SIT Graduate Institute

SIT Graduate Institute is a private graduate institution in Brattleboro, Vermont. It is one of two entities together known as School for International Training (SIT).

SIT Graduate Institute
School for International Training
TypePrivate, Graduate
Established1964
Parent institution
World Learning
PresidentSophia Howlett
Students143 (2017-18)[1]
Location
Brattleboro
,
Vermont
,
United States
CampusRural
Websitegraduate.sit.edu

School for International Training

The School for International Training (SIT), headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont, comprises SIT Graduate Institute and SIT Study Abroad. SIT is part of World Learning, a non-profit international development and education organization that began in 1932 as an international exchange program called The Experiment in International Living.Through SIT Study Abroad, SIT offers undergraduate study abroad programs on all seven continents. SIT Graduate institute offers master’s degrees and certificates in low-residency formats and global MAs in which students study at SIT centers abroad. All programs, graduate and undergraduate, are based on seven “critical global issues” which include Climate & Environment, Development & Inequality, Education & Social Change, Geopolitics & Power, Global Health & Well-being, Identity & Human Resilience, and Peace & Justice.

History

The Vermont campus originally consisted of a small collection of dorms around a Carriage House on a scenic farm on the north end of Brattleboro. These early Peace Corps volunteers took lessons in foreign languages with materials and teachers from the language training from their service, and The School for International Training began to expand its offerings. By 1968, the small but increasing number of returned Peace Corps volunteers were requesting a degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, a new specialty. In 1969, two graduate programs were developed, International Career Training (ICT), and Masters in Teaching Languages (MAT) (French, Spanish and ESL). An undergraduate program, the World Issues Program (WIP), was developed in 1973 and resulted in 26 graduating classes. The WIP program was based on an experiential learning model. Students received their BA in International or Community Development, and International Studies. The last WIP class graduated in 1999.

The first MAT class consisted of three students, the second of 28 students, and the third of 38; in the fourth year the class size reached 50 students and stayed there for many years. ICTs spent part of their program on campus and part in internships around the world. MATs originally went to Mexico or Quebec for student teaching but by 1972, students began to develop other sites around the world. Eventually, the ICT program changed to PIM: Programs in Intercultural Management and developed specializations in NGS's and Civil Society, Peace and Conflict Transformation, Social Justice, Socially Responsible Management, Sustainable Development, International Education, Language and Culture, Teacher Preparation. Jody Williams, an MAT graduate, won the Nobel Prize for her work on banning land mines. Wangari Maathai, former Trustee Emerita, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on sustainable development and democracy in Kenya.

In the late 1990s the MAT department created the Teacher Knowledge Project as a way for teachers to work together using the reflective cycle (to inquire into their practice) and principles of Experiential Learning. This project resulted in research in schools in New England focusing on reflective teaching, mentoring and structured language immersion. Other offshoots of the MAT program include a four-week TESOL Certificate program that offers basic preparation for teaching English as a second or foreign language and the ACCESS program that helps content teachers develop skills for working with English language learners in their classes.[2]

Over the years, the School for International Training hosted and worked with Nord-Amerika Somera Kursaro (NASK), BRAC, OTEP, USAID and other international groups through the World Learning network.

SIT Study Abroad

SIT Study Abroad offers undergraduate study abroad programs on every continent, focusing on cultural immersion, field-based learning, and experiential learning.

Programs are divided via geography and critical global issues, including Climate & Environment, Development & Inequality, Education & Social Change, Geopolitics & Power, Global Health & Well-being, Identity & Human Resilience, and Peace & Justice.

In keeping with the mission of the overall organization, SIT’s programs focus on social justice and intercultural communication. SIT was the first study abroad program to achieve net-zero energy status.

SIT Graduate Institute

In January 2018, SIT Graduate Institute announced a change of degree offerings and formats, replacing full-time, on-campus master’s programs with a global degree format. Low-residency and certificate programs still take place on the Vermont campus several weeks each year. Global degrees take place in up to three countries relevant to the degree focus. In the 2018-2019 school year, there were 199 full- and part-time students at SIT.

In 2019, SIT Graduate Institute received the U.S. State Department’s English Language Fellow Top Producing Institution Award, recognizing that SIT has produced the largest number of Fellows.

Academics

SIT Graduate Institute offers Master of Arts degrees.[3] Master’s offerings in global format include Climate Change & Global Sustainability, Development Practice, Diplomacy & International Relations, Global Health Policy Administration & Management, Humanitarian Assistance & Crisis Management, and International Education. Low-residency programs include Intercultural Service, Leadership & Management, International Education, Peace & Justice, Sustainable Development, and TESOL.

In addition, SIT grants graduate certificates in International Education and peacebuilding (via a summer program called Conflict Transformation Across Cultures, or CONTACT).[4] In 2021, SIT plans to launch its first doctorate program, an EdD in Global Education.

The institute is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Initially accredited in 1974, the institute's most recent accreditation was issued in 2014 and its next review for accreditation will take place in 2022.[5]

Administration and faculty

The school head is Dean Kenneth Williams, a specialist in "organization and leadership".[6] The school's website currently lists 19 core faculty members, including six department chairs and one program director; as well as senior practitioners and adjunct faculty.[7]

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. Redden, Elizabeth. (2018, May 25). "An End and a Beginning," Inside Higher Ed. Accessed 25 May 2018.
  2. SIT Graduate Institute, "TESOL Overview" Accessed: May 16, 2012.
  3. "Master's Degree Programs" Accessed: Feb 22, 2017
  4. "Certificate Programs" Accessed: Feb 22, 2017
  5. NEASC Roster of Accredited Institutions. Accessed: 25 May 2018.
  6. "Kenneth Williams". SIT Graduate Institute website. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. SIT Graduate Institute, "Meet Our Faculty". Accessed: 25 May 2018.

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