To: Members of the College Community
From: Sunder Ramaswamy, Project Director
Re: Middlebury–Monterey (M-squared) Integration Updates
Date: December 17, 2007
Dear Colleagues:
As you all know, under the auspices of the Middlebury-Monterey (M-squared) Integration Task Force, two liasion groups on campus have been meeting regularly to move various initiatives along. Below you'll find a list of ongoing collaborative efforts across different areas of the college. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other members of the Middlebury liaison groups.
I wish you all a relaxing and pleasant holiday break.
— Sunder Ramaswamy, project director
Academic Programs
- Winter term 2008 courses — Two at Middlebury: INTD 1072 Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation; INTD 1077 Introductory Translation and Interpretation. Russ Leng, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and a Trustee of MIIS will teach a course on “War” during MIIS’ Winter Term 2008.
- Two MIIS short courses and field study opportunities offered to Midd students as 2008 winter term internships in El Salvador and New Orleans.
- Discussions ongoing on TESOL (Teaching of English as a Second Language) practicums for MIIS students to help with our Center for Teaching, Learning and Research’s ESL (English as a Second Language) needs.
- Middlebury Dance Company to perform out on the West Coast, including at MIIS, February 2008.
- Online course collaboration proposed for spring 2008 – An advanced course on “Russian Society,” taught by Professor Anna Vassilieva (of the GSIPS School at MIIS) and a colleague in Middlebury Russian department for MIIS students.
Advancement/Alumni/Communication
- College Professor John Elder to teach an Alumni College course in Monterey, spring 2008.
- MIIS alumni to be included at San Francisco initiative launch.
- Closer ongoing collaboration on fund raising, alumni development.
- Closer cooperation between the Communication offices on two coasts.
Finance
- Continued cooperation on Banner finance module.
- MIIS budgets uploaded into Banner.
- Preparing MIIS monthly financial statements.
- Managing MIIS endowment and providing oversight.
- Processing MIIS payroll.
- Providing tax support.
- Providing accounting and auditing support.
- Advice and counsel on technical accounting and finance issues.
Human Resources
- Payroll/HR meeting regularly to troubleshoot operational issues and enhance communications and efficiencies.
- Significant progress in planning for the HR integration. Middlebury colleague has relocated to Monterey to assist with operational and integration-related issues.
- Benefits audit will commence shortly.
- Supervisory training for managers/supervisors continues.
Library & Information Services
- Banner Student project kick-off for MIIS, January 2008.
- LIS focus at MIIS is on technology strategic planning, mission continuity and email strategizing.
- Inter-library loan system in operation at MIIS as part of Middlebury. Discussion of opportunities to collaborate on cataloging and purchasing.
- Resource25 scheduling effort continues. Attempting new strategies to improve performance of this application on MIIS campus, and plan to implement fully by July 1.
- Additional VPN appliance acquired by Middlebury for quick recovery if there were a failure of the primary VPN.
- Academic technology collaboration discussions begun late December 2007 with several spring meetings scheduled.
- Online directory for MIIS faculty and staff launched fall 2007.
Institutional Research
- Service agreement in place to provide most MIIS institutional research through Middlebury’s Institutional Research office.
- Work proceeding on creating a “fact book” for MIIS to include student and faculty profiles; admissions, enrollment, financial aid; alumni profiles.
ConnectEd: A Conference on Global Education, January 22-24, in Monterey. This will be the first big signature event of the M –squared collaborative efforts on the programming front. For more information, please visit: http://www.connectedconference.org/.