Community

MIIS Welcomes 373 Students from 35 Countries as Orientation Begins

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu Community, Featured, newsroom
Incoming Class

Members of the incoming class at the Monterey Institute kicked off orientation with the President’s Welcome session held at the historic Golden State Theatre in downtown Monterey.

For 373 individuals hailing from 35 different countries—the incoming fall class at the Monterey Institute—this week marks the beginning of an extraordinary journey that will set them on a path to their chosen career. Members of this year’s class are enrolled in one of the thirteen graduate degree programs offered at the Institute, are native speakers of two dozen languages, and bring with them a wide range of experiences and cultural backgrounds.

One of the highlights of the orientation week is spoken-word performance based on responses the incoming class gave on a questionnaire sent out earlier this summer, along with some excerpts from their statements of purpose. This year the theme of the performance was the important personal connections that students form with each other while at Monterey, and the close-knit community of MIIS alumni they will soon be joining.

So who are these people? Following is a snapshot of some of their responses addressing that very question:

  • “a wanderer, ponderer, dreamer, explorer” 
  • “a basketball mania nerd” 
  • “a Caribbean American” 
  • “raised in the military but quite the hippie” 
  • “I know what it is to be homeless and hungry” 
  • “I am from France. I eat way more cheese than the average person.” 
  • “I am from Shanghai, China. The tremendous change there lets me believe that I should never underestimate my potential”

…and hopefully they all agree with the student who simply replied: “I am ready!”

MIIS Professor and Student Win $50,000 Innovator of the Year Award

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu Business, careers, Community, Environment, Featured, IEP, MBA, newsroom
Monterey Bay Startup Challenge Winners

Monterey Bay Startup Challenge winners Maeve Murphy (MBA/MAIEP ’15) and Professor Jeff Langholz after the competition.

“A supportive culture of innovation exists at MIIS,” says Professor Jeffrey Langholz of the International Environmental Policy program, who this weekend won the main prize of $50,000 and title of Innovator of the Year at the Monterey Bay Startup Challenge along with graduate student Maeve Murphy (MBA/MAIEP ’15). Their idea is called Water City and it helps make water conservation easy and profitable for the public.

Freshwater issues are a passion for Maeve, who is working on a joint degree in business administration and environmental policy. “This is why I came to MIIS,” she says happily, explaining that she has long been bothered by the inefficiencies in the way we handle freshwater. Professor Langholz is also passionate about water issues, and when his colleague Kent Glenzer founded the recent Monterey Institute Community Innovation Challenge for students with a challenge focused on water issues, Jeff started thinking actively of solutions.

When Maeve made an appointment with Professor Langholz in February to discuss career options, he shared his water ideas and they decided to combine their strengths. For Maeve, the challenge came at a perfect time. “It was a real-world situation in which I could apply my education thus far to an idea that I am passionate about. There were countless times I would be in class and would realize that what we were learning that moment I could apply to the Water City project and would pull open my notes or financial spreadsheet and start adjusting immediately.” Smiling wryly, Langholz says,”MIIS faculty are in the business of making students’ dreams come true.”

When MIIS faculty and students put their heads together, the rest of the world benefits. But these two do not want to take all the credit for their success so far. “This may have looked like a single student and a single professor,” says Langholz, ”but more than 40 people on campus supported the effort – that’s how it works at MIIS!”

Carmel Jewish Film Festival Finale on MIIS Campus

Megan Joyce Community, Events, MIIS Update, Student Life

JEWISH FILM FEST TIX copyThe 2014 Carmel Jewish Film Festival and the Monterey Institute community outreach committee the eMIISsaries is proud to present a the screening of its finale film on Sunday, March 9 on the MIIS campus.

The Attack will be screened in Irvine Auditorium followed by a panel comprised of MIIS faculty with expertise in the films’s subject, and moderated by Provost Amy Sands.

Reception: 6:30pm
Film: 7:30pm
Panel to follow film

MIIS students are being offered a *special ticket pricing that includes the pre-film reception, the film and post film event for $10, a $27 value. Tickets are available in Student Services.

*Special pricing is for the finale screening, reception and panel only. Additional tickets to the festival may be purchased through the Carmel Jewish Film Festival’s website.

Monterey Public Library 9th Annual Chocolate & Wine Tasting Benefit

Maria Osorio Community, MIIS Update
Library Benefit

The Friends of the Monterey Public Library will present their 9th annual Chocolate & Wine Tasting Benefit on Friday, February 7, 2014, 7:00 -9:00 p.m., at the Monterey Public Library. Sample a wide variety of local wines, as well as Prosecco and Ports, and enjoy a dazzling array of chocolate treats ranging from cakes, cookies, petit fours, brownies, fondue, ice cream, in addition to molé and a “chocolate” ale.
The event features live music and a silent auction, with items such as:

  • a paella dinner with Dan Albert,
  • dinner for two with wine pairings at Ventana,
  • a Day of Beauty at the Spa at Pebble Beach,
  • an original Rollin Pickford watercolor,
  • an America’s Cup Yacht sailing trip,
  • 4-night stay at select Hyatt Place locations in the U.S. with Airfare for 2
  • and more!

There will also be a fabulous raffle including a Kindle Fire and a night at the Lavender Inn in Napa Valley, recently voted as one of the Top 50 Small Hotels in the United States by readers of Condé Nast Traveler.

All proceeds benefit the Monterey Public Library. Must be age 21-up to attend. Get your tickets now!  ($30 in advance at the Library Help Desk or $35 at the door.)  The Library is located at 625 Pacific Street. For more information contact Inga Waite at (831) 646-5602.

Volunteer for VORP at Restorative Justice Partners

Megan Joyce Community, MIIS Update, Volunteer
MEDIATION BLOG POSTAre you interested in helping mediate resolutions between victims and offenders and polishing your conflict resolution skills? Restorative Justice Partners, Inc in Marina is looking for volunteers for one of its key programs, the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP). VORP brings together the offender of crimes and the victim of crimes together for a mediation. The mediators for these are volunteers (you!) from the community. Due to continuing county-wide buy-in VORP is seeing an increase of cases, which is exciting, but has increased the need more mediators!
The next training for mediators will be during J-term, but we will have other trainings in the future. There is a student discount for the training ($10 instead of $30).
Attached you can find a flyer that has some information about this program or you can email our VORP Coordinator at rjp.vorp@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays!