Following a unanimous vote on Sept. 30 by the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) Board of Trustees in favor of affiliation with Middlebury College, the Middlebury College Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of the affiliation during its October meeting on campus. "In approving the agreement, Middlebury's Trustees gave Board chair Frederick M. Fritz '68 and me the authority to iron out any remaining issues in advance of an anticipated formal signing of the agreement, in Monterey, on Dec. 2," said Ronald D. Liebowitz, president of the College.
According to Fritz, there were essentially four parts to the presentation made at the board meeting preceding the vote. First, the Board received an operational update from College Professor Clara Yu, former vice-president for languages at Middlebury, now President-designate of MIIS. Yu now spends most of her time in residence in Monterey, Calif., where she will take over the role of President and assume strategic and operational responsibilities for MIIS on Jan. 1, 2006. Second, the Board heard a legal update on the affiliation agreement and related documents, including MIIS by-laws. The trustees also received a briefing of their June 23 meeting, during which the Board approved a letter of intent to make Monterey an affiliate of Middlebury. Finally, a revised budget was presented to the Board which took into account higher enrollment numbers at the Institute.
Fritz expects that any outstanding issues will be worked out between Middlebury and MIIS. "We feel more and more confident about the prospects in all respects for this affiliation, and while there may be some bumps in the future which we should be prepared for, the process so far has been extremely positive," said Fritz.
Following the formal signing of the agreement, MIIS will have a new five-member board of trustees, all of whom will be appointed by Middlebury. The Institute's board will retain general oversight of MIIS but Middlebury approval will be required for the appointment or removal of the president, adoption of budgets, sale or acquisition of assets and commencement or termination of academic programs. Middlebury anticipates making financial resources available to the institute in the form of gifts and, if needed, secured loans over the next four years.
The College began conversations about a potential partnership with Monterey last November. On March 15, the Program Coordination Group investigating the acquisition gave a presentation and answered the questions of Middlebury students, faculty and staff, and on April 1 the Faculty Council voted 80-21 in opposition of the potential acquisition. On April 16, the Student Government Association passed a recommendation expressing concern over the potential acquisition, citing fears that the acquisition would divert funds away from College resources. On June 24, however, the Trustees of Middlebury and MIIS approved a letter of intent to make Monterey an affiliate, rather than an outright acquisition, of Middlebury.
Said Yu of the affiliation, "Middlebury and Monterey are two premier institutions that take seriously deep cultural understanding and linguistic proficiency as the foundation for international studies, policy making and public service. I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, and alumni of the Monterey Institute and with the Monterey community to further our common mission."
Written by ZACH HECHT-LEAVITT
