| Monterey Institute of International Studies |
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| Motto | Be the solution |
| Established | 1955 |
| Type | Private |
| President | Sunder Ramaswamy |
| Faculty | 70 full time; 70 adjunct |
| Postgraduates | 790 |
| Location | Monterey, California, United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colors | All the flags of the world |
| Website | www.miis.edu |
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The Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS, pronounced "Miss"), an affiliate of Middlebury College, is a small, private graduate school in Monterey, California, United States, that specializes in international relations, international business, language teaching, and translation and interpretation. The Institute's mission is to create an academic community committed to preparing innovative professionals able to provide leadership in cross-cultural, multilingual environments.[1]
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History
The Monterey Institute was established in 1955 by Gaspard Weiss, Remsen Bird, and Dwight Morrow Jr. to teach modern languages in their cultural context. Originally known as the Monterey Institute for Foreign Studies, the school’s focus was on promoting international understanding through the study of language and culture.
Growing through the decades, the Institute added new programs, faculty and students, expanding its global reach and educational mission. The school moved to its current location in Monterey, California, in 1961. By the 1990s, the Monterey Institute was widely recognized as one of the most academically prestigious language and international policy studies schools in the country.
In December 2005, the Monterey Institute signed an affiliation agreement with Middlebury College in Vermont. This new affiliation brought a new president, Clara Yu. The institute has evolved into an international professional graduate school dedicated to preparing students to respond effectively to the complex challenges of a rapidly changing global environment.
Academic Programs
The Monterey Institute of International Studies has four main academic programs:
- International Business: MBA advanced professional degree programs leading to careers in international business.
- International Policy Studies: master’s degree and certificate programs leading to international careers in government, nonprofit organizations, or the private sector. Programs include International Development, Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, International Environmental Policy, International Trade Policy, Terrorism Studies, Public Administration, and other specialized degree programs.
- Language and Educational Linguistics: trains language teachers who will teach English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and teach a foreign language. Certificate programs are also offered in these areas as well as in CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) and Language Program Administration.
- Translation and Interpretation: educates language translators and interpreters for careers in international settings, and for court and medical interpreting in the community. MIIS offers four degree programs (M.A. in Translation, M.A. in Translation/Localization Management, M.A. in Translation and Interpretation, and M.A. in Conference Interpretation) in eight foreign languages (Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish).
The Monterey Institute also offers several non-degree programs, including intensive 8-week ESL programs year round; Summer Intensive Language Programs,Custom Language Services, English for Diplomats Programs, short term translation and interpretation courses, and international policy certificate programs.
Masters in Business Administration, International Management (Fisher International MBA Program)
The program's diverse student body, comprising 50% international students and 50% women, as well as its 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio makes this MBA program particularly unique and highly personalized. The curriculum prepares students to perform successfully in cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral teams and business environments. The Monterey Institute has been granting MBA degrees since 1982 and has been accredited by AACSB International since 2002.[2]
Language Requirements
The Institute is the only school in the Western Hemisphere offering graduate degrees in conference interpretation and in translation and interpretation between English-Chinese, English-Japanese and English-Korean. It is also one of the few schools with a bilingual requirement upon enrollment for all students. English is required for non-native speakers and two years of university-level language classes in either Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese (Mandarin), Russian, or Arabic for native English speakers.
Student Life
Diversity
The Monterey Institute is one of the facilities making Monterey the Language Capital of the World. At any given moment you can hear more than 50 different languages on campus grounds. The flags at the main building are not just decorative but represent the nationalities of students currently enrolled.
About one third of the 700 students are from foreign countries and nearly all the Americans enrolled at the institute have lived, worked or studied abroad, in such programs as the Peace Corps, AFS Intercultural Programs or Rotary International.
