News

Team of MBA Students Wins Third Prize in International Business Plan Competition

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
International Business Plan Competition

James Shirreff (MBA/MAIEP ’14), John Foss (MBA ’13), Mary Vargo (MBA ’14) (holding check) and Morgan Rogge (MBA/MAIEP ’14) (next to Mary) with the judging panel and their award at Davos.

Four Monterey Institute MBA students traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January to compete in the final round of the international Business for a Better World competition, sponsored by Corporate Knights and the Schulich School of Business. The MIIS quartet beat out teams from 20 other universities around the world to reach the final three.

Mary Vargo (MBA ’14), Morgan Rogge (MBA/MAIEP ’14), John Foss (MBA ’13), and James Shirreff (MBA/MAIEP ’14) said the experience in Davos was “amazing,” and their presentation was very well received. They were awarded the third place, carrying a $2,000 prize. “The MIIS team was the thought leader in this competition,” says Dean Yuwei Shi of the Institute’s Graduate School of International Policy and Management. “Their work treads convincingly beyond corporate social responsibility and shows an exciting direction to businesses that are looking past the one-, five- or even ten-year horizon. We are very proud of the team’s achievement.”

Vargo and Foss are students in the Institute’s Fisher MBA in International Management program, while Rogge and Shirreff are pursuing the joint degree program combining the MBA with the Master of Arts in International Environmental Policy.

MIIS Students Visit Haiti to Implement Teacher Training Curriculum Designed in Class

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
J Term Haiti

Gregory Singfield (MATFL ’14),Haley Berl (MATESOL ’14), Pére Noé (Director of St. André’s school), Marie Snider (MATESOL ’13), Evens Israel (English teacher at St. André’s).

In October of this year, Monterey Institute staff member Lisa Donohoe Luscombe (MATESOL ’09) traveled to St. Andre’s school in the central plateau of Haiti on a volunteer mission to conduct an English language needs analysis for the 900-student school and to introduce One Laptop Per Child XO machines to teachers and students. The project, nicknamed “Team EFL Haiti,” attracted a team of four students in the fall curriculum design course led by Professor Jason Martel.

The students—Haley Berl (MATESOL ’14), Dane Carson (MATESOL ’16), Maggie Rodgers (MATESOL ’16) and Syd Schulz (TESOL Certificate ’13)—developed a curriculum design for both English and computer literacy at St. Andre’s. In January over winter term, Haley, fellow student Gregory Singfield (MATESOL ’14) and alumna Marie Snider (MATESOL ’13) traveled to Haiti to work on a three-week project that included teaching evening English classes for the community, working with local English teachers on teacher training and professional development, and setting up a computer lab for students.

As far as real-life professional training goes, it does not get much better than this. The students have all worked exceptionally hard, knowing that their class project can make an immediate difference in people’s lives. Being able to follow up and implement the first phase of the curriculum is another amazing learning experience. In the evening, when the team in Haiti has a few moments to unwind, they use it to hang out with members of the community, laughing and talking into the night. They are dutifully recording their experiences on a blog and will share their reflections and lessons learned with fellow students when they return.

And this is just the beginning—starting in the spring semester, a new group of students will begin developing an official English language curriculum for St. Andre’s school.

Alumnus Michael Murphy: Water Innovation the Focus of Exciting Career

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy (MBA/MAIEP ’08)

Growing up in hot and dry Austin, Texas gave Michael Murphy (MBA/MAIEP ’08) a deep-rooted understanding of the value of water as a resource and how stressed many of our water sources are. In true Monterey Institute fashion, Michael has made global and local water challenges the focus of a highly specialized career that also relies heavily on his skills in developing community connections.

After working on water supply and sanitation issues for the World Bank for several years, Michael has now taken on the high profile task of leading efforts to build the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ nascent water technology cluster—a $4 billion dollar sector “poised for strong growth” according to the National Law Review. His role is to bring together the nearly 300 organizations, companies, and institutions working within state borders on water technology, with the goal of transforming the disjointed cluster into a world-class hub of water innovation.

“It is very exciting and humbling,” Michael says, noting happily that it has already led to exponential growth of his professional network. “I feel very fortunate to get to work on water, policy, and business in a position that also has includes international development components—it combines all of my professional interests!”

Michael came to the Monterey Institute after spending two years in Bolivia, where he specialized in water resources as a Peace Corps volunteer, planning and building water wells. He quickly connected to the community, finding the knowledge and experience of his fellow students invaluable and working closely with faculty on several long-term projects. But perhaps the most meaningful lessons came from serving as the second co-director of Team El Salvador (’07-’08), the winter term development practicum he says had “tremendous, tangible value.”

Spring 2014 Colloquium: A transformative opportunity for students exploring various degree paths

Erina McWilliam Events, MIIS Update, News
Spring 2014 Colloquium at MIIS

Spring 2014 Colloquium at MIIS

The Global Problems and Solutions Colloquium is an unambiguous demonstration of the Monterey model for transformative professional education serving graduate students across the GSIPM degree programs. As we start a new year together, we are pleased to share an update from Professor Robert Rogowsky. As you may know, this year’s Colloquium is focused on Economic Diplomacy and Statecraft. The Colloquium is a semester-long course and guest speaker series that brings the world’s leading practitioners directly to the classroom. For special events and course participation questions, please contact GSIPM Special Programs Manager Erina McWilliam-Lopez via: emcwilliam@miis.edu.

Dear Colleagues,

I will be leading the 2014 Colloquium and hosting a series of high-profile guest speakers in the classroom to capture themes in international commerce and foreign policy  that cross several degree paths at the Institute including peacekeeping and nonproliferation, commercial diplomacy, environment, development, localization, and trade. Students pursuing various career paths will have the opportunity to come together and explore issues surrounding economic statecraft with some of the most renowned scholars and practitioners working in the field of economic diplomacy.

Economic statecraft is at the heart of American international relations and foreign policy.  It is, indeed, at the heart foreign policy for virtually all nations.  With this in mind, the Spring 2014 Colloquium Course–Economic Statecraft and Diplomacy–offers a superb opportunity to study of the most pressing and challenging issues facing the world today.

We live in an increasingly integrated global marketplace dominated by transnational commercial systems:  transnational corporations, deep trading agreements, long supply chains, international unions, global NGOs, international standard setting bodies. Foreign policy, national security, and hegemonic power strategies are increasingly tied to economic capabilities and interests. Territorial conflicts, such as in the South China Sea, are based on fishing and oil drilling rights. The Ukrainian crisis is a deep philosophical struggle based on whether to join an EU-FTA versus the Russian dominated Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. Governance in this complex G-Zero world depends on economic diplomacy and highly sophisticated commercial and economic statecraft.  Economic tools such as sanctions, subventions, and trading arrangements are the foundation of modern power.  As governing structures continue evolve over the next decade, economic diplomacy will be the key to avoiding military conflict.

Scheduled speakers include (click links to view media coverage and biographic details): 

Professor Evan Hillebrand, Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, University of Kentucky.

Rufus Yerxa, former Deputy Director, WTO.

Demetrios Marantos, former Deputy USTR, Senior Counsel, Square Inc.

Sean Thornton, Senior Counsel, Financial Regulatory Enforcement, Skadden Arps; Former Chief Counsel, U.S. Dept of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

Don Lewis, (Stanford Law School). Click here to recent latest media coverage.

Steve Pifer, Director, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative, Brookings Institute.

Ann Rollins, Director of Government Relations at Apple Inc.

Jennifer Sanford, Senior Manager, International Trade & Energy Policy at Cisco, Inc

Skip Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Trade Agreements and Compliance, Department of Commerce.

Dr. Shusong Ba, Deputy Director General of Financial Research Institute at the State Council of China, and Chief Economist of China Banking Association. Currently Senior Visiting Scholar at the Columbia Business School.

Jeri Jensen, Consultant to the Millenium Challenge Corp. and Senior Partner in Business Driven Development.

Dennis Fleming, Director of the Niger Project, Chevron Corp. Click here to view related news.

Francis Fukuyama, Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a resident in FSI’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

Throughout the semester, the Colloquium will hold a select number of speaker receptions offering students an opportunity to network with guest presenters. Registered students will also have the opportunity to interact with speakers through classroom discussion.

How to register: The course can be taken this spring as a course or seminar for 2 or 4* credits. Classes will meet from 6-9pm on Mondays in room MG102*. Register for IPSG 9593 – A with CRN: 20553.  *Seminar credits require a supplemental deliverable as described in course syllabus.

We hope to see many of you join us for another excellent Colloquium series!

Cheers!

Professor Rogowsky

Please share this opportunity with your networks – we thank you in advance for spreading the word!

Alumna Johanna Parker: As a Medical Interpreter, “I Get to Learn Something New Every Day”

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom, T&I
Johanna Parker

Johanna Parker (MATI ’05)

Monterey Institute alumna Johanna Parker (MATI ’05) gets to combine her love of language with a natural intellectual curiosity in her career as a professional interpreter. As a student in the Translation and Interpretation program in Monterey, she secured an internship at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics and fell in love with the fast-growing profession of medical interpreting. “You really get the feeling that you are making a real difference in people’s lives,” she says of the experience.

