Fellowships

Fulbright Scholars from 17 Countries Refine English and Academic Skills at MIIS

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu ESL, Featured, Fellowships, Fulbright, International Student, newsroom
Fulbright Scholars

Fulbright students from around the world gathered for a welcome reception at the Monterey Institute in late July, 2014.

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and for many of the Fulbright scholars attending the pre-academic program at the Monterey Institute, the time they spend here is their first introduction to the United States. It has become a cherished summer tradition for MIIS to host the Fulbright English for Graduate Studies program here on campus, providing academic courses as well cultural experiences.

The students attend English language courses with Monterey Institute faculty, attend lectures by various faculty and community members touching upon different aspects of life in the U.S., and attend “Graduate Student Life Skills” workshops focusing on real-life issues such as health and safety, banking, computer skills, getting along with roommates and more.

Cultural activities include hiking at Garland Ranch, visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium, traveling to San Francisco, participating in dinners at the homes of Monterey County community members, and attending a Monterey Institute community traditional Iftar dinner to celebrate the breaking of the fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Among volunteer activities the students participate in are giving cultural presentations at the Boys & Girls Club, and helping with United Way‘s “Stuff the Bus” event this Saturday to provide school supplies to children in need.

“One of the things I really value about this program is that it helps the participants build a strong support network,” says Katie Dutcher, assistant director of Intensive English Programs. The students come from countries as far away from each other as Nicaragua and Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Albania, and after their experience in Monterey they depart to universities all over the U.S., returning home upon completion of their studies. “During this first month, all of these diverse and amazing people get to meet and form a team, and I love the way they support and encourage each other throughout their studies.”

One of the scholars said at the welcome reception that he believed there was a very negative impression of the U.S. in his home country, but after his time in Monterey he would tell everyone how wonderful the people are. No need to ask for a second chance at that first impression!

Anonymous Donor Pledges $1.8 Million to Support Center for the Blue Economy

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu CBE, donors, Environment, Featured, Fellowships, IEP, newsroom

Trent Hodges.jpg

Student Trent Hodges’ summer 2014 fellowship working on ““surfonomics” with Save the Waves in Mexico was funded by generous supporters of the Center for the Blue Economy, and included the opportunity to participate in a “paddle out” ceremony.

The Monterey Institute has received a $1.8 million challenge gift that aims to both support and inspire the continued growth and expansion of the Institute’s ocean and coastal economics research and education center, the Center for the Blue Economy.

The gift has three components: a $600,000 outright gift in the first year (beginning July 1, 2014), and challenge matching gifts of $600,000 in each of the following two years, with the goal of generating at least $3 million for the center’s operations over the next three years.

“This generous challenge gift will help to ensure the continued vitality and growth of the Center for the Blue Economy over the next several years,” commented MIIS President Sunder Ramaswamy. “It should serve to inspire other individuals, foundations, and grant-makers to meet this donor’s challenge and raise additional major support, including endowed funds, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Center. I look forward to working with potential supporters worldwide who care about the future of our oceans.”

CBE Director Jason Scorse, a MIIS professor who also chairs the school’s Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy program, said “this new gift and the challenge it kicks off will allow the CBE to build upon the strong momentum generated over the past two years. It will allow us to expand our economic databases and analyses into new and important policy areas where economic data is lacking. We will also launch our new Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics this year, expand our international efforts beyond Asia and Europe, and be able to provide significantly more financial support to students enrolling in the ocean and coastal resource management concentration in our International Environmental Policy program.”

“The CBE is uniquely positioned to make the economic case for ocean conservation and to better inform decision makers with important economic information long absent from policy dialogue,” added Scorse. “We hope to play a key role in helping to shape policies on ocean and coastal issues in the years ahead.”

Another Bountiful Harvest of Fellowships for Monterey Institute Students

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu Boren, Featured, Fellowships, Fulbright, newsroom, Sea Grant
Nate Maynard MAIEP ‘14

Nate Maynard (left) is researching the economic value of a marine reserve in Taiwan on his Fulbright scholarship project.

Monterey Institute students are celebrating yet another banner year for earning prestigious fellowships such as the Fulbright, Boren and the Presidential Management Fellowship. The high success rate for these very competitive fellowships can be attributed to a combination of excellent candidates and strong support from MIIS faculty and staff.

“Before attending MIIS, a Fulbright fellowship seemed impossible, now it seems like it was inevitable, I couldn’t imagine attending any other school,” says International Environmental Policy student Nate Maynard, who will be researching the economic value of a marine reserve in Taiwan as part of his Fulbright scholarship.

Here are some highlights from this year’s bumper crop:

Kathryn Davis Fellowship for Peace:

  • Wesley Laine (MAIPS ’14)

NNSA Graduate Program (NNSA):

  • Jerry Davydov (MANPTS ’13)

Presidential Management Fellowship (USG):

  • Trisha Thibodaux (MANPTS ‘14) 
  • Matthew Jira (MPA ‘14)

Boren Fellowship:

  • Philip (Hiro) Chang (MAIPS ‘13) Korea, Korean
  • Stephanie Gentle (MAIEP ‘16), Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz and Uzbek 
  • Katherine Leggiero (NPTS ‘16) Jordan, Arabic

Fulbright US Student Program (DOS/IIE):

  • Nathaniel Maynard (MAIEP ‘14), Research, Taiwan, “What is the Economic Benefit of the Houbihu Marine Protected Area?” (September 2014 to June 2015)
  • Teryn Wolfe (MAIEP ;14), Research, Colombia, “Assessing the FAIRMINED Certification for Artisanal Mining in Tadó, Colombia.” 
  • Stephanie Loiselle (MATFL ‘14), English Teaching Assistantship (ETA), Colombia 
  • Emily Quade (MATESOL ‘13), ETA, Taiwan

Scoville Fellowship:

  • Shane Mason (MANPTS) Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January-May 2014

Catholic Relief Services Fellowship:

  • Bill Reinecke (MBA ’10) Rwanda
  • Anne-Claire Benoit (MPA ’12), Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Kathleen Gordon (MPA ’12) Niger
  • Michelle Bradley (MPA ’05)

California Sea Grant (NOAA)/Knauss Fellowship:

  • Laura Henson (MAIEP ‘13)

MIIS Ranks 2nd Among Peace Corps Masters International Programs

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu Featured, Fellowships, newsroom, peace_corps
Peace Corp Fellowship

Noor Puthawala (MPA ’10, second from right) during her PCMI assignment in Guatemala.

It appears the special relationship that the Monterey Institute and the Peace Corps have enjoyed for decades is only growing stronger. This year, after placing third two years in a row, MIIS ranked second in the nation in terms of number of students participating in the Peace Corps Masters International program or PCMI. Currently twenty-five MIIS students are on Peace Corps assignments in partnering countries through the PCMI program.

Further showing the strength of the connection, the Monterey Institute ranked tenth in the nation for its Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship program, launched in 2012. The fellowship, originally founded by MIIS professor Beryl Levinger, provides graduate school scholarships to returned Peace Corps volunteers who complete a degree-related internship in an underserved U.S. community while pursuing their studies. The program is specifically reserved for students who have already completed their Peace Corps service abroad.

A degree at the Monterey Institute pairs perfectly with the Peace Corps experience. Many Monterey Institute PCMI graduates have spoken about the complimentary combination of classroom theory and fieldwork of their degree, use of advanced language skills, and how happy they are to return to Monterey after two years in the field and get an opportunity to further build on their experience in an environment where so many faculty, staff and fellow students can fully relate. For more information about the Peace Corps connection to MIIS, visit go.miis.edu/peacecorps.

MIIS Student Wins Projects for Peace Fellowship for Cholera Prevention Project in Haiti

Anne-Marie Steiger asteiger@miis.edu development, Featured, Fellowships, internships, IPS, newsroom, social_change
Wesley Laine

Wesley Laine (MAIPS ’14) holding one of the beneficiaries of his innovative water project.

Monterey Institute student Wesley Laine (MAIPS ’14) will receive $10,000 in funding for his Cholera prevention project in Haiti through the prestigious Projects for Peace fellowship. “I am really grateful to MIIS and the Kathryn Davis Foundation for believing in my project — Cholera Prevention: Service, Solidarity, and Peace,” says Wesley. The foundation’s Projects for Peace initiative encourages students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program partner schools to design grassroots projects that promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties. The fellowship is funded by the Davis family in honor of Kathryn W. Davis, a lifetime internationalist and philanthropist, who died last year at the age of 106. She founded the program when she turned 100 years old, challenging young leaders to “bring about a mind-set of preparing for peace, instead of preparing for war.”

Wesley is very passionate about his bottom-up approach to form a real partnership with people in rural Haiti to improve hygiene with the aim of preventing waterborne pathogens, especially cholera. His work has been featured at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting (see news story from October 2013). He likens the project to a marathon and says: “I am in it until the end. That is my promise to my compatriots in Haiti.”

Applicants for Projects for Peace fellowships are encouraged to use their creativity to design projects and employ innovative techniques for engaging project participants in ways that focus on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict, and finding solutions for resolving conflicts and maintaining peace. Wesley has designed his project to “empower the individual agency with a focus on establishing a preferential option for the poor.” He is very happy with the many professional growth opportunities he has been provided with through his studies at the Monterey Institute, including a semester in Paris with Middlebury Schools Abroad and Development Project Management Institute intensive training program in Rwanda this January.