Student government
The Student Council acts as a liaison between the student body and the administration and is responsible for voicing student opinions, organizing numerous events on campus, and supporting a variety of student clubs. In addition, the Student Council leads a wide spectrum of initiatives through the Academic Affairs Committee, the Social Activities Committees, the Environmental Task Force Committee, IT Committee, and other ad-hoc Committees. Student Council meetings are open to all students.
The Student Council budget partially funds Student Clubs and many activities such as Happy Hours, an annual Halloween party, and other events. It also sponsors special programming and contributes to all-campus events such as the International Bazaar and the Follies Talent Show.
Activities
Follies Talent Show
Each year the Follies, a long-standing tradition at the Institute, amazes its audience with the wide range of talent, imagination and stage presence in the student body. Each new member of the student body is urged to bring musical instruments, dancing shoes, music, costumes and whatever it takes to participate.
International Bazaar
Another annual tradition is the widely-anticipated Monterey Institute International Bazaar. This is the Institute's opportunity to celebrate the diversity of its campus with international food, exhibits, entertainment and costumes. Because each new member of the community contributes to the Institute a diverse background and an array of experience, each new student is considered a cultural ambassador and sharing is not just encouraged, it is expected.
Internships
The Career Office at the Institute continuously monitors the global marketplace and utilizes its worldwide alumni network to maintain up-to-date databases of internship opportunities and job openings for current students and graduates.
International Professional Services Semester
Participants in IPSS are the global policy makers of the future:
- International: Gain practical experience working at and evaluating intergovernmental or international non-governmental organizations and programs.
- Professional: Experience an opportunity to apply the professional skills taught at the Monterey Institute in a global, regional or cross-cultural policy environment, while representing the Monterey Institute in a professional context and launching a career in public policy.
- Service: Work as a junior staff member for a public policy organization by contributing toward the accomplishment of the mission of the assigned organization.
- Semester: Benefit from a semester long on-the-job learning opportunity worth 12 academic credits.
Relationship with Peace Corps
The Monterey Institute and Peace Corps share a common goal in seeking to "help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women."[3] Several returned Peace Corps volunteers are among the MIIS student body, faculty, and staff.
Faculty & Research
James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
The Monterey Institute also runs the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, which combats the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis.
The Center is divided into the following programs:
1) Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program (CBWNP)
2) East Asia Nonproliferation Program (EANP)
3) International Organizations and Nonproliferation Program (IONP)
4) Newly Independent States (NIS) Nonproliferation Program
5) The Monterey Terrorism Research and Education Program (MonTREP)
Rankings and Awards
MBA
Entrepreneur’s annual survey of over 2,300 schools ranks the top 25 graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship programs in the country; the Monterey Institute placed 14th in 2009.[4] “Being ranked among the top 15 MBA programs in the country four straight years really speaks to the sustained quality of our program and the students we attract,” commented Fisher International MBA Program Chair Bruce Paton. “Our program is enriched immeasurably by the fact that our students come here from all over the world, and are challenged constantly to apply their knowledge in practical situations through our International Business Plan program.”[5]
Notable alumni
- Daggubati Venkatesh, a popular actor in Telugu film industry.
- Ivar Chhina (IPS '90), chief financial officer of REI [6]
- Mrinal Desai (MBA ‘01), founder of Crossloop [7]
References
- ^ Monterey Institute of International Studies Mission Statement. Monterey Institute of International Studies. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.
- ^ All Member Schools - AACSB
- ^ The Monterey Institute and the Peace Corps
- ^ Top 25 Graduate Colleges - Entrepreneur.com
- ^ International MBA Program Makes Entrepreneur’s Top 15 Four Years in a Row
- ^ REI Names Ivar Chhina New Chief Financial Officer
- ^ Crossloop.com
External links
- Monterey Institute of International Studies home page
- Center for Nonproliferation Studies home page
- Globalization and Localization of Business Exports Center home page
- Google Maps link showing location of the school
Coordinates: 36°35′59″N 121°53′49″W / 36.59972°N 121.89694°W
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