MIDDLEBURY — After a five-year affiliation, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) officially became a graduate school of Middlebury College on July 1.
The institutions have been affiliated since 2005, when MIIS was struggling financially and Middlebury pledged its financial support. The transition will mean a change in the governing structure at MIIS, where the board of trustees will be replaced with a board of governors appointed by Middlebury College trustees.
Middlebury College officials said that the two institutions are known for their expertise in international studies and language education, and that the merger will allow both schools to expand their programs in these areas.
The merger will also give Middlebury College’s undergraduate students the option to participate in a joint bachelor of arts and masters degree program between the two schools, with degrees offered in five areas: international environmental policy, international policy studies, nonproliferation and terrorism studies, teaching foreign languages, and teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL
MIIS, which was founded in 1955, offers graduate degrees in a number of areas associated with language and international policy. It currently has almost 800 students from more than 60 countries.
Reporter Andrea Suozzo is at [email protected].