Monterey Institute: What is Next?

On Sunday, April 16 the Student Government Association (SGA) passed a bill expressing concern about the possible acquisition of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). The 12-3-1 vote in favor of the bill, which recommended to President Ronald D. Liebowitz and the Board of Trustees that they "reject any proposal that requires Middlebury to spend money that otherwise would be spent on college resources" - exemplifies a thoughtful, discerning representation of the interests of Middlebury College's students. While the SGA vote followed an April 1 the Faculty Council vote recommending against the acquisition of MIIS, SGA President Andrew Jacobi's bill is an appropriately measured statement that wisely avoids overreaching, ill-researched assumptions about the MIIS acquisition, while still powerfully voicing the need to protect Middlebury's undergraduate programs.

The SGA's decision to weigh in on the MIIS acquisition represents the first effort to formally include the student voice in what has become an increasingly complex, nuanced and divided debate. Despite the SGA's cautioning bill and the oppositional faculty vote, it is clear that many key faculty members and administrators remain firmly convinced of the merits of MIIS. What is unclear to much of the College community, however, is how these fragmented voices will influence President Liebowitz's and the Board of Trustees' decision on the MIIS acquisition. Since students and faculty have both formally weighed in once on the acquisition, there has been little indication of where we go from here.

The SGA effort indicates increased interest amongst the College community about the acquisition and points to a lack of any clear path forward. While President Liebowitz's initial effort to inform the College community about MIIS in a campus-wide e-mail is laudable, students watched the debate over MIIS heat up with that e-mail long since deleted and new information on the table. As members of the community are exposed to different viewpoints and arguments for and against the acquisition, it seems that there arises the need for a discussion and forum on the issue along with some indication of how students, faculty and staff can communicate their concerns - on either side of the debate - with one another and the College's decision-makers.

Any decision from President Liebowitz or the Board of Trustees that comes before an opportunity is provided for students, faculty, administrators and staff members to explore together the issues involved in the MIIS acquisition will send the wrong message to the College about the role of dialogue, discussion and the value of faculty and student voice in this intellectual community.

The SGA bill shows that students have a definite concern about their College, their education and the way the Monterey Institute may affect both. The SGA should be applauded for its efforts to move the student voice into this debate and to do so in a manner that does not make uneducated presumptions, but that states student concerns and implies an interest in learning more about how the MIIS acquisition may be compatible or incompatible with these interests.

The SGA's initiative signals a need for some indication from the College's decision-makers as to how we move forward from here. What do student and faculty concerns matter to the MIIS decision-making process, and how will these be addressed as the President and Board of Trustees move forward with the acquisition consideration? Let us know where we are going from here... before we get there.