Thank you to the generous donors who continue to support the Monterey Institute and our students!

Gifts to the Monterey Institute more than doubled in the fiscal year ending on June 30 as compared to the previous year. Gifts received over the 2013-14 fiscal year totaled $6,510,088, more than twice the $3.1 million received in 2012-13. Participation was up across the board, with total donors increasing 34 percent and alumni donors jumping 50 percent.

For the fourth year in a row, the Institute met the “Multiply the Good” challenge, raising more than $1 million in gifts of $5,000 or more and thereby triggering a $500,000 match from an anonymous donor. Year-end results also benefitted also from an alumni-focused challenge in June, which generated 541 gifts totaling more than $125,000.

“To have giving to the Institute double year over year is gratifying and humbling,” commented MIIS President Sunder Ramaswamy. “The loyal support that MIIS has earned over the years continues to grow, and these contributions will help to make a top-quality international graduate education accessible for the next generation of students.”

To learn more about the wide range of gift opportunities at the Monterey Institute, please visit our Giving page.

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 berlieved 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!

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.”

Prof. Robert Rogowosky (center), program chair for the new Master of Arts in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy, with students on a March 2014 immersive learning trip to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

With the increasing interdependence of the global economy accelerating the demand for high-caliber trade professionals, the Monterey Institute of International Studies today announced the launch of its new Master of Arts in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy degree program.

The new 18-month program will feature two semesters of classroom instruction in Monterey, and a final semester based out of the Institute’s new Washington, D.C. office, which includes a large classroom and videoconferencing space and offers direct access to policymakers and career networking opportunities. The program will enroll its first students in fall 2015.

“This unique 18-month program will give students the opportunity to combine two semesters of intensive classroom training with a semester in Washington, D.C. working directly with leading practitioners in the field,” said President Sunder Ramaswamy. “The program will position them well to make a successful transition into the professional world of international trade.”

Students will begin with an introductory boot camp to reinforce basic skills, and progress through the program with same diverse cohort of classmates and colleagues. The program is designed to foster the leadership, writing, communication, and team-building skills that will allow graduates to excel as professionals in areas including international trade, economics, business and finance, international institutions & law, economic diplomacy, and multicultural negotiation..

The new program builds on the Trade, Investment and Development track previously offered within the International Policy Studies degree program. At various times in the past, the Institute has offered standalone master’s degrees in Commercial Diplomacy (1998-2005) and International Trade Policy (2004-11).

“I’m excited about the opportunity to launch this new degree,” said Professor Robert Rogowsky, chair of the new program. “This program combines existing MIIS strengths with an innovative new approach offering the kind of practical experiences and networking opportunities that will ensure our graduates will become sought-after professionals.”

For more information about the Master of Arts in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy degree program, visit go.miis.edu/trade.

The MIIS community rose to the challenge, more than doubling the initial goal of 250 individual gifts in 25 days!

The Monterey Institute’s extended campus community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni is known for many things—language abilities, global perspectives, and cross-disciplinary innovation, to name a few. This June, two other key characteristics of the MIIS community came into focus: loyalty, and the desire to be the solution to any problem our community encounters.

As chronicled in a previous story, the Monterey Institute community was presented with an exciting challenge in early June by long time board member and supporter Jed Smith. If 250 alumni and friends of the Institute would make a gift of any size over the 25 days stretching from June 5 to June 30, Jed pledged to match it with $25,000 for student financial aid. “I hope this match will inspire others throughout the Monterey Institute community to step up and show their support,” said Jed—and he was not disappointed.

When the challenge finished on June 30—and staff finished tallying the flood of gifts large and small—the final tally came to 541 gifts totaling more than $125,000! With the $25,000 match added on, this campaign raised more than $150,000 for student financial aid.

“This truly remarkable outcome demonstrates once again how much our alumni value the experiences they had at MIIS, and how much they want to pass that opportunity on to future students,” commented President Sunder Ramaswamy. “We are tremendously grateful to every donor who stepped up and made a gift to help us earn this match, whether it was for $5 or $5,000.”

Financial aid helps ensure that the Monterey Institute’s student body includes a vibrant mosaic of individuals from all over the world and all different backgrounds every year. Approximately 90 percent of students receive some financial aid while attending MIIS. To make a gift to the Monterey Institute, visit go.miis.edu/give.