MIIS Alumni Association

The Middlebury Institute of International Studies may be closing its doors, but the Monterey Institute—the name that shaped generations of global changemakers—refuses to fade quietly into history. As alumni, we’re not just preserving a memory; we’re reclaiming our identity and transforming loss into opportunity.

For decades before the Middlebury affiliation, the Monterey Institute stood as a beacon for those committed to bridging cultures, advancing peace, and solving complex global challenges. That spirit didn’t originate in Vermont, and it won’t end with administrative decisions. It lives in us—the thousands of alumni who carry forward the institute’s mission in every corner of the world.

This is why we’re launching the Monterey Institute Alumni Association: not as a nostalgic exercise, but as a living network dedicated to lifelong service learning. We envision an organization where alumni don’t just reminisce about their time in Monterey, but actively collaborate on projects that matter. Imagine leveraging our collective expertise—translators working with policy analysts, nonproliferation experts partnering with development practitioners, educators collaborating with social entrepreneurs. The institutional walls that once organized us are gone, but the connections and commitment remain.

Our association will serve as more than a directory. It will be a platform for mentorship, a catalyst for collaborative projects, and a hub for continuing education. We’ll organize working groups around pressing global issues, facilitate skill-sharing workshops, and create pathways for recent graduates to learn from seasoned professionals. The classroom may have closed, but our learning community expands.

The closure of our physical campus is undeniably painful, but it also liberates us to reimagine what the Monterey Institute can be. Without buildings to maintain or bureaucracies to navigate, we can focus entirely on what always mattered most: the people and the purpose.

This is our call to action. Visit our site and sign up for the Monterey Institute Alumni Association. Add your name to the roster of those refusing to let this legacy end. Share your skills, propose a project, volunteer to mentor, or simply stand with us as we write this next chapter together.

The Middlebury Institute may be closing, but the Monterey Institute is just getting started again.