When she graduated she had a job lined up at Stanford Hospitals, where she has continued to grow her expertise, and currently holds the position of Lead Interpreter for Education and Training. She also teaches medical interpreting at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “I find medicine very interesting and learn something new every day.” Johanna works with several Institute alumni at Stanford Hospitals, and every year her employer welcomes nine MIIS students as interns.

Medical interpreting is in many ways more personal than traditional conference interpreting where the interpreter is removed from the speaker in a booth. For medical interpreters, “the ultimate goal of the encounter is understanding,” Johanna explains, and the interpreter can ask questions and has the freedom to use clarifying language. The personal interactions can also be difficult, as when interpreters have to break bad news or interpret last rites. The field of medical interpreting is “really coming into its own,” says Johanna, adding that the demand for specialized medical interpretation expertise is growing fast.

Although a respected expert in the field of medical interpreting, Johanna also finds time to expand her horizons further working as a seminar interpreter for the U.S. State Department, where she gets to delve deep into other subjects such as fisheries and foreign affairs. “MIIS really teaches students how to study and how to prepare for anything, which is a big part of the profession.”

MIIS Students Advance to Finals of International MBA Competition at World Economic Forum in Davos

Bergthora Gudbergsdottir evag@miis.edu Communications, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
suncor-surfboard_1

The Monterey Institute’s Business for a Better World team in Monterey in December 2013: John Foss (MBA ’13), Morgan Rogge (MBA/MAIEP ’14), Mary Vargo (MBA ’14), and James Shirreff (MBA/MAIEP ’14).

Four Monterey Institute MBA students have advanced to the final three in the international Business for a Better World competition, sponsored by Corporate Knights and the Schulich School of Business, beating out teams from 20 other universities around the world. At stake is prize pool of $15,000 and an amazing achievement to add to their resumes.

Not surprisingly for a group of Monterey Institute students, the team will be traveling to Davos from four different locations around the world. Mary Vargo (MBA ’14), Morgan Rogge (MBA/MAIEP ’14), John Foss (MBA ’13), and James Shirreff (MBA/MAIEP ’14) will respectively travel from the Virgin Islands, El Salvador, New Hampshire and England to present their proposal on January 24th to a panel of very distinguished judges as part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The students have worked hard to get to this point, devoting hundreds of hours to research and analysis to come up with solid recommendations for a more sustainable future for Canada’s largest company, Suncor. “We had to delve into the oil industry and many other subjects that we knew little about,” shares Mary Vargo of the very steep learning curve, “but we had enormous support from Dean Yuwei Shi (of the Graduate School of International Policy and Management), and Professor Sandra Dow (of the Fisher International MBA program), as well as other faculty, fellow students and staff members at the Monterey Institute.” John Foss adds: “It was truly amazing and I think we really pushed ourselves.”

As we send our best wishes to the team for their final presentation in Davos, we are already celebrating them as “winners” because of the dedication, hard work, positive spirits and exemplary teamwork that they have displayed throughout the competition.

Himayu Shiotani: Turning Dust into a Mountain

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Himayu%20Shiotani

Himayu Shiotani (MAIPS ’11) with a UN colleague in Somalia.

Born in Japan, Himayu Shiotani (MAIPS ’11) spent most of his youth in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in India.  During those years he often travelled to Kashmir to visit family, where he “witnessed day-to-day activities hampered by growing insecurity posed by the availability and use of weapons and explosives.” Those memories stuck with him and as he grew older he became increasingly curious about how weapons impact individual and collective decision-making processes.
 
His curiosity led him to pursue a career exploring those issues and he was drawn to MIIS because of its excellent reputation in the field of disarmament, nonproliferation, and arms control. “I had the pleasure of working closely with Dr. Ed Laurance on small arms and light weapons control issues, and conducting research on the nuclear weapons control regime under the guidance of Dr. Bill Potter,” says Himayu of his studies. Those experiences, along with an International Professional Service Semester (IPSS) placement at the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs in New York, have continued to contribute positively to his work.
 
Since the beginning of 2013, Himayu has travelled to over ten countries, including Somalia, South Sudan, Kosovo, and Nepal, conducting field missions with local and national authorities. As project manager for the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva, he manages a project to develop a technical assistance tool to enhance the practical application of the International Small Arms Control Standards and to support the states, UN, and civil society in measuring, prioritizing, and evaluating their efforts to implement their commitments.
 
“In this work I have learned to appreciate every single input and feedback from the people I work with and to handle matters with extreme care,” he shares, and emphasizes how important it is to “remember why we are doing what we do, however small that contribution may be to the bigger picture.” At moments of doubt he says it is good to keep in mind the old Japanese proverb: “Even dust, if piled, can become a mountain.”
 
