As faculty holding leadership positions in Global Security-related degree programs and research centers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) at Monterey, we are aware of calls for Middlebury to end its association with MIIS. While we feel sympathy for faculty and staff in Vermont who will face reductions in their benefits, the statements that have recently been made in support of severing ties with MIIS have been very one-sided and in places incorrect. We write to correct potential misconceptions and to provide additional information about the Institute. We make two points: MIIS provides valuable benefits to Middlebury and personnel in Monterey have not been shielded from financial pain.
The Institute contributes positively to Middlebury in several ways. First, MIIS offers college undergraduates multiple opportunities to expand their education. Undergraduates can come to Monterey to do an internship; they can spend a “study away” semester at MIIS; or they can come to MIIS for a professional Master’s degree, usually on an accelerated basis that shortens the length of the program. The Campus reported that undergraduate students said they have been pressured to come to MIIS. We know of no such case. Every college student who has come to Monterey has actively sought out the opportunity. The feedback we have received from Middlebury undergraduates who come to MIIS has been overwhelmingly positive. They get to enjoy small classes, hands-on learning, a chance to enhance their proficiency in foreign languages and interaction with senior practitioners who regularly give talks at MIIS.
Not only do students benefit from the Institute, so does the full Middlebury enterprise. Our research centers and faculty bring in significant amounts of grant money. The indirect costs charged on grants help pay for anchor functions in Vermont, such as Human Resources and Communications and Marketing. According to data analysis provided to us based on Middlebury’s financial records system, Oracle, the indirect costs recovered by MIIS grants average more than twice the indirect costs recovered from college grants.
The research conducted at MIIS also generates tremendous publicity for Middlebury. We believe that the open-source research team at MIIS, which includes undergraduate students based in Vermont, creates more mentions of Middlebury in major national and global news outlets than the combined media coverage of research by the entire faculties of Middlebury’s 10 closest competitors.
Undergraduate study away at MIIS could also help Middlebury to sustain a higher enrollment while maintaining the small, traditional feel of the Vermont campus. If Middlebury could expect roughly 25 undergraduate students per semester to study away in Monterey, the college could admit more students without increasing its average class size. Separately from undergraduates who study away, the number of graduate students at MIIS counts towards the total number of students enrolled at Middlebury when the tax size on its Endowment is calculated; more students at MIIS means that Middlebury will have to pay a smaller tax.
The college’s connection to the Institute is also a way for Middlebury to differentiate itself from its competition. The college can tell prospective students and their parents that in addition to a top-tier liberal arts education, students who enroll at Middlebury have the opportunity to spend a semester at MIIS or complete a professional Master’s degree on an accelerated timeline, all within the Middlebury ecosystem. This package is simply not available at Williams, Amherst or Bowdoin. MIIS gives Middlebury a competitive advantage in student recruitment without detracting from its liberal arts identity.
Personnel at MIIS have not been exempt from the impacts of the Institute’s financial situation. Over the last several years, we have experienced multiple rounds of incentivized early retirements and layoffs among both faculty and staff. No one at MIIS has ever received a 15 percent contribution to our retirement funds; from the date of the merger we have been capped at 11 percent. There is also no housing subsidy or support for any faculty or staff in Monterey even though we live in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.
Furthermore, personnel in Monterey do not receive tuition benefits for children who attend the college. Monterey faculty are also not eligible for tenure, meaning we could lose our jobs for budgetary reasons regardless of our job performance. And we learned last week that there will be no salary increase next year for faculty or staff in Monterey, even though money has been set aside to supplement salaries and benefits for faculty and staff in Vermont. Any perception that MIIS has been protected from austerity measures is false; instead, we have been asked repeatedly to tighten our belts.
The education students get at MIIS enables them to land jobs in national governments, international organizations, NGOs and major financial and technology firms. The work our alumni do, combined with the research and policy engagement of our faculty and research staff, advances goals related to peace and security, development, environmental sustainability, and combating financial crime. Beyond the core goal of enhancing the education of our students, building on the synergies between our two campuses can contribute to making the world a better place. At a time when higher education is under unprecedented assault, sticking together to promote our shared ideals is a way to strengthen Middlebury’s ability to fulfill its core mission for years to come.
Signed,
Jeffrey Knopf, Professor and Program Chair, Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies
Katharine Petrich, Assistant Professor and Program Chair, Threat Intelligence
William Potter, Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar Chair of Nonproliferation Studies and Director, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Jason Blazakis, Professor of Practice and Director, Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism
