Defining the liberal arts college for the 21^st century

Globalization affects every aspect of our lives—from how we make a living to who our neighbors are, from what food we buy to what movies we watch, from where we live to how secure we feel. It affects higher education, too. Universities in Europe and Asia have already seen significant change due to greater mobility of students, information, and ideas across international boundaries. Change is clearly on the horizon here in the United States, too. I believe we can ill afford to just sit back and watch how the forces of globalization will affect residential liberal arts colleges like ours. In fact, I believe Middlebury can and should be a leader in defining the role of the liberal arts college in the 21^st century.

Middlebury combines a human-intensive education with an expansive global perspective and an international network of educational resources that no other liberal arts college can offer. This places the College in a unique position to become the global liberal arts college. We already have all of the elements necessary to achieve that distinction, including:

• A rigorous undergraduate liberal arts program.
• An international reputation for excellence in language education at the undergraduate and, through the intensive summer Language Schools, the graduate level.
• Exceptional programs in international studies at both the undergraduate and, through our affiliation with the Monterey Institute of International Studies, the graduate level.
• A globe-encircling network of relationships with the leading institutions of higher education in dozens of other countries through the Language Schools, the Middlebury-C. V. Starr Schools Abroad, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
• The Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, a vibrant hub for lectures, symposia, and conferences that enriches the curriculum and broadens our students' global perspective.
• The Bread Loaf School of English—the largest master’s program for the study of English in the country.
• The oldest and most prestigious writer’s conference in the country, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference has brought some of the country’s finest writers to the Green Mountains every summer since 1926.
• The first interdisciplinary program in environmental studies ever established at an undergraduate institution. Created more than 40 years ago, this program has served as a model for many others.

The environment and international relations—two areas of crucial concern throughout the world today—are not simply fields of study at Middlebury. They are woven throughout the curriculum and infuse every aspect of campus life. Indeed, a Middlebury education really is an education for a world requiring a global perspective.

We recently completed a 10-year strategic plan designed to build on the College’s established strengths and secure its position as the first truly global liberal arts college. Implementing that plan will require strong academic and volunteer leadership and financial support from our alumni, parents, and friends. Through the Middlebury Initiative, there will be many opportunities to have a profound impact on the College. I invite you to join us.

Sincerely,

Ronald D. Liebowitz, President