College builds international alumni network

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

Middlebury College President Ronald D. Liebowitz and Board of Trustees Chairman Frederick M. Fritz '68 will attend a Nov. 10 meeting of the College's alumni chapter in London. On the agenda will be discussions of Middlebury's growing international network of alumni and its ability to recruit and assist new international students.

According to Mike Schoenfeld, vice president for College Advancement, the goal of the London meeting will be to foster greater involvement on the part of international alumni. In addition to Liebowitz and Fritz, attendees at the conference will include British, Swedish and Belgian nationals, as well as Americans living and working abroad.

"If you look at where we were in 1990 and where we are now, Middlebury's presence internationally is much stronger," said Schoenfeld. "We didn't really have that many international alumni until the 1980s, but now that these people have attained significant positions in business and government, they might be willing to consider providing internships and scholarships for Middlebury students."

Although Middlebury adds more than 600 students each year to its pool of alumni, fewer than two percent hold foreign citizenship. Nevertheless, Middlebury's 77 international first-year students - many of them coming from the United World College (UWC) program - symbolize the extent to which the foreign presence on campus has grown in the last 15 years.

As a result of this growing body of international students, the College has seen a strengthening of its presence overseas. "What used to be primarily a national network of alumni is becoming an international network," said Schoenfeld. "Before, we might have had an alumni meeting in Hong Kong, but it would be comprised entirely of Americans working in Hong Kong. Now that same meeting would be comprised more of graduates with foreign citizenships who had returned to their home countries."

While the London alumni chapter remains the College's only official international body of alumni, Schoenfeld said the administration is confident that this is only the beginning.

"We know that the sheer number of graduates - both internationals and Americans who choose to live abroad - will continue to expand this network."

Schoenfeld stressed that the recruitment and provision of scholarships for international students, as well as internship opportunities abroad for American students, will be the primary benefits the College will reap from its growing international connections.

"We have seen what a strong alumni network can do in the United States, and we're excited about the possibilities of what a stronger international network could do for the College," he said. "We are already starting to arrange international internships and money for international students, and these are likely to continue to be the primary benefits."

The Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars program represents one of the financial advantages to a stronger international presence. Earlier this year, philanthropist and Middlebury parent Shelby Davis donated $20 million to establish Middlebury as the headquarters for the program and match every dollar of demonstrated need on the part of 80 UWC students then attending Middlebury.

Said President Emeritus John McCardell, "The establishment of the Davis UWC Scholars program is the most important support for international student financial aid that Middlebury College has ever received."