For more stories about the Monterey Institute community, check out the most recent edition of the Communiqué newsletter.
 

2013 in Review: High Level Visits, Alumni Reunion, Amazing Student Achievements

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Year in Review

Holiday greetings and best wishes from the Monterey Institute of International Studies!

As the Monterey Institute community looks forward to another great year we would like to share some of the highlights from 2013. We had a lot of good stories to pick from this year but have picked five that reflect the spirit of the year – high level campus visits, alumni engagement, exciting activities and amazing student achievements.

In January, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon honored the Monterey Institute and its James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies with a visit:

And in July the Institute welcomed a large group of alumni for the first alumni reunion in five years:

Monterey Institute alumni are in high demand in the challenging job market, as shown by the very high employment numbers for our recent graduates. Another indicator is the flurry of employment activities connected to the annual Career Fair:

The fourth annual TEDxMonterey was held in April, further strengthening the bonds between the Institute and the larger Monterey Peninsula community. Earlier in the month students and staff worked together to mount an Inside Out art action showing the many faces of our community:

And last, but by no means least, are the incredible stories of the fascinating people who make up our student body:

Middlebury President Ron Liebowitz Announces Governance Changes, 2015 Departure

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Middlebury College President Ron Liebowitz

Middlebury College President Ron Liebowitz

Following a meeting of the Middlebury College Board of Trustees, College President Ron Liebowitz announced plans to step down from his post effective June 30, 2015. President Liebowitz timed his announcement to coincide with consideration by the Board of Trustees of a set of significant changes to the governance structure that currently oversees the College and its affiliated entities, including the Monterey Institute of International Studies, the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad, the Middlebury Language Schools, and the Bread Loaf School of English. The Board of Trustees approved the changes at its regular December business meeting in New York on December 12.

For the Monterey Institute, the most significant change will be the replacement of the Institute’s existing Board of Governors by a new Board of Overseers, a majority of whom will be sitting members of the Middlebury Board of Trustees. The new Monterey Institute Board of Overseers, which will take office on July 1, 2014, will also include several “partner overseers” and three “constituent overseers”—one faculty member, one staff member, and one student.

Liebowitz, the 16th president of Middlebury College, assumed office in 2004 and spearheaded the move to add the Monterey Institute of International Studies as a Middlebury affiliate in 2005. In 2010, the Institute was fully integrated as a graduate school of Middlebury College.

For more detailed information about these changes, see the two stories on Middlebury’s website regarding the governance changes and President Liebowitz’s announcement, as well as the report of the Governance Task Force appointed by the Board of Trustees.

TEDxMonterey Women Warmed Spirits of the Audience in the Sold-Out Irvine Auditorium

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
TEDx Speakers

Andrea Stachnik and Paulette Lynch were two of the three live speakers at TEDxMonrterey Women, hosted at the Monterey Institute on December 6, 2013.

TEDxMonterey Women was one of over 200 TEDxWomen events happening simultaneously around the globe in over 58 countries expanding on ideas presented at this year’s TEDWomen ”Invented Here” event in San Francisco. The local event hosted at the Monterey Institute on Friday, December 6, featured a community screening of a session recorded live at the TEDWomen “Invented Here” event, three live presenters from our local community, and an energizing networking session. Over 250 people attended the event, describing it as “warming the spirit,” and “inspiring.”

Andrea Stachnik, founder of the non-profit Unmarked Streets, was the first live speaker to take to the stage in front of the audience in the sold-out Irvine Auditorium. She spoke of her experience working with women in Guatemala, sharing the mistakes she had made, what she had learned from them, and how that has shaped her approach to development.

Our second local speaker was a well-known champion of the arts in Monterey County, Paulette Lynch. She shared the story of the challenging first days of her dream job as executive director of the Arts Council of Monterey County and her deep-rooted belief that “arts are the answer” that has kept her going. Over the years her belief has been strengthened and supported by scientific evidence and personal accounts.

The final local speaker, Tonya Antle, a trailblazer in the field of organic produce and philanthropist, asked the audience what she has asked herself many times – “why stop here?” She talked about women and poverty in Monterey County and shared the story of 18 girls from Salinas who asked themselves that question as they broke through barriers to education and success. “When a woman thrives, a family thrives, and when a family thrives, a community thrives,” said Tonya to thundering applause – “Why stop here?”

Plans are already underway for TEDxMonterey to be held at the Monterey Institute on April 26, when we will explore the theme of “Edges.” Open auditions for speakers will be held in January and February. Stay tuned to TEDxMonterey’s website for more information.

TEDWomen is a TED event curated by TED and Pat Mitchell that focuses on women and women’s issues. TEDxWomen events are independently licensed TEDx events hosted around the webcast of TEDWomen.