News

Puppies, Gingerbread Houses, and Massages: Creative Approaches to Combating Finals Stress

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Finals Week

Students work on building gingerbread houses during the final week of classes in fall semester 2013.

Who knew that the week of finals could include a free massage, cozy visiting time with rescued puppies, and a gingerbread house decorating adventure? Among the most stressful weeks of the year for any student, the last week of the semester is traditionally a time when everything is pushed aside to make room for long hours of studying and finishing off projects and papers.

“During this busy time of year we want to bring students opportunities to unwind an relax without the stress of classes,” says Megan Joyce, assistant director of Student Services, “and these events help accomplish that.” Many students welcome the distraction. Some even decorated their gingerbread houses to fit their studies, like Whitney White, who is studying for a joint degree in Business Administration and International Environmental Policy Studies (MAIEP/MBA ’14). Along with her friend Dawnielle Jacobson (MATI ’14), she designed Santa’s environmentally friendly dream house. They said their concept was very fitting for someone who steers away from fossil fuels anyway, as Santa relies on reindeer for his travels… “We gave him six solar panels for his house, and we have it oriented towards the south to take advantage of sunlight, and we also added a wind turbine for a little more energy.”

To all of our students: keep calm and good luck on those finals!

Alumna Maureen Fura: Thankful to MIIS for Giving Me the Tools to Follow My Passion

Bergthora Gudbergsdottir evag@miis.edu Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
maureen

Maureen Fura (MPA ’09)

Maureen Fura (MPA ´09) has a lot to be thankful this year, but on top of her list is that her mother´s cancer is in remission, that her children are happy and healthy, and that her husband is working in a career he loves.

Maureen is a trailblazer and activist, working passionately to increase awareness and help for women suffering from perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders.She has bravely told her own personal story of severe perinatal depression (see video from TEDxMonterey 2013) and is working on a documentary called Dark Side of the Full Moon to break the silence on this health crisis.

She is thankful for the support she has received along her journey to tell the story of mothers who are suffering and have courageously shared their story with her.She is also very thankful “to MIIS for giving me the tools to do it.”More than that, Maureen is thankful for her time in Monterey, adding reflectively that she “didn’t know at when I was there, just how great I had it.”

Professor Peter Shaw: Actively “Thanking Outside the Box”

Bergthora Gudbergsdottir evag@miis.edu Communications, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
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Professor Peter Shaw.

As self-described professor of pedagogical magic, Peter Shaw is not one to follow the beaten path, but one who instead embraces new challenges and innovation in teaching and learning. It is then perhaps fitting, that this season of giving thanks he has decided to actively “thank outside the box.” As he explains it, he is going to try to “in particular appreciate my students who are not only grateful for what they like in their education, but also indicate how it might be even better.” 

A professor in the Institute’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, Peter has been thinking about gratitude recently after he discovered that studies show that it increases with age. “So by now I should totally stink of thankfulness and appreciation,” he says with his characteristic good-humored grin. “This week,” he says, “I am especially grateful for all those members of the MIIS community who themselves have the attitude of gratitude, and take the time to thank those who so constantly provide us with help, encouragement, and support. A Happy Thanks giving to all!”

 

Staff Member Dollie Pope: Thankful for the Power of Good Teamwork

Bergthora Gudbergsdottir evag@miis.edu Communications, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
staff_thanksgiving_dollie

Advancement Coordinator Dollie Pope.

Continuing our annual series on the spirit of giving thanks, we are happy to feature longtime Monterey Institute staff member Dollie Pope, advancement coordinator.  When asked what she is most thankful for this year, Dollie was quick to respond with: “collaboration and good teamwork.” She points out the obvious but often overlooked fact that “we can’t reach our goals or solve any hard problems, whether personal or global without working together.”

Dollie says that she feels very fortunate for her family and the people she works with and that it is very “good to know that there are people you can count on in life.” Dollie herself is known as one of the rocks of the Institute, always willing to extend a helping hand to anyone in need. It is nice to hear that it goes both ways. Says Dollie: “Just yesterday I was swamped here at work and I was able to enlist the help of my colleagues to get the job done.” According to Dollie, the keys to good collaboration are to listen well and to be willing to compromise and help out. We could probably all agree on the wisdom of that.

