For SIT, a Milestone Commencement in a Milestone Year

SIT graduates and students at Commencement 2004

After a seemingly endless string of gray, rainy weeks, the winds blew the clouds away, welcoming in a crisp, invigorating Saturday morning, May 29. The clear, sunny day couldn't be more appropriate to the occasion of School for International Training (SIT)'s 10th formal commencement. Held on the SIT campus against a backdrop of the Connecticut River valley to the south, the always unique event had, in addition to the conferral of degrees, a special purpose this year: to kick off of a year-long celebration of SIT's founding 40 years ago, in 1964.

SIT President Jim Cramer welcomed the 700 or so guests, staff, faculty, and students, citing the increasingly relevant work done by SIT alumni -- work the newest alums will be taking up as they leave campus -- in context of today's international and intercultural struggle for peace and social justice. He called for a silent reflection, in memory of those who have fallen, and in honor of those whose work for understanding, peace and social justice continues, all over the globe.

Susan B. Plimpton, Vice Chair and Chair Elect of the World Learning Board of Trustees, spoke of her days on the SIT campus in 1967-68 as a member of the school's first International Career Training Program, precursor to today's SIT Programs in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management. "There were only nine of us then," said Plimpton. "And degrees weren't given until 1972, when the program became accredited. Imagine how trusting and entrepreneurial we were -- 15 months of a new graduate program with only a certificate to show for it! But while the content of SIT's programs has changed significantly, the basic objective has not -- and that is to prepare its students to become interculturally effective leaders and professionals and effective, involved global citizens."

Taking her place at the podium as host of the ceremony, SIT Provost Paula A. Harbecke set the historical context for the day's event. "Where did this idea of a School for International Training come from?" she asked, rhetorically. "We can trace SIT's roots back to 1932, when Donald Watt started The Experiment in International Living against a backdrop of escalating discord among nations. It was Watt's vision that preventative steps could be taken to sustain world peace, that by living and studying together individuals could best understand and value one another's perspectives and cultures." Harbecke acknowledged the contribution of SIT's founder and President Emeritus, Jack Wallace, for pursuing his vision of an academic institution that today contributes to World Learning's capacity to achieve its mission through its programs, and through the work of its alumni.

In 1968, the first year SIT degrees were conferred, three Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) students, diplomas in hand, took their leave from the campus known then as Sandanona and re-named School for International Training at the founding, to work as teachers, specifically of languages, or in educational administration.

This year, SIT sends forth 187 students to make their mark in the world. Fifty-three MAT graduates will go on to careers in education and 143 will take their SIT experience as students in the school's Programs in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management to work far and wide with organizations governmental, non-governmental, private, public, in the U.S. or abroad.

The Class of 2004 -- From A to Z

SIT graduates at Commencement 2004

SIT's graduating class of 2004 is truly international, with graduates representing 36 countries and five continents, not represented only Australia and Antarctica. The list comprises Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma (Myanmar), Canada, China, Colombia, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Peru, The Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Tome and Principe, Slovenia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Sweden, Togo, Ukraine, United States of America, Yugoslavia, Zaire and Zimbabwe.

An unofficial assumption is that SIT's 2004 graduating class must rank among the most international, perhaps in the U.S. and surely in New England, among graduate schools. The 2004 class age range is 24-58, averaging at age 29. A total of 138 women were awarded Master's degrees, as were 49 men.

Celebrating the Work of SIT Alums: The Impact of 40 Years

To mark and honor SIT's history, the ceremony featured not one but five speakers, each an alum of an SIT program. Representing the decade during which they were part of the SIT community, each addressed briefly the hot issues they and fellow SIT students were dealing with during their "era," the impact their SIT education had on their career path, and a few words of advice for the 2004 grads. Each speaker was "accompanied" to the podium by a selection of music from the appropriate decade, including, for the 1960s, "All You Need is Love," by the Beatles, for the 1970s, Bob Marley's "One Love/People Get Ready,", for the 1980s, the Village People's "Ready for the 80s", for the 1990s, "Livin' La Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin, and for the 2000s, Outkast's "Hey Ya!".

Karen Steinhaus represented the 1960s, and the first-ever Master of Arts in Teaching class to earn a degree from SIT. Steinhaus's message, expressed joyfully and with an enthusiasm that spoke well of her SIT experience and her love of the career it prepared her for, was one of hope and trust. "SIT graduates know that languages open doors of communication, opportunities for exchanges of human interests, and lead the way to unpredictable outcomes," she said. "We are here today because we trust and expect the unexpected. And the unexpected will continue to welcome us at every turn." Steinhaus is today on staff at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. Carnetta Peterson Smith, another of the first three SIT degree-earning graduates, attended the ceremony.

Representing the 1970s, Gale Day spoke about his experiences as a member of that first degree-earning International Career Training class mentioned earlier by Plimpton. "The cross-cultural field was still young," he said, "and we jumped into it with enthusiasm. The benefit was enormous -- a heightened sensitivity to culture and its importance. This, of course, is at the heart of tolerance -- recognizing how wrong it is to insist that there is always a "right" way to do things. Inside sources tell me that much of this is still alive and well at SIT. I congratulate the school on keeping its focus and high standards." Day was with the United Nations for 27 years as a Program Officer, Chief of Africa Programs, Senior Policy Coordination Officer, and in a number of other positions. In the audience was his wife, Ann, an SIT classmate, and their daughter, Amanda, who is currently a student in SIT's Master's program in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management.

Bari Shamas spoke about her time at SIT in the 1980s, when she was studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree in SIT's World Issues Program (WIP), an undergraduate degree program no longer offered. "The WIP program gave people like me a great opportunity to act on issues we passionately cared about, while earning a degree," she noted. "All over the world, concerned citizens were forming action groups demonstrating against nuclear power and weapons. My WIP internship was with an organization that chronicled what people around the world were doing and saying about nuclear power. Sharing information is a way to make collective voices stronger." Still the activist she learned to be at SIT, Shamas serves the Brattleboro area community as chair and member of several boards, local promotion committees, and is an active participant in the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force.

Speaking about his experience as an undergraduate student on an SIT Study Abroad program in the 1990s, Pieter Cohen credited SIT with instilling and enhancing his affinity for Brazil, its culture, its language, and its people -- both in-country and here in the U.S. So taken was he with the country that he returned to it several times after his SIT experience, honing his skill in Portuguese and his knowledge of the people. Today, Dr. Cohen's medical practice is focused on providing medical care to the Boston area's large Brazilian community, which he does primarily in Portuguese. "

Representing the 2000s, Roberto Vale was the second student to be elected to the World Learning Board of Trustees. He earned a Master's degree in SIT's Programs in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management in 2000. The most recent graduate among the five speakers, Vale spoke of the impact his SIT experience had on him as a student, highlighting three things he learned at SIT: to think critically, to appreciate the diversity of cultures, and to be aware of the influence his Persona has on others. "SIT was a rite of passage for me," said the native Brazilian. "Here I found a fertile soil for exploration, inquiry and self-discovery." Today, Vale is a Senior International Assignment Consultant at the Cendant Corporation, in Danbury, Connecticut.

At his last commencement as president of SIT and World Learning -- he will transition from both positions on October 1 -- Jim Cramer expressed final thoughts in a heartfelt entreaty to the class of 2004. "If we are to be faithful to the aspiration of a world defined more by social justice than by its absence," he said, "we must strive to find that which unites us, and in turn, construct a sense of common purpose, however imperfect. In so doing, we need conciliation rather than confrontation; reasoned compromise rather than stubborn moral certitude. There is much good to be obtained through finding common ground and, as we do, a lifting of the human spirit and the conditions of life for the many, rather than the few." The popular president was given a spirited standing ovation.

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