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Archive for category Office of the President

President Ramaswamy’s Welcome to Faculty and Staff

Aug 30

Posted by Amy McGill in Office of the President | No Comments

Dear Colleagues:

As we begin the new school year, the Institute’s first as a graduate school of Middlebury College, I wanted to keep you informed about various developments on campus over the past few months, including a significant and welcome one regarding our budget.

As many of you know, during the “affiliation phase” of the partnership with Middlebury College, the Institute was responsible for its operating and capital expenses and also paid charges for services originating from the Vermont campus.  This was supplemented by investments made by Middlebury in the Institute through donor gifts.

Over the past few months, however, continuing discussions surrounding integration have led to an evolution in thinking on both campuses.  With Middlebury now comprised of a set of increasingly intertwined programs, all of which are component parts of a single 501(c)(3) organization, our collective financial model is evolving toward greater integration as well.

Going forward, MIIS will be treated as a unit of the Middlebury enterprise, in many ways no different than the Language Schools, Schools Abroad, and Bread Loaf School of English.  MIIS will retain a tremendous amount of autonomy, but at the same time needs to fit into the Middlebury budgetary framework and the related financial and administrative policies and procedures.

The immediate financial impact is that MIIS is no longer required to budget for debt service and service agreements, as those costs are managed centrally by the Middlebury enterprise.  In addition, capital improvements and equipment purchases will be managed centrally and MIIS will not be required to budget for a “replacement and renewal reserve” or equipment depreciation. We will, however, continue to be responsible for our operating budget.

Treating MIIS as part of the Middlebury enterprise as opposed to a “tub on its own bottom” (as it was during the affiliation phase) ensures that the Institute gets the resources we need to grow program excellence, campus operations,  and fundraising capacity — our principal revenue drivers being enrollments and fundraising – and thus help the whole enterprise maintain long-term financial sustainability.

This very positive change has already allowed us to make adjustments to our current FY11 budget that have restored some of the cuts previously made to faculty and staff positions, increase resources for faculty development, start a new staff professional development fund, invest in technology and facilities upgrades, and invest in increased recruiting and marketing efforts, among other areas. While I do not have any news to report right now regarding salaries and benefits, I want you to know that those topics have also been a part of our discussions, and I expect to have news to report after our fall Monterey Institute Board of Governors meeting on October 1-2.  (Specifically, I encourage you to attend the Town Hall we have scheduled for faculty and staff on Thursday, October 7 at 12:15 p.m. in the Irvine Auditorium.)

I wanted to take this opportunity as well to keep you informed about a few other significant developments.

As you know, the Institute for many years had a Board of International Advisors that served a variety of functions over the course of its tenure.  We made the decision last year that our academic reorganization and integration with Middlebury presented an opportunity to start fresh with a refocused and revitalized approach.  Next month we will convene the inaugural meeting of the International Leadership Council (ILC), a group of 24 active professionals in fields including policy, business, education, language, the non-profit sector, and government, who are committed to support the Institute’s mission and goals “through the creation and development of academic and professional opportunities for Institute students,” and also through participation in efforts to increase the Institute’s national and international profile. For more information about the ILC, visit www.miis.edu/about/groups/council <http://www.miis.edu/about/groups/council> .

At the same time, we have been working with a group of local supporters toward the goal of establishing a community-based group (“eMIISsaries”) here on the Monterey Peninsula that will focus on sponsoring events on and off campus designed to support and advance our mission by “increasing awareness and interest in MIIS among residents of the Central Coast and beyond.”  For more information about eMIISsaries, visit www.miis.edu/about/groups/emiissaries <http://www.miis.edu/about/groups/emiissaries> .

Finally, I hope you have taken note of the many positive changes on campus this summer, including our new campus signage and campus maps, extensive facilities maintenance, and a variety of landscaping improvements.  They all represent both hard work by our staff and a welcome “fresh start” to the new academic year.

I look forward to talking with you more about these and other issues as the year unfolds, and encourage you once again to attend the Town Hall scheduled for October 7.

Thanks,
Sunder Ramaswamy

Update from the President’s Office

Apr 15

Posted by Amy McGill in News, Office of the President, Uncategorized | No Comments

… on the recent meeting of the MIIS Board of Trustees

The Monterey Institute Board of Trustees had its final meeting on April 10 in Monterey. After June 30, the current MIIS board will be reconstituted as a board of governors, overseeing the Institute on matters in which the Institute will continue to have significant autonomy, such as academic and student affairs, fundraising and communications, and campus facilities, while also serving the Institute in an advisory role on critical financial matters where the Middlebury board will have final fiduciary responsibility.

