Middlebury College’s affiliation with the Monterey Institute, signed in December of 2005, is intended to expand the College’s already significant reach in international education and to enhance the College’s role as a truly global institution. By adding a graduate institution with specialized professional programs to its undergraduate liberal arts college and to its constellation of language-centered programs in the Language Schools and Schools Abroad, Middlebury will offer strong and varied coursework in languages, linguistics, cultures, and translation and interpretation. By adding a broader set of programs that have multilingual competence at their core, such as international policy studies and international business, Middlebury will extend its reach even further, offering comprehensive preparation for global leaders of the 21st century.

In the sixteen months since affiliation was finalized, substantial progress has already been made in clarifying and realizing the benefits of our partnership. The Monterey Institute has gone through a rigorous strategic planning process from which has emerged an exciting vision of its future. At the same time, the two institutions have been collaborating on a variety of fronts, both academic and administrative. For example, joint recruiting for the Monterey Institute and the Middlebury Language Schools and Schools Abroad has allowed both schools to benefit from an expanded network of contacts here and abroad; faculty from both institutions have lectured at each other’s campuses and collaborated on conferences and other projects; more than 30 Middlebury alumni (including Language Schools and Schools Abroad alumni) have applied to the Monterey Institute for graduate studies, and a comparable number of Institute students has applied to the Middlebury Language Schools this summer; Middlebury is introducing an M.A. in Chinese this year that can be earned either at the Language Schools or jointly with the Monterey Institute; several Monterey Institute faculty members have proposed courses to be taught during Middlebury’s Winter Term; Middlebury and the Monterey Institute plan to host a major conference on global education in Monterey next winter; the development of service agreements in financial services, information technology, and human resources has also increased efficiency across the two institutions.

We are convinced that the potential we envisioned at the outset will be realized as we take further steps to bring these two institutions together to forge a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Our goal during the next five years is to make the Monterey Institute an integral, yet autonomous, part of Middlebury College, operating under the College’s non-profit 501(c)3 license, while retaining its own Board of Trustees and President. While Middlebury will retain the authority included in the original affiliation agreement, the Institute shall enjoy independence in its academic program and degree requirements, the admission of its students, the hiring and evaluation of its faculty and staff, and relationships with other institutions. The Institute’s academic offerings will complement Middlebury’s existing programs and may intersect with the Language Schools, Schools Abroad, Bread Loaf School of English, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and the undergraduate College. New programs at the Institute that are developed in conjunction with Middlebury’s various programs will require no oversight from, nor create undue burdens for, the College’s standing committees, except for programming related to the undergraduate degree and involving Middlebury’s undergraduate students.

The timetable for integration should not be rushed. We want to allow time for the Institute to strengthen itself through a refocused and clearly articulated mission, and actions guided by its new strategic plan. We also believe it is essential for the Institute to retain the freedom to offer innovative programming to meet the emerging and evolving needs of government, business, non-governmental organizations, and private development organizations. Just as the Bread Loaf School of English and the Language Schools offer alternate ways to earn M.A. degrees, the Institute will be free to offer alternate paths to graduate degrees and non-degree programs that suit the needs and schedules of a wide array of learners.

During the next five years, a Middlebury-Monterey liaison body, known as the M2 Task Force on Integration, will oversee the ongoing interaction of the two institutions, including (1) collaboration in academic programming; (2) a concerted, clearly articulated collaborative fundraising and communications effort; and (3) a range of administrative support functions more cost-effectively performed at Middlebury than on both campuses. A description of this task force, including its members and charge, will be available after members of the task force’s steering committee meet early this summer.

Middlebury College, with the Monterey Institute as a fully integral component, will be among the foremost innovative leaders in international education, expanding its reach and mission, building a larger network of well-placed alumni and friends world-wide, providing expanding opportunities for our faculty and students, and meeting the needs of an increasingly interdependent world.

Clara Yu
President
Monterey Institute of International Studies

Ronald Liebowitz
President
Middlebury College