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Ron & Jessica Liebowitz Fund for Innovation

The Fund for Innovation provides support for experimental and unconventional projects that have the potential to create lasting, positive change and strengthen Middlebury's educational experience.

"The Ron and Jessica Liebowitz Fund for Innovation (FFI) was established in honor of Middlebury's 16th President and his wife in March 2015 by a group of donors who believe that a distinctive culture of creative thinking is essential to the Middlebury community. The FFI is committed to the idea that creative work should serve the institution's needs. In January 2017, President Laurie Patton determined that for the immediate future the FFI would support "educational innovation." Through the process of creating, reviewing, and developing the ideas that come to the FFI, we hope to expand our collective understanding of what it means to be innovative in an academic setting." -Middlebury Fund For Innovation Webpage

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To learn more, visit here.

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Diversity Abroad Reporters: Connecting the Conference to the Community

MAIEM Diversity Abroad Conference Reporters seek to connect current and past MAIEM students with the people, ideas, 

and resources at the 2018 Diversity Abroad Annual Conference in Miami, FL in order to make the conference a living part of the International Education Management program. 

 

Through blogs, vlogs, virtual class visits, and presentations, we hope that MAIEM students recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion and are prepared to integrate inclusion as an everyday ethic into their studies and future careers.

As a professional graduate school, many students at MIIS participate in conferences and professional meetings, however, this participation does not often reach a wide audience or influence learning in an entire program. These limitations are in part due to the fact that only a small number of students can participate in any given conference and that conference often take place during the semester, rather than during an academic break.

 

As a model for preparing for professional practice, our work will serve as an example for how to attend a conference on behalf of an entire organization. International educators must be prepared to effectively support access and success for students from all domestic and international backgrounds. All MAIEM students are exposed to essential concepts, tools, and resources through their coursework. This conference, however, brings together the leading researchers and practitioners in this still emerging area of practice. By connecting current students and alumni to this conference, the entire MAIEM community will become connected to the thought-leaders related to diversity and inclusion in international education and to innovative practices for conducting this work.

MAIEM Reporters

Evelyn Lueker is honored to be serving as the MAIEM DA Lead Reporter and thanks the Fund For Innovation for granting this proposal, David Wick for serving as our Faculty Advisor, and most of all my fearless fellow reporters, without whom this project would not be possible! 
 
A commitment to access and success for all students informs Evelyn Lueker's approach to international education. She is in the final semester of her Master’s coursework in International Education Management at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Since achieving her Business Marketing Degree from San Francisco State, Evelyn has worked in various project â€‹management positions and currently works as a research assistant serving Latinx populations in Southern California.  She invites you to connect and thanks you for your interest in this project! 
Ashley Bayman is a third-semester IEM student currently completing a professional practicum with the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is passionate about ensuring that students from all backgrounds have equitable opportunities to access, participate, and thrive in global educational experiences. Since arriving at MIIS, she has been dedicated to diversity and inclusion work in education abroad, namely, through research, conference presenting and volunteering, and her work with various organizations committed to advancing inclusive excellence including Student Diplomacy Corps, Global Majority, and Diversity Abroad. 
John Otto is a second semester student in the IEM program. With a demonstrated dedication to working with and supporting diverse groups of students as well as social and political activists, John believes in a holistic approach to diversity work. He strives to engage in personal and professional collaborations that push the conversation around diversity even further, from one of accessibility and inclusiveness to one of student success, ability, and agency. John has enjoyed working with Garden State Equality, Equality Illinois, and most recently he taught in France through the Teaching Assistant Program in France.
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