The Board recognized retiring members Vic Micati and Russ Leng and expressed gratitude for their invaluable service. It also:

• approved the slate of members for the newly created International Leadership Council, a 24-member affiliate group that will replace the former Board of International Advisors, and focus on supporting the work of the Institute’s academic administration;
• recommended to the Middlebury board the approval of the Institute’s FY 11 budget;
• recommended to the Middlebury board the approval of the revised faculty handbook;
• recommended to the Middlebury board the approval of an updated mission statement that more accurately describes the Institute after its reorganization and integration with Middlebury

Board discussion in the various committees centered around a working document entitled “The Road Ahead,” which chronicles the recent evolution of the Institute into a graduate school of Middlebury College, and identifies directions for future development, along with resources needs and opportunities for support that will help us to achieve our goals.  This document is attached, and we encourage all members of the community to read it, provide feedback, and contribute ideas via the MIIS@Work blog.

The new Monterey Institute Board of Governors will have its first meeting in Vermont on October 2, and return to Monterey for its regular January meeting in early 2011.

Pres. Ramaswamy Announces Commencement Speaker

Feb 4

Posted by Amy McGill in News, Office of the President | No Comments

Yesterday President Ramaswamy announced that Robert Gallucci, president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will be the speaker at our Spring 2010 Commencement ceremony. He will also be awarded an honorary degree during the ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 22nd at 1PM, on the front lawn of historic Colton Hall. I hope you will all be able to attend this important event. 

Robert Gallucci became president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on July 1, 2009. Previously, he served as Dean of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, for 13 years. He completed 21 years of government service, serving since August 1994 with the U.S. Department of State as Ambassador at Large. In March 1998, the Department of State announced his appointment as Special Envoy to deal with the threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. He held this position, concurrent with his appointment as Dean, until January 2001.

Dr. Gallucci began his foreign affairs career at the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in 1974. In 1978, he became a division chief in the Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. From 1979 to 1981, he was a member of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff. He then served as an office director in both the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs (1982-83) and in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (1983-84). In 1984, he left Washington to serve as the Deputy Director General of the Multinational Force and Observers, the Sinai peacekeeping force headquartered in Rome, Italy. Returning in 1988, he joined the faculty of the National War College where he taught until 1991. In April of that year he moved to United Nations Headquarters in New York to take up an appointment as the Deputy Executive Chairman of the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) overseeing the disarmament of Iraq. He returned toWashington in February 1992 to be the Senior Coordinator responsible for nonproliferation and nuclear safety initiatives in the former Soviet Union in the Office of the Deputy Secretary. In July 1992, Dr. Gallucci was confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs.

Dr. Gallucci was born in Brooklyn on February 11, 1946. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, followed by a master’s and doctorate in Politics from Brandeis University. Before joining the State Department, he taught at Swarthmore College, Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies and Georgetown University. He has received fellowships from the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Harvard University, and the Brookings Institution.

He has authored a number of publications on political-military issues, including Neither Peace Nor Honor: The Politics of American Military Policy in Vietnam (Johns Hopkins University Press 1975) and Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis with Joel S. Wit and Daniel Poneman (Brookings Press, April 2004). For Going Critical, he is the recipient of the 2005 Douglas Dillon Award given by the American Academy of Diplomacy for a book of distinction in the practice of diplomacy. He received the Department of the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Award in 1991, the Pi Sigma Alpha Award from the National Capital Area Political Science Association in 2000, and the Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary) from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in May 2002.

He is married to Jennifer Sims; they have a daughter and a son.

Don’t Forget the Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow!

Jan 12

Posted by Amy McGill in Events, Office of the President | No Comments

Just a reminder of the Town Hall meeting tomorrow ( Wednesday) at 12:15PM in the Irvine Auditorium.  Middlebury President Ron Liebowitz will discuss how the Monterey Institute fits into the Middlebury model and the M2  effort leading into final merger at the end of June.  Please plan to attend!

Middlebury President to Speak to MIIS Community (new date)

Jan 7

Posted by Amy McGill in Office of the President | No Comments

The Town Hall meeting with Middlebury President Ron Liebowitz has been changed from the originally announced Tuesday, January 19 to Wednesday, January 13 from 12:15PM – 1:45PM in the Irvine Auditorium.  Please reserve this time on your calendars to attend this important meeting.

President Ramaswamy Announces NEASC Reaccreditation Team for MIIS

Jan 7

Posted by Amy McGill in Office of the President | 1 Comment

In anticipation of our participation in the upcoming Middlebury re-accreditation self-study for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Amy McGill, Executive Director of Planning and Special Projects, has been asked by Middlebury’s president Ron Liebowitz to serve as the MIIS representative on the reaccreditation steering committee, chaired by Susan Campbell, Dean of Planning & Assessment at Middlebury.

