News

The Middlebury Board of Trustees held its winter meeting January 27–28 at the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. It was the board’s first regular meeting at the Institute since 2012.

At its full meeting on January 28, the board approved tenure recommendations for four Middlebury College faculty members:

  • Maggie Clinton, Associate Professor, Chinese History
  • Jeff Howarth, Associate Professor, Geography
  • Shawna Shapiro, Associate Professor, Writing and Linguistics
  • Louisa Stein, Associate Professor, Film and Media Culture

The board also approved a 3.5 percent increase in tuition and fees at the Institute for the 2017–18 academic year.

The venue, in Monterey, provided trustees and members of the Institute Board of Overseers an opportunity to meet with faculty, students, and staff of the Monterey campus and to hear presentations on a variety of academic, research, and support programs for students at the Institute.

In committee meetings Friday morning and in meetings of the College, Institute, and Schools Boards of Overseers in the afternoon, trustees and overseer board members discussed a number of topics and initiatives:

  • The progress of the Envisioning Middlebury strategic planning process, which is aiming to deliver a set of strategic directions for Middlebury later this year. Members of the Envisioning Middlebury team reviewed the work done to date, which includes surveys and meetings that have engaged thousands of faculty, staff, students, and alumni over the past year. The data and inputs are being analyzed now. The committees discussed some of the possible strategic directions that have been raised during the process.
  • A discussion of the process to ensure that available resources are aligned with the institutional priorities that arise in the strategic-planning process.
  • A report on the strategies the institution may take in order to ensure all individuals, including those with disability, have access to the full Middlebury experience.
  • An update on the rollout of the institution’s new intellectual-property policy.
  • The methodology and processes used to evaluate key enterprise risks and to develop risk-mitigation strategies.
  • Environment and digital learning initiatives at the Institute, including the work of the Center for the Blue Economy.
  • The support provided to students, faculty, and staff at the Institute by the Digital Learning Commons (DLC). Guided by DLC director Bob Cole, the committee toured the facility and learned how the staff there supports a variety of projects across the Institute.
  • Ongoing efforts and the progress being made toward achieving new, higher enrollment levels at the Institute.
  • A review of current revenue and expense projections across the institution for fiscal year 2017.
  • An update on the work of Middlebury College’s Center for Careers and Internships that focused on the skills needed for life after Middlebury College, with special attention given to career preparation and how the office supports the development and articulation of those skills.
  • A discussion of issues related to funding of student internships, engaging students in career discussions earlier in their time at the College, arriving at a good model of support for a more diverse student body, and more effective engagement of alumni.
  • A presentation that described increasing collaboration between students in the International Education Management MA program at the Institute and the opportunities presented to them through the Middlebury Schools Abroad programs, particularly around practicum projects.

At the full board meeting on Saturday morning, trustees heard a presentation from the advisory firm Grenzebach, Glier and Associates (GG+A), which recently completed a review of Middlebury’s fundraising and alumni relations operations. Many of the GG+A organizational recommendations are already being implemented by the Office of Advancement.

The Middlebury Board of Trustees will meet next on May 12–13, 2017 in Middlebury, VT.