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| School for International Training | |
|---|---|
| Name | School for International Training |
| Established | 1964 |
| Type | Private institution |
| Location | Brattleboro, Vermont, United States |
| Campus | Rural |
School for International Training
The School for International Training is a private institution located in Brattleboro, Vermont, founded in 1964 to provide graduate and professional programs emphasizing international education, intercultural competence, and experiential learning. It offers degree and certificate programs across areas such as international development, human rights, language immersion, and peacebuilding, and operates a network of international study centers, partnerships, and field-based programs. The institution has played roles in diplomatic training, humanitarian practice, and cross-cultural exchange involving practitioners, diplomats, scholars, and activists.
Founded in 1964 amid Cold War cultural exchanges and postwar development efforts, the institution emerged alongside organizations such as Fulbright Program, United States Agency for International Development, and Peace Corps initiatives. Early activities intersected with programs hosted by Dartmouth College-affiliated study abroad networks and collaborations with Institute of International Education. During the 1970s and 1980s its work paralleled efforts by Amnesty International, United Nations Development Programme, and International Committee of the Red Cross in human rights and humanitarian training. In subsequent decades it expanded programs aligned with multilateral efforts like United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and policy dialogues involving Council on Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The post-Cold War period saw programmatic links with regional entities such as African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Organization of American States through capacity-building initiatives. More recent decades have featured collaborations tied to global responses to crises seen in events like the Rwandan Genocide, Balkans conflict, and Syrian civil war, informing curriculum on peacebuilding and transitional justice.
The institution offers graduate degrees, certificates, and professional development emphasizing applied practice and experiential methodologies. Programs connect to themes prominent in institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, and Johns Hopkins University through shared vocational emphases. Degree tracks address topics often featured in curricula at Columbia University, Georgetown University, and Stanford University centers for international affairs, while certificate offerings resemble modules from International Rescue Committee training and World Bank professional courses. Language immersion programs mirror approaches used by Middlebury College and Universities of Cambridge language programs. Coursework integrates case studies referencing events like the Northern Ireland peace process, the Good Friday Agreement, and transitional models from South Africa's post-apartheid reform. Faculty collaborations have involved scholars and practitioners associated with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and tribunals such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
The rural campus houses classrooms, residential facilities, and resources for immersive learning, comparable to small liberal arts settings like Williams College and Amherst College in scale. Facilities support seminars, workshops, and field-preparation labs similar to training centers used by International Organization for Migration and Médecins Sans Frontières for pre-deployment instruction. Campus archives and libraries curate materials related to international affairs, peace studies, and language pedagogy akin to holdings at Library of Congress research collections. Meeting spaces often host visiting delegations from entities such as United Nations agencies, diplomatic missions like United States Department of State delegations, and non-governmental groups including Oxfam.
International programs operate study centers and semester exchanges in regions aligned with partners such as Costa Rica, Morocco, Nepal, and Argentina, and engage with networks similar to Institute for International Education and Council on International Educational Exchange. Field placements have been coordinated with organizations like United Nations Development Programme, Save the Children, and CARE International, and students have participated in internships at missions connected to European Union delegations and embassies. Study abroad curricula emphasize comparative casework drawing on episodes like the Arab Spring, East Timor independence processes, and regional governance reforms in Latin America.
The institution maintains partnerships with academic centers and policy institutes including Tufts University's The Fletcher School, Syracuse University's Maxwell School, and research collaborations with think tanks such as Brookings Institution and International Crisis Group. Collaborative research projects have addressed issues examined by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, World Health Organization, and International Labour Organization. Grant-funded initiatives have involved foundations like Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Rockefeller Foundation, and have produced applied research cited in policy dialogues hosted by United Nations Security Council working groups and regional development banks such as the Inter-American Development Bank.
Student organizations engage in advocacy, cultural exchange, and professional development, paralleling student governance models at institutions such as Brown University and University of Vermont. Student councils coordinate events with external partners including Peace Corps recruiters, Teach For America chapters, and community groups like Rotary International. Extracurricular programming often features lectures and panels with guests from United Nations, Amnesty International, and diplomatic services including British Foreign Office and Canadian Foreign Service. Governance structures include faculty-student committees for curriculum review and ethics boards aligning with standards used by Institutional Review Board processes.
Alumni and faculty have included diplomats, NGO leaders, and academics who later worked with organizations such as United Nations, World Bank, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Committee of the Red Cross, European Union, African Union, and national foreign services like United States Department of State and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Individuals have participated in negotiations and initiatives related to the Oslo Accords, Dayton Agreement, and peace processes in Colombia, and have held positions at universities and institutes including Harvard University, Yale University, and University of Oxford.
Category:Universities and colleges in Vermont