VP Update June 30
Dear MIIS Faculty, Staff, and Students:
I am writing to share with you our plans for the staged return to activity at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies campus this fall. With the reopening of California on June 15 and the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine, many of the restrictions of the past 15 months on the use of campus space will be substantially eliminated. Our campus will partially reopen on July 1, with a more complete reopening beginning on August 16. Our plans are predicated on continuing public health guidance and requirements to protect and promote your safety and that of the entire campus community.
Key elements of our fall plan are now available on the MIIS COVID-19 webpage. The Institute’s COVID-19 Exposure Control Plan and Checklist have also been updated and are designed to help departments apply health and safety guidance in their work and instruction areas on campus. All faculty, staff, and students should review this information in its entirety so that they have an understanding of the current workplace guidance for those learning or working on campus.
Vaccination
As you might know, the Institute will require all students, faculty, and staff learning or working on campus in the fall to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except for those with an approved medical or religious exemption. Detailed information on vaccine verification and exemption requests can be found on the MIIS vaccine policy webpage.
Fall 2021 Academic Planning
Students: You will receive an invitation to complete our fall 2021 enrollment survey via your middlebury.edu email. The survey will remain open from July 1-15, and we ask that you complete it as soon as possible. This survey is your opportunity to indicate your enrollment plans for the fall semester. Your response will be shared with your program chair and academic administrators to ensure we can best support your educational and professional goals.
The fall course schedule has been published, including information about instruction mode for each course: fully in-person, hybrid, or fully online. Our scheduling team will work on room assignments in July. If you need guidance on your study options, please reach out to your academic advisor or enrollment advisor. They will be happy to assist you.
Regardless of pandemic conditions, we realize that some students will still need to study remotely temporarily or for the duration of the semester, and we are committed to working with these students to enable their equitable participation. Our academic planning includes working to ensure that we have the appropriate academic technology and support in place for all students, regardless of their location.
Moving Forward
Our return to greater in-person, on-campus activity will require adjustments—for us as individuals and as an institution—but we look forward to renewing and restoring the connections that bind us together. These connections remain at the core of the Institute’s mission of providing an enriching academic and social experience. This includes conducting classes in classrooms, facilitating club and social events, special lectures, and networking opportunities –all while keeping our community safe.
The pandemic continues to present unpredictable challenges, and we will continue to monitor state and local COVID-19-related restrictions to ensure that our operations align with the latest medical and scientific guidance. If we have to scale back our plans to protect the health and safety of our campus community and our surrounding communities, we will do so.
We appreciate everything you continue to do to keep one another and our Monterey community safe and thriving. We look forward to seeing most of you back on campus in the coming months.
Enjoy your summer,
Jeff Dayton-Johnson
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Institute