President Ramaswamy has in turn asked Amy to chair a “mirror” team to coordinate the Monterey Institute’s participation in the self study. We are grateful that the following members have agreed to serve:

Lyuba Zarsky, Professor of International Environmental Policy

Pablo Oliva, Assistant Professor of Spanish

Tate Miller, Dean of Advising, Careers and Student Services

Steve Marino, Controller

Bob Cole, Director, Teaching and Learning Collaborative

Seamus Dorrian, Registrar

Jason Warburg, Executive Director of Communications

On January 11, the team will be formally launched with a workshop on the NEASC reaccreditation process, conducted by three members of the Middlebury steering committee, Susan Campbell, Jeff Cason (Dean of International Programs), and Leroy Graham (Registrar). The Middlebury team members will be on campus all day January 11 and 12, and expect to meet with several key administrators as well as the MIIS reaccreditation team.

The self study will be submitted to NEASC in the spring of 2011, and a visit to Monterey by the NEASC visiting team will be included in the summer or fall of 2011, with a final visit to Middlebury planned for late October, 2011.

A NEASC self-study is a campus-wide process, and all constituencies within the MIIS community can expect to be involved in tasks and activities organized by the MIIS team.

President's Message on Health and Welfare Benefits

Sep 17

Posted by Amy McGill in Human Resources, M2 Integration News, Office of the President | No Comments

Dear Monterey Institute Faculty and Staff:

I am writing to keep faculty and staff informed regarding ongoing integration efforts that are bringing systems, processes, and policies at MIIS and Middlebury College into alignment with one another. As you know, the goal of the two boards of trustees and two presidents at MIIS and Middlebury with respect to institutional policies is to achieve parity, meaning not necessarily identical policies, but highly compatible ones that may be adapted to the unique circumstances of either campus.

In the area of health and welfare benefits, our analysis has pointed to distinct advantages with respect to both absolute cost and the coverage we get for our money when we team up with Middlebury to create a larger pool of enrollees.

At the MIIS board meeting later this month, we will be presenting a proposal to align MIIS health and welfare benefits with Middlebury’s beginning on January 1, 2010. The changes being proposed will result in more generous benefits and greater choice of providers than are available under the existing MIIS plans. The specific changes include:

o Transition MIIS to the Middlebury medical plan (a self-insured plan under which the College contracts with CBA Blue to administer its claims process)

o Transition MIIS to the Middlebury dental plan

o Existing vision plan retained by MIIS, but not added by Middlebury

o Consolidate COBRA administration

o Consolidate flexible spending administration (with retention of debit card feature for MIIS employees)

o Consolidate Employee Assistance Program (retaining student coverage at MIIS)

o Joint transition by both MIIS and Midd employees to Mutual of Omaha life insurance, disability, etc., with adjustment for California disability plan

o Implementation of income sensitive premiums at MIIS

Overall Impact of Proposal:

o Significant potential monetary savings for the Institute, that would become available to address other pressing needs

o Plans have similar or greater value

o Greater flexibility in choice of medical and dental providers

o Overall ratio of employer to employee contributions remains approximately the same

o Income sensitivity in employee contributions, based on a percent of pay

o most employees will see reduced premiums

o some more highly compensated employees will see increased premiums

o one-year transitional funding to provide the latter employees with a year to budget for the increase

Among the benefits we can look forward to if this plan is approved by the board is an enhanced ability for Middlebury Human Resources staff to assist Institute employees with questions and issues, since all Middlebury and MIIS employees will be under the same benefit plans.

Because the MIIS plan year begins in October, we will conduct an open enrollment period to continue our existing plans for the three months remaining in 2009. Open enrollment for calendar year 2010 will take place in November and December. HR staff from MIIS and Middlebury will offer a series of webinars and/or videoconferences in order to explain the various benefit plans and answer questions from faculty and staff.

We believe these changes retain all of the key components of existing health and welfare benefits for Institute employees, while offering significant cost and/or coverage advantages for many members of our community. This proposal was presented to the Faculty Senate and the Staff Advisory Team on September 15, and will be presented to the Institute’s board of trustees for approval at their regularly scheduled September 24-26 meeting. This timing will ensure our ability to implement the changes by the January 1 start of the new plan year.

We will make every effort to respond to any questions or concerns faculty or staff may have about these changes. Please direct your questions to Cathy Vincent or Michael Ulibarri in the Human Resources office.

Sunder

President Ramaswamy Goes Head-to-Head with David Letterman

May 21

Posted by Amy McGill in Events, Office of the President | No Comments

One of the highlights of Commencement and Inauguration weekend was Sunder’s Top Ten list, which we share here:

The Top 10 reasons why I accepted the presidency at the Monterey Institute of International Studies

10. When I moved from Middlebury College to the Madras School of Economics in Madras, India, I was looking for another place that began with an “M”.
9.  The Board of Trustees offered free passes to the aquarium.
8.  I looove the smell of fog in the morning.
7.  No spring mud season – yeah !!
6.  Nobody says “no” to Clara Yu!
5.  I thought this was DLI…
4.  Monterey’s zip code 93940 is cooler and closer to 90210 than Middlebury’s 05753.
3.  I wanted to have a golf game.
2.  I wanted a real challenge, like being a college president during a historic economic meltdown.

And the number one reason for me to join the Monterey Institute…

1.    I always dreamed of one-upping Dave Letterman by having my Top 10 List translated into seven languages.

On a more serious academic note, Sunder’s remarks at the Inaugural Symposium are attached.

Commencement and Inauguration Plans Announced

Apr 28

Posted by Amy McGill in Events, Office of the President | No Comments

Dear Members of the MIIS Community:

We are now just three weeks from one of the most exciting times of the year – commencement.  This event represents the culmination of years of work and study for hundreds of our students, and is a chance for family members and guests to celebrate with us this momentous time in our students’ lives.

This year’s spring commencement will include all of the customary celebrations – the garden party reception on Friday, May 15, the commencement ceremony itself on Saturday, May 16, and the commencement reception afterwards.  In addition, the commencement ceremony will include my formal inauguration as president of the Institute.

The decision to join the two events offers a wonderful opportunity to showcase the amazing work our students and faculty are doing both locally and around the globe for a wide audience encompassing the campus community, our Board of Trustees, and our friends and supporters.  The day before commencement, on May 15 from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, we will convene an inaugural symposium titled “Being The Solution: Building Leadership From Monterey To Mumbai,” which will feature sessions and stations spotlighting a variety of student and faculty projects, accomplishments, and disciplines.  In that way, the symposium will provide rich context for family members and guests in particular to understand the scope and significance of our graduating students’ achievements.  All MIIS community members – students, family members and guests, alumni, faculty and staff — are invited to attend the symposium.

The schedule of events for May 15-16 is as follows:

Friday, May 15

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm   Inauguration Symposium – Irvine Auditorium
(Agenda attached)

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm   Graduation Garden Party –  Holland Center Courtyard

Saturday, May 16

1:00 pm – 3:30 pm   Commencement and Inauguration  – Colton Hall Lawn

3:30 pm – 5:30 pm   Commencement Reception – Samson Student Center

I look forward to sharing with you two days of celebration of the Institute, our important mission, and the students who are our reason for being here.

Best regards,
Sunder

President Ramaswamy Announces Expanded MIIS Role for Bob Huth

Mar 9

Posted by Amy McGill in Finance and Facilities, M2 Integration News, Office of the President | No Comments

I am pleased to announce that Bob Huth, a frequent visitor from Middlebury and valued partner in our preparations for financial integration, has agreed to take on a significant role in the MIIS community over the next 16 months.

Bob, who is currently Executive Vice President at Middlebury, will take on the principal responsibility for guiding and supporting our financial operations effective July 1, 2009, and lead those efforts all the way through full integration with Middlebury on June 30, 2010.

Bob has been involved in the Middlebury-Monterey affiliation since it began, and has worked diligently with colleagues at Monterey to lay the groundwork to ensure the smoothest transition possible for both Monterey and Middlebury.

A graduate of Moravian College, Bob has been at Middlebury since 1998 and is a certified public accountant with an M.B.A. from Lehigh University. Bob has over 30 years of experience in finance and accounting, including serving as Senior Vice President for Administration at Moravian College and Controller of Lehigh University.  He is a past President of the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO), a former Board member of the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) from 2001 to 2004, and has served as a Commissioner of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) since 2007.

Bob will spend approximately 3/4 of his time in California and, back in Vermont, will continue to oversee Middlebury’s Department of Facilities Services and real estate holdings.  He will also continue his service as a NEASC commissioner.

Bob and his wife Barbara are in the process of relocating to Monterey for the duration of this assignment, and I am sure you will all give them a warm reception.

Jim Graber, who has provided exceptional service to the Institute as interim CFO during the early stages of integration, will complete his contract at the end of June, at which time Bob will assume the title of Acting Executive Director of Business and Finance Operations at the Institute.

We are extremely grateful for Jim’s contribution to the Institute, as a six-month initial assignment turned into a two-and-a-half-year stay marked by increasing financial stability and progress toward our strategic goal of long-term sustainability.  We have been fortunate to benefit from Jim’s wisdom and experience, and he and Deb will remain in our circle of friends in the Monterey community.