Ramaswamy heads for Monterey

Author: Scott Greene

Though the College announced the appointment of Frederick C. Dirks Professor of International Economics Sunder Ramaswamy as the next President of the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in May, the final countdown for his time at Middlebury officially began on Sept. 8. Ramaswamy, a pillar of the College's present-day strength in the field of international studies, said that there was still work to do during his last term at the College before heading west in December.

"I need to finish all the big research projects I've been involved with," he said. Ramaswamy will also continue to work with the Middlebury-Monterey Integration Task Force, which he has directed for the last two years. "I will be working with who will be replacing me because there is a lot of work to be done in the next two years," he said.

MIIS appointed Ramaswamy, who previously served as dean of faculty development and research, as successor to current President Clara Yu in May after its Board of Trustees unanimously recommended him to the College's board for approval.

"Sunder Ramaswamy is the perfect successor to Clara at this crucial juncture in the relationship between our two institutions," Liebowitz said at the time. "His scholarly background and credentials, his administrative experience at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, and his knowledge of both institutions gives us great confidence that Sunder will build on Clara's successes."

At the time of the appointment, the Monterey Herald reported that a "Vermont man" would be taking the reigns of MIIS when Yu retires. Ramaswamy said that despite his international background, he does not disagree with the reference.

"I have been here for 18 years, a long time," he said, "and it does not seem that long back that I started out teaching. My wife comes from the northeast and my son was born here. Still, it was funny to see that."

Ramaswamy joined the Middlebury faculty in 1990, roughly the same time as his successor as dean of faculty development and research, William H. Rehnquist Professor of American History and Culture Jim Ralph. Both shared an office on the third floor of Monroe Hall.

"We were kindred spirits in that we both taught large numbers of students and worked very hard and enjoyed every moment," he wrote in an e-mail. "Sunder had the credentials which gained the attention of larger universities, but he loved the scale and spirit of Middlebury and so he stayed here. He liked the fact that if he engaged in the work of the college that he could make it a better place, and he has done exactly that."

From 2003-2005, Ramaswamy was the director of the Madras School of Economics in Chennai, India, one of the premier institutes for graduate education and economics research in India. He has been involved with World Bank and various UN agency projects on different aspects of economic reforms in India. In the past, he also has been associated with projects on agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa sponsored by USAID and other agencies. His teaching and other academic work have been supported by grants from the Davis Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Kellogg Foundation.

While he still has work to do before he leaves, Ramaswamy said he is looking forward to the opportunity. Two central responsibilities will be to run the Institute and work with its local community. Third, and perhaps most important, Ramaswamy hopes to facilitate further integration between the two institutions.

"Monterey has to dock with Middlebury because we are heading for integration," he said. "Not just at the undergraduate level, but also language schools and schools abroad because connections are already being made. There will be a lot of natural bridges that will be formed, and understanding how this all fits into the larger picture will certainly help going to the other side."