Human Intelligence in the 21st Century

“As we pursue truth, we are and always will be for the power of reason, evidence, science, and art: the power of persuading and being persuaded.”

Initiative Three: Human Intelligence in the 21st Century

We are going to:

1. Complete the faculty-led review of the general education core curriculum. Middlebury’s faculty have begun a comprehensive reimagining of the curriculum with the goal of articulating the foundational principles, core competencies, and general education requirements of a 21st-century curriculum. The process will also explore how credit should be defined and awarded and promote faculty-led efforts to implement curricular change.
    
2. Reimagine the first-year student experience. To better support students in their transition to the intellectual, social and emotional demands of college life, Middlebury will explore holistic programming throughout the first-year experience, including place-based orientation, peer mentoring, first-year seminars organized around “big question” themes, and a  “Fall Febmester” program providing international and immersive experiential learning opportunities in startups, nonprofits, arts organizations, and other settings. 
    
3. Support faculty in creating clusters of cross-disciplinary study and team-teaching opportunities.  In support of faculty innovation in scholarship and teaching, Middlebury will encourage collaboration and partnership across departments, including cross-disciplinary academic clusters and undergraduate courses co-taught by specialists in different fields. 
    
4. Seek to ensure that every Middlebury student has access to a funded global experience. To prepare global citizens, Middlebury must continue to create opportunities for students to live, study, and work abroad and equip them for the historical understanding, sophisticated judgment, and cultural fluency they need for leadership in a diverse and changing world. Leveraging our Schools Abroad and expanding our international partnerships, we will seek to provide a funded global work or study experience to every student—and to affirm international engagement as a defining feature of a Middlebury education.
    
5. Seek to ensure that every Middlebury student has access to a funded internship or other research or experiential learning opportunity. Funded internships and experiential opportunities allow students to connect what happens in the classroom to the world beyond campus. We will seek to provide opportunities that allow students to explore paths that match their intellectual curiosity, gain invaluable professional experience, and discover routes to their future careers.
    
6. Establish the Middlebury AI Studio—a secure, institution-hosted platform providing guided, creative, and responsible access to leading AI tools enabling new forms of teaching and discovery. As AI transforms how people work, learn, and create, Middlebury must provide faculty and students with the tools to use these technologies creatively, responsibly and ethically, support innovative new forms of teaching and discovery, and define and advance the role of human intellect and understanding in a changing world. The AI Studio will be a centralized hub for these critical explorations.
    
7. Explore a “Middlebury Plus One” year, providing graduating seniors competitive access to support for startup ventures, the completion of a first arts or writing project, entry into public service, or accelerated advanced degree programs in partnership with other institutions of higher education. Following graduation, a Middlebury Plus One year would provide competitive funding and help students connect to the Middlebury network, mentorship, and other important support systems as they pursue their intellectual, creative, and professional dreams beyond campus.