Conflict

On December the 3rd about 40 Monterey Institute community members were given a chance to inform themselves more thoroughly and discuss the ongoing conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The two-hour event hosted by the MIIS Conflict Resolution Association featured in addition to speakers from our own university also a foreign guest- Mr. Andrey I. Belousov from the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in San Francisco.

He was supported by Mr. Alexander Melikishvili from James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and Professor Gordon M. Hahn. Speakers introduced their viewpoints about the conflict and discussed the possibilities of its peaceful resolution.

Gordon Hahn argued that there is plenty of blame to go around in the making of this small war. Georgia, Russia, the U.S., and Georgia’s breakaway republics Abkhazia and especially South Ossetia all bear approximately an equal share of responsibility. (more…)

Outlook blues? It May Be Time to Reset Your Password!

In keeping with stricter security measures now in place at Middlebury College, you will sooner or later find that your Middlebury Exchange (network) password will expire, and Outlook will either not let you log in with your old password, or will suddenly ask you to re-enter your password to continue using your Exchange account (your old password will no longer work if this happens).

In order to continue using Exchange you will need to reset your Middlebury network password (not your BannerWeb or BannerINB password).  To do this go to the following web URL

https://bat.middlebury.edu/activate/

to Activate (reset) your Middlebury network account.

You will need to enter your BannerWeb ID (the one you use for timecards) and your BannerWeb PIN number to login to reset your network password.  Then, simply accept the terms on the following page, and you will be allowed to enter a new password for your Middlebury network account (keep in mind that currently this account is only used for Exchange, and is not tied to your MIIS network account for logging into your MIIS computer in the morning).

Remember that Middlebury uses much stricter standards for entering new passwords, so you will likely need to add at least one capital letter, one number, and one special character for your new password to be accepted.  Please write down your new password once it is accepted and store this in a safe place out of sight of passersby.   If you forget your Middlebury network password, you can come back to this same URL to reset it again.

If you have forgotten or don’t know your BannerWeb ID, you should contact HR here at MIIS to get this information.  Once you have your BannerWeb ID, you can contact the ITS Help Desk, here at MIIS (x6656) to get your BannerWeb PIN reset if necessary.

FYI:  Middlebury is working to include MIIS users in their automatic password reminder system, so in the future you may receive an email ahead of time, warning you that your Middlebury network password is about to expire, including instructions on how to reset this (as described above).

Thanks for your patience as we take advantage of this much more powerful email service offered to us by Middlebury College.

Tsuneo Akaha Shares Experiences in Japan

MIIS welcomes back GSIPS professor Tsuneo Akaha, who has been teaching in Japan for the summer and fall semester.  We thought you would all be interested in his activities:

  • Tsuneo taught an MA seminar at Waseda University in Tokyo in the fall of 2008.  The topic was Asian Regional Integration, a very hot topic in the region.  His experience in the seminar included serving not only as the instructor but also as an interpreter for two of the students.  One was a Nepalese student with fairly advanced English language skills (despite the fact that he never used English until he enrolled at Waseda) but little or no Japanese language, and the other was a Chinese student with highly developed Japanese language proficiency but very limited spoken English.  Hence, when either of them gave their presentations or spoke up in class, Tsuneo served as their interpreter.

    • (more…)

“Un” Book Club Reflections

In the first “un” book club meeting, we discussed the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.  There was a nice, diverse group of folks who came by the TLC sandbox to discuss the main concepts and relate them to our work here at MIIS.  In his book, Gladwell outlines some relatively hidden secrets to success – timing, opportunity, culture and experience.  The typical success story is told as if the person arose from ashes and took the world by surprise when actually the very opposite is the case.  He highlights cases such as Bill Gates who was born in the exact right year in the exact right town to have access to computers at a young age so by the time he left college, he had more than 10,000 hours of experience working with computers.

Some of the big ideas/questions that came up during the meeting were:

  • Should we be trying to recruit outliers, create outliers, raise the curve of outliers or treat each student as if they are a potential outlier?
  • How can we “engineer” opportunities for students?
  • Timing is so important – we must prepare students so that they are ready to take advantage of an opportunity when the time strikes.

After a successful first “un” book club meeting, the group has decided to move forward and pick a new book to help us frame our upcoming conversation.  The new book will be My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor.  We will be meeting at noon on Monday, February 9th in the TLC Sandbox (Kade, second floor).

Staff Meeting – 3:30 pm on Thursday, January 15th, Irvine Auditorium

The work group of staff members that formed after the last all staff meeting has been working hard to come up with some ideas for the structure of a staff council.  They have met, researched, brainstormed, debated and researched some more to find ideas that might help to organize the MIIS staff into a high performing team.  This group is now bringing three ideas for a structure back to the entire staff population to get their insights as to the best approach to give voice to the entire staff.  The meeting on January 15th, at 3:30 pm in the Irvine Auditorium will be to introduce the ideas and solicit feedback/new ideas.  There is a quick overview of the ideas below, but it is important for staff to attend the meeting  to discuss the various benefits of the different structures.

Regardless of structure, it is the hope that some sort of organization for staff will promote a sense of community, act as a liaison between the various constituents at MIIS, foster a culture of communication and collaboration, and work towards making MIIS more effective in living up to its mission.  All ideas include more all-staff meetings, working with the administration/board/faculty/students, and strengthening communication among the groups on campus.

Representative Structure

  • The staff is divided into 8 to 10 groups – each group elects or volunteers one representative to serve for 1 or 2 years.
  • Council has a President, VP and recording secretary/treasurer
  • The council has various committees such as: benefits/compensation, communications, professional development, event/philanthropy
  • Committee chairs solicit help from others on campus to deal with particular issues

3-person Steering Committee

  • Steering committee facilitates one or two all-staff meetings per semester
  • May also meet with board, faculty senate, or student council
  • Provides means of communication between staff and administration
  • Committee members nominated and elected by staff
  • Serve for one year term
  • Voluntary subcommittees formed ad hoc as needed to address current issues and concerns

6-Person Advisory Team

  • Small diverse group (5-6 people) – volunteers
  • New volunteer opportunities offered annually
  • Dynamic/flexible – dependent on the needs/concerns of the staff
  • Work off annual agendas set by the entire staff
  • Facilitate regular staff meetings (quarterly, monthly?)

See you on January 15th!

Un Book Club Update

The first “un” book club meeting will take place on Monday, January 12th, 1 pm in Kade, second floor. Come ready to discuss the concepts behind Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers.

Pathfinder Contributes to Scholarship on Peace and Conflict

The Institute welcomes a new online scholarly journal, The Pathfinder, a Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies. Editor Yasasvin Nandish Wijetilleke, a 2008 graduate of the MAIPS program at MIIS, assembled the first issue, along with faculty advisor Dr. Pushpa Iyer, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution Program.

As described in its “About” message, the Pathfinder “publishes research papers that further the understanding of conflict by evaluating and challenging existing methods for preventing and ending violence.  It also examines and proposes innovative approaches to building peace.  Research articles in the journal explore issues such as identity, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, human rights, non-violence, social change, social justice, social movements, human and environmental security, sustainable development, governance and democracy.”

It includes research papers, stories of war and peace, personal reflections on issues of peace and conflict, and book and film reviews.

Thanks to the students, alums and faculty who have brought us this rich resource!

Staff Receive “Above and Beyond” Awards

One of the highlights of the annual MIIS faculty and staff holiday party is the announcement of recipients of the Institute’s Above and Beyond Awards. As described in the Employee Handbook,

The Above and Beyond Award was established in 2006 to recognize employees of the Institute who go above and beyond the normal duties of their position.

This year’s awards went to Sam Bravo, Ann Flower, and Kathy Sparaco.  Congratulations!

To Sam Bravo, Maintenance Assistant, In recognition of his countless hours of service to the Monterey Institute campus, at all hours.  Sam is a “can do” member of the MIIS community, who doesn’t know the meaning of “that’s not my job.”  He takes great pride in his work, and genuinely cares for the Institute’s faculty, staff, and students.

To Kathy Sparaco, Manager of International Services, In recognition of the expertise and innovative ideas she has brought to the Institute, especially in supporting international students, staff, and faculty.  She is an outstanding new staff member, energetic and passionate about community building, and about providing the highest level of service.

To Ann Flower, Coordinator of Public Services for the Library, in recognition of her consistent, excellent service to faculty, staff, and students.  She is well informed, helpful, pleasant, and willing to go the extra mile.  Whether blogging, doing research, or answering inquiries, her performance is always excellent, and greatly appreciated by all.

TLC Sandbox: digital stories!

Come and open your mind to the possibilities of using new forms of media to bring your story and the stories of MIIS to the world.

This Friday, December 12, at 3:30 in Kade, Innovation Consulting will present their findings and recommendations on how MIIS can implement a new broadcasting movement to build community,
break down barriers and connect us to the world.

Learn about new programming ideas capturing alumni stories from the field, recording current students working in far off places, highlighting our amazing and talented faculty and producing new signature content showcasing the Monterey Way 2.0.

Come learn how this idea can impact you!