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"Our Students"
Having a recent graduate in the office during the summer makes me a very lucky blogger. I mentioned to Rafael that it would be great to highlight published student writing and he was ON IT! He sent a note to the Social List and the responses poured in. I’ll let him tell you about it.
A few weeks ago, I sent an email to Fletcher’s current students and recent graduates. My goal was to showcase some student publications from the past year to give you, the revered readers of this blog, an idea of what students do when they have researched an issue in depth for a seminar paper, capstone project, or internship, and don’t want their work to disappear in a drawer. Their responses surprised me. First, Fletcher students publish much more than I had expected. Two, the range of types of publications is much wider than I had expected. And three, in addition to clustering around some core themes of the Fletcher curriculum and current hot topics in the news, there are also issues that I did not know Fletcher students were working on, like fisheries in Norway, civil aviation in Timor-Leste, or entrepreneurship in Nunavik. But more on that later.
One major theme that many Fletcher students research and publish on frequently is refugees and global migration. In a truly international community, it is no wonder that an issue of such global importance is prominently represented. A research fellow with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, PhD candidate Matthew Herbert, for instance, researched trends and routes of North African clandestine migrants. For their capstone project, Mattea Cumoletti (MALD 17) and Anna Ackerman (MALD 17) produced a podcast to explore the potential of business interventions in solving the global refugee crisis (“Dollars, Displacement and Design: Entrepreneurship and the Refugee Crisis”). Carter Banker (MALD 18), and Khaled Ismail, Claire Wilson (MALD 18), and Nathan Cohen-Fournier (MIB 17) worked more specifically on Syria; Carter considering Latin American as the next frontier for Syrian refugees, and Clair, Khaled, and Nathan conducting