Midd Moment

Laurie L. Patton has served as Middlebury’s president since 2015 and is the first woman to lead the institution. Under her leadership, Middlebury has distinguished itself as a forward-thinking, community-driven institution through programs like the Energy2028 sustainability plan and the Conflict Transformation initiative. And since 2019, Laurie has hosted the MiddMoment podcast.

The Monterey Trialogue from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey brings together leading experts from the United States, China, and Russia for in-depth discussions of their countries' interests and concerns in the vital regions of the world. The Trialogue is a novel format, yet an indispensable one. At a time when intra-governmental cooperation and communic

Middlebury has a long standing relationship with Alexander Twilight. Twilight graduated from our institution in 1823. He has been noted as the first person of color to graduate from an American college, and later became the first American of African descent to serve in a state legislature in the United States, when he was elected to the Vermont General Assembly in 1836.And today, w

Food waste is a major issue not only in the United States, but around the world. Whether it's the mass waste that gets dumped by restaurants and grocery stores or the bag of lettuce that was never opened, rotting away in the back of your refrigerator, it touches each of us daily. Nick Whitman is the co-founder and COO of Divert, an impact technology company on a mission to Protect

Carolyn Finney, PhD is a storyteller, author, cultural geographer, and a self-described accidental environmentalist whose work explores the intersection of identity, privilege, and our natural surroundings.She's the author of Black Faces White Spaces: Re-Imagining the Relationship of African-Americans to the Great Outdoors. And lately she's been workshopping a performance piece tit

Carolyn Finney, PhD, is a storyteller, author, cultural geographer, and self-described “accidental environmentalist” whose work explores the intersection of identity, privilege, and our natural surroundings.She's the author of Black Faces White Spaces: Re-Imagining the Relationship of African-Americans to the Great Outdoors. And lately she's been workshopping a performance piec

For some, finding your career, life, and purpose can be a lifelong task. But Rebecca Makkai knew she wanted to be a writer since she was 7 years old. But it wasn't until graduate school that her journey took her to Middlebury.Rebecca Makkai is the Chicago-based author of the novels I Have Some Questions for You, The Great Believers, The Hundred-Year House, and The Borrower, as well

A fearless virus hunter. That’s how many describe today’s guest, who has been on the front lines researching emerging infectious disease for nearly three decades. Anne Rimoin is an epidemiologist who is an internationally recognized expert on global health, disease, surveillance, and immunization.Anne is a 1992 graduate of Middlebury College and earned a Master's in Public Heal

Hi, this is Laurie Patton, President of Middlebury, Professor of Religion, and host of this podcast, MiddMoment. Though there is still about a foot of snow on the ground here in Vermont, my thoughts are on spring and the return of this podcast, my conversations with Middlebury folks that tackle ideas of the day. I'm so excited for this season, season 3.Among our guests will be an e

Dan O'Brien ’96, a playwright and poet, and Jessica St. Clair ’98, a comedian and writer join president Patton for our final check in with the community during COVID-19 self-isolation. Dan and Jessica are a true power couple in the arts that met in a Middlebury improv group. They discuss Dan's essay Life Shrinks: Lessons from Chemo Quarantine, how reopening the country feels a