MiddCORE: Popular Middlebury Program to be Adapted for Monterey

Bringing together notable alumni and friends to mentor students through a series of real-life projects that drive them out of their comfort zones while fostering creativity and innovation – that is the big idea behind MiddCORE, a four-week intensive winter program designed for Middlebury College students.  If you think this also sounds like an ideal project for MIIS students, ever hungry for practical experience and networking opportunities, you are not alone.

When the idea of bringing this five-year-old innovative program to Monterey first came up, one could almost see the fireworks of inspiration going off in the minds of MIIS faculty and staff who have been eager to share ideas and suggestions. The program will be adapted for an audience of both undergraduate and graduate students in Monterey and offered as a three-week “J-term” course in January 2013. The task of leading MiddCORE @MIIS will fall on the very capable shoulders of Professor Kent Glenzer, assisted by his colleague Professor Alfredo Ortiz.

MiddCore mentors have facilitated group challenges in areas such as negotiation, adaptive leadership, crisis management, and storytelling, and students have pitched ideas for innovative solutions to such complex, challenging problems as how we are going to feed the people of the future.  Integral to the success of the program is Catherine Collins, associate director of MiddCORE who has been busy working on the curriculum, finding mentors and will be in Monterey for the whole session.  She and the MIIS team will work with mentors throughout the fall semester to ensure the program is challenging to students and rewarding for all. Another great exchange of ideas between Middlebury and Monterey!