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 Greetings. I welcome you to the Monterey Institute of International Studies and invite you to consider a path that would lead you to this campus.
The Monterey Institute seeks students who are multilingual, globally-focused, and committed to building greater cross-cultural awareness worldwide through leadership in international policy-making, language education, business, translation and interpretation, research, and service. If you aspire to be an informed citizen of the world; if you are interested in tackling the critical challenges of this century; you will find kindred spirits at the Institute, where pursuing the public good is closely connected to achieving personal success.
What is genuinely unique about the Monterey Institute? Why should a globally-focused person choose this school over other graduate institutions in the world? What do students learn in Monterey that they wouldn’t get in equal measure at other international graduate programs? I’ve spoken with Institute faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends and their answers are consistent and compelling.
First and fundamentally, the Monterey Institute offers the ability for students to live, learn, and grow in a truly international educational environment. As one faculty member proudly states, “We are all instruments of each other’s learning.” By requiring advanced standing in a second language for admissions -- a prerequisite that is unique among U.S. graduate schools -- the Institute creates an intentional international environment where cultural awareness becomes natural, organic, and profound. One-third of Institute students are citizens of countries other than the United States. Equally importantly, 90 - 95% of U.S.-born students have lived abroad, often in several countries or continents, and for longer stays, such as through the Peace Corps. In addition, one-third of Monterey faculty members are international.
Another defining factor of the Monterey education is its personal focus. If you are looking for a small graduate school where you will receive individual attention in your intellectual pursuits, expert guidance in career planning, and connection with a network of well-placed alumni world-wide when you graduate, consider the Monterey Institute. The Institute’s 750 students enjoy a truly integrated learning environment, where hands-on experience, simulation exercises, and internships are carefully woven into theory and research methods.
A third powerful distinction for prospective students is Monterey’s spectacularly beautiful natural environment. Only a few minutes’ walk to the Monterey Bay, a protected marine sanctuary opening into the Pacific Ocean, the campus is also just a 20-minute ride to Big Sur, a half hour drive to some of the most fertile farmland in the world, and a four-hour drive to Yosemite National Park. Many alumni have told me how much they appreciate the natural beauty and grandeur here, and how much they feel at home within the Monterey Peninsula community, a community that is not only keenly aware of the Peninsula’s natural endowment, but does its best to preserve and enhance it. To these alumni, Monterey, as well as the Institute which takes its name, has remained a special place.
Finally, the Monterey Institute is a partner in an innovative educational model, just launched. In December 2005, the Institute became an affiliate of Middlebury College, one of the world’s premier colleges, located in Middlebury, Vermont. Middlebury College is renowned for its international programs, its summer Language Schools, and Schools Abroad (currently in China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, and Egypt). The affiliation between Middlebury College and the Monterey Institute gives these two prestigious institutions further enriched curriculum and bi-coastal presence, and a unique opportunity, through their extensive international programs and networks, to build greater global connection. Students at the Monterey Institute will be pioneering partners, with administration and faculty on both campuses, in building this international venture.
I encourage you to explore the Monterey Institute’s Graduate Schools of International Policy Studies, Translation and Interpretation, Language and Educational Linguistics, and the Fisher Graduate School of International Business. Please bring us your questions and thoughts, by email, phone, or in person through a campus visit. We invite you to join our international community, and look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Clara Yu
President
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