International Students at MIIS Thankful for Each Other This Holiday Season

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Thankful Students

Top (l to r): Chilina Rocca-Serra (MBA ’14), Augustin Hardy (MBA ’14), Jessica LeBriquer (MATI ’15); bottom: (l to r): Bruno Rossi (MATLM ’15), Alexandra Morais (MATLM ’15).

Every year the Monterey Institute likes to pause and celebrate in the spirit of the season by asking students, faculty, staff, and alumni to share what they are especially thankful for.

Far from home, students from France and Brazil are getting together to celebrate Thanksgiving. The menu will be all-American with roast turkey and sweet potatoes, and Alexandra Morais (MATLM ’15) is even going to make a cranberry cheesecake. “We have no American family, but we are each other’s family,” says Chilina Rocca-Serra (MBA ’14). When asked what they are thankful for this holiday season, the overwhelming sentiment is of togetherness. “I am thankful for all of the opportunities I have, and for you guys,” Bruno Rossi (MATLM ’15) shares, looking at his fellow classmates. Jessica LeBriquer (MATI ’15) adds, “I’m thankful for being able to pursue my dream of being an interpreter and for the friends that I have made here, the people I have met. I just feel happy here.”

Senior Diplomats Participate in NPT Negotiation Simulation Class

Jason Warburg Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom, NPTS
Arms Control Simulation Course

Former U.S. Ambassador Susan Burk and Chilean Ambassador Alfredo Labbe participating with students in this fall’s arms control simulation course at the Monterey Institute.

Dr. William Potter, director of the Monterey Institute’s James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), has pioneered the use of simulations as a tool for teaching students the intricacies of international arms control negotiations. Although many senior diplomats, including foreign ministers, have met with students in his classes at the Institute, this fall was the first time a former head of state participated in the course, and two ambassadors actually played themselves in a simulation of the 2014 NPT Preparatory Committee meeting.

Former Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva (see our story from 9/20/13) addressed student negotiators at the opening of the mock NPT PrepCom in September 2013, and Chilean Ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna Alfredo Labbe and former U.S. Nonproliferation Ambassador Susan Burk joined Chilean and U.S. delegations in November for hours of intense negotiations related to nuclear disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The engagement of these experienced diplomats added tremendous realism to the simulation and provided students with unusual insights about negotiating style and techniques. Austrian Ambassador Alexander Kmentt also spent a week in October with the student negotiators and shared his country’s perspectives on a number of new disarmament initiatives under review in the class and in the “real world.” The simulation course is offered through the Institute’s unique Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program.

Thanks in part to their unusual classroom experiences, many Monterey Institute simulation alumni have moved quickly from student negotiators to representatives of their countries in arms control negotiations in Geneva, Vienna, and New York. At the 2013 NPT PrepCom in Geneva, for example, over two dozen past and present Institute students and CNS staff and visiting fellows served as members of national and international organization delegations, including those of Burkina Faso, China, Chile, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Peru, Romania, the Russian Federation, and the United States.

Large Group of International Education Management Students and Faculty Participate in NAFSA Conference

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
International Education Management at NAFSA

Almost 40 Monterey Institute faculty, staff, students and alumni participated in the recent NASFA Association of International Educators conference. Photo: Lars Schlereth.

The Monterey Institute made its presence in the field of International Education Management felt at the recent NAFSA: Association of International Educators Region 12 conference in San Diego. Thirty-seven students, one staff and two faculty members from the International Education Management program attended the conference.

With record attendance, this conference offered professional training for international education practitioners in the areas of study abroad design and administration, training in international student immigration regulations and strategies for marketing and student recruitment. Students and faculty took the opportunity at the conference to deepen their knowledge of the field, expand professional networks, and identify organizations interested in hosting students during the professional practicum that is part of their master’s degree program.

Eight Monterey Institute community members presented their research or facilitated sessions at the conference. They included:

  • Juliet Tyson (MAIEM ’14) and Anessa Escobar (MAIEM ’14) “What’s Up with Culture?”
  • Kirsten Greene (MAIEM ’13) and Alex Nichol (MAIEM’14) “Mentoring in International Education: Strategies for Success”
  • Alisyn Henneck (MIIS staff member and MAIEM ’13) “EducationUSA: Global Student Mobility Trends Go Local”
  • Alisyn Henneck and MacKenzie Hizon (MATESOL ‘06) presenting “Building Your Institution’s Brand: Using Video to Showcase the Student Experience”
  • Jay Ward (MAIPS ’83)) presenting “Professional Development Opportunities with the International Education Administrators Fulbright Program”
  • Dr. Katherine Punteney, professor and IEM program chair also co-facilitated a nine-hour training on J-1 immigration regulations

“I really enjoyed attending the Region XII NAFSA conference in San Diego last week,” says Chanel Bell (MAIEM/MPA ’15). “Being new to the field, it was great to network with other professionals and learn about the topics affecting international education. I also appreciate how much support and encouragement the IEM faculty gave us in preparation for and throughout the conference. I am looking forward to attending the national conference next May.”

Alumni Survey Reveals Strong Employment Numbers for MIIS Graduates

Bergthora Gudbergsdottir evag@miis.edu careers, Communications, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
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The Monterey Institute Career Fair helped a number of 2012 graduates land jobs in their fields.

Making a difference—the goal of many a Monterey Institute graduate—often begins with a more immediate concern: finding a job. The good news is, a “one year out” survey of recent graduates of the Monterey Institute this fall found that an impressive 87 percent were employed, with another five percent not currently seeking employment due to continuing education or other reasons.

Underscoring the value of the support offered by the Monterey Institute’s global alumni network and Center for Advising and Career Services, half of those currently employed obtained their position with help from a Monterey Institute contact, whether alumni, current students, faculty/staff, or via the Institute’s annual Career Fair.

The Institute’s unique focus on language ability also proved invaluable for the 64 percent of respondents who stated that they use the language they studied at the Institute in their work.

“We’re delighted with these results, which demonstrate in concrete terms the relevance and marketability of a Monterey Institute degree,” commented Institute President Sunder Ramaswamy. “It’s also gratifying to see how supportive our alumni network continues to be of their fellow graduates.”

The survey, targeting 2012 graduates and administered by Middlebury College’s Office of Planning and Assessment, had an impressive 65 percent response rate, yielding a wealth of valuable data.

 

About to Graduate, U.S. Army Veteran Matt Jira Feels “Fully Prepared” to Transition to Chosen Career

Jason Warburg careers, Communications, Featured, MIIS Update, News, newsroom
Matt Jira in Baghdad

Matt Jira (right) with his father and cousin in Baghdad

“After visiting the Monterey Institute, I was all in,” says Matt Jira (BA/MPA ’13), a veteran of the U.S. Army who is on the verge of launching a new career in international development. “I was drawn to the international community but especially to the pragmatic focus of the academic program,” he shares, adding that now, as he prepares to graduate, he is confident in his skills and “feels fully prepared to transition from military service to a career in development.”

Matt enlisted in the Army at the age of 17 and served for fourteen and a half consecutive years. He served as a military police sergeant at the Camp Delta Terrorist Detention Facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and as the leader of the only Department of State-certified High Threat Target Protection unit in Bagdad, Iraq in 2008. In the latter role, he was responsible for the daily security of U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, as well as visiting dignitaries such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, then-Senator Barack Obama, and King Hussein of Jordan during their official visits to Bagdad.

Encounters with extreme poverty during his overseas military service led Matt to seek a career in development, and he can think of no better place to prepare for that than MIIS. He is already on his way, with a paid internship and several positive job prospects on the horizon. He and his family feel “so blessed to be here” in Monterey, where they have enjoyed living by the ocean and being part of a “great community.”

Students like Matt enrich the Monterey Institute’s small international community with their wealth of experience and knowledge. The Institute is proud to be recognized, yet again, as a Military Friendly School for supporting and embracing military service members, veterans and spouses as students.

The Monterey Institute Veterans Association will host a celebration in honor of Veterans Day at the Irvine Auditorium on Monday, November 11 at 6:30 p.m., with a panel discussion featuring veterans from four different Monterey Peninsula schools and a reception. “Based on who is attending, it promises to be a great event,” says Mike Sanford, president of the MIIS Veterans Organization.

TESOL Alumna Writes Memorial Piece for Dr. Leo van Lier

Jenna Tidwell Alumni, Language Education, Language Program Administration, MIIS Update, News, TESOL, TFL

LeovanLier

Caroline Fuchs, an alumna of the MIIS MATESOL program, recently published a memorial piece for the late Dr. Leo van Lier. According to Caroline, “words can’t do justice to the wisdom that Leo encompassed for those who were fortunate enough to have known him. This is my humble attempt at expressing my thoughts.”

If you would like to read the piece in its entirety, you can download it here.