SIT Graduate Institute

SIT Graduate Institute
School for International Training
Type Private, Graduate
Established 1964
Parent institution
 World Learning
President Sophia Howlett
Dean Kenneth Williams
Students 143 (2017-18)[1]
Location Brattleboro, VT, USA
Campus Rural: Fringe
Website graduate.sit.edu

SIT Graduate Institute (formally, the School for International Training) is an accredited institution of higher education administered by World Learning, a non-profit international development and education organization. The Graduate Institute offers master's degrees and graduate certificates in a variety of fields related to international education and sustainable development. Located in Brattleboro, Vermont, the school also maintains a branch campus in downtown Washington, D.C.

History

The School for International Training (SIT) was established in 1964.[2] SIT filled a need of returned Peace Corps volunteers by offering a graduate degree in international development. 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.[3]

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.

Degree and certificate programs

SIT Graduate Institute offers Master of Arts degrees in the following fields:

Three graduate certificate programs also are offered.[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]

Accreditation

The SIT Graduate 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.[8]

Reporting

US Federal education statistics reporting continues under the name, School for International Training, but may include data in some respects (perhaps financial, but apparently not enrollment) for SIT Study Abroad, as well.[9]

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, "History". Accessed: Feb 22, 2017.
  3. ↑ SIT Graduate Institute, "TESOL Overview" Accessed: May 16, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Master's Degree Programs" Accessed: Feb 22, 2017
  5. ↑ "Certificate Programs" Accessed: Feb 22, 2017
  6. ↑ "Kenneth Williams". SIT Graduate Institute website. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  7. ↑ SIT Graduate Institute, "Meet Our Faculty". Accessed: 25 May 2018.
  8. ↑ NEASC Roster of Accredited Institutions. Accessed: 25 May 2018.
  9. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Data Center. Accessed: May 19, 2012.

Coordinates: 42°53′17″N 72°33′53″W / 42.888067°N 72.56474°W / 42.888067; -72.56474

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