At the end of December, Brenda Rowe marked 10 years of service to MIIS, and Marty Goss, Greg Harris,Carol Johnson, Edy Rhodes, Stephen Schwartz, and Monica Wilmot had all logged five years on the job. Thanks for your hard work!
Archive for category MIIS Update
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.
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:
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.
The annual performance evaluation process for staff members takes place between January 1 and March 31 of each year. As the evaluation season approaches, we would like to provide an update regarding the 2014 APS process.
In support of feedback over the past year, Human Resources will be assisting staff and supervisors to clarify what it means to meet or exceed performance expectations. Additionally, the APS will include an assessment of managers’ and supervisors’ performance with regard to working with direct reports and key stakeholders on effective communication, working relationships, work load prioritization and performance management.
The 2014 form is located at http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/business/hr/staffandfaculty/evals . As in past years, supervisors will be required to schedule an APS meeting with each of their staff members. Supervisors are responsible for assessing the staff member’s job performance over the past 12 months and determining an overall performance designation. They are also responsible for working with the staff member to determine goals and needs for ongoing support for the upcoming year. Staff members are responsible for completing their self-assessment and are encouraged to provide information to support their view on their own job performance. Staff members should also identify their goals and needed support for the next year.
Open workshops for supervisors and staff will begin in January. These sessions will review the overall process, share best practices for effectively collecting and summarizing performance information, and introduce a new tool to help clarify what it means to meet or exceed expectations. Workshop dates, times and locations are forthcoming later in December.
In the meantime, individual support is available to all supervisors and staff members and department specific consulting and training is available upon request. Feel free to contact the Human Resources department at 831.647.3520 or the “APS Hotline” at 802.443.5465 (option 1) with any questions you may have.
Congratulations to President Sunder Ramaswamy, who is one of this year’s recipients of the Hind Rattan award. The Hind Rattan (“Jewel of India”) award is one of the highest Indian diasporic award granted annually to non-resident Indian citizens (NRIs) by the NRI Welfare Society of India, an organization under the umbrella of the Government of India. The award is granted at the Society’s annual congress, held in conjunction with national Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations. The award ceremony is attended by senior members of the Government of India and of the Supreme Court of India.
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.
Feeling chilly?
Wondering what to get family and friends back home for the holidays?
Nothing says, “ah, warmth” like a nice, toasty sweatshirt, so swing by the Simoneau Alumni House/campus Gift Shop for our “Long Sleeve Sale”, starting Monday, December 9th! All items with long sleeves—three sweatshirts, a windbreaker and a t-shirt—are on sale for 10% off regular prices. It’s the perfect time to stock up on your MIIS gear, complete your holiday shopping list, and stay warm as you study into the wee hours.
Sale continues until Friday, December 20th.
The Simoneau Alumni House is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm. Special hours on Friday, December 13th (open until 7:00 pm) and Saturday, December 14th (open from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm for Commencement).
Itamara Lochard, director of the MIIS Cyber Security Initiative is pleased to announce that Mr. Jaan Priisalu, Director General of the Estonian Information Systems’ Authority (RIA) and civilian head of the Estonian Cyber Defense League (Küber-Kaitseliit) has just added a visit the MIIS campus on Monday, 9 December to his official schedule.
Please join her in a conversation with Jaan on various facets of cyber security at 4:00 p.m. (Location: McCone 202)
Jaan is at the forefront of technology and policy on matters related to cyber, banking, inter-agency cooperation, security, social media, communications, applying technological tools to improving daily life as well as artificial intelligence. He will be joined by Luukas Ilves, Head of International Relations at RIA.
RIA is the governmental division in charge of all cyber issues for Estonia, incuding their Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Their model is frequently cited and emulated by multiple countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Moreover, the first EUCOM-funded, military-to-military cyber network operation familiarization exercise occurred with the Estonian Kaitseliit in 2009. This has been replicated successfully in several other countries and served as the basis upon which Lochard launched the first civilian U.S. cyber defense force. Additional information on RIA or the Kaitseliit can be found at: https://www.ria.ee/about-estonian-information-systems-authority/ and http://www.kaitseliit.ee/en/cyber-unit
Please join us in taking advantage of this excellent opportunity to discuss cutting-edge thinking related to cyber issues from one of the leading actors in the field, and in welcoming Jaan and Luukas to the Monterey Peninsula.
In order to ensure a frank discussion, this event is by invitation only and not open to the press. No portion may be recorded.
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!