Bi-Weekly VP Update May 14
Dear MIIS Community:
As we near the end of the academic year, I want to thank you for your diligence in following the Institute’s COVID-19 protocols over the past 2+ years. It hasn’t been easy and at times, I’m sure it has felt restrictive, but it has kept our COVID cases low and allowed us to gradually loosen up some of the guidelines. We hope that we’ll be able to return to normal by the start of the fall semester.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: During the month of May, we pay tribute to the rich heritage of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Saturday afternoon, the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History hosts a Walk of Remembrance. Another way to show your support is to visit local AAPI-owned businesses.
Land Acknowledgment Event: We thank everyone who was able to join us for the Land Acknowledgement event this past week with our special guests, the Ohlone Sisters. Special thanks to the Student Council DEI committee for their part in moving the Institute forward on this important initiative. If you missed the event, you can view the recording here.
Spring Commencement on May 21: After a two year hiatus, our Spring Commencement ceremony will once again be held on the lawn of historic Colton Hall beginning at 1 pm on Saturday, May 21 and will feature keynote speaker Fatema Z. Sumar, who served until recently as Vice President of Compact Operations at the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation. Meng (Barbara) Zhang has been selected as the student speaker for the Class of 2022.
Samson and Holland Centers for Finals: The Samson Center and the Holland Center will continue to be open 24/7 through the evening of Thursday, May 19 to provide ample space for studying.
As a reminder, free rapid tests and masks are still available in the Segal Building, Monday - Friday between 10 am and 2 pm. As always, you can view all return-to-campus policies and updates on our return to campus web page.
Ukraine Conflict NGO Established: The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies Visiting Fellows came forward with an initiative to help Ukraine in these dark times. Valeriia Hesse (Ukraine) and Kirill Iliin (Russia) found support in MIIS professor Dr. Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress and entrepreneur Scott Bean to set up an NGO named Ukraine Aid. Community (UA.C). Ukraine’s fight for freedom hits close to home: family, friends, ancestry, language, and more. UA.C’s founders see it as their personal and moral duty to do what they can to help Ukraine and its people. To that end, UA.C collects donations to provide Ukraine with what it needs most, such as humanitarian aid, protective gear, and more through the end-to-end logistics network that relies on Points of Contact in Ukraine and Poland. From Ukrainian government representatives to volunteers, these Points of Contact inform what supplies are most urgently needed and UA.C reacts efficiently to get to Ukraine to be distributed. Currently, the goal is to collect USD 40,000 for 40 sets of protective helmets and vests. Their website provides more detailed information, if you would like to support this initiative and spread the word.
To those of you who are graduating, we wish you a hearty congratulations and best of luck in your professional endeavors. To everyone, we wish you a restful and fruitful summer and look forward to welcoming many of you back to campus in September.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dayton-Johnson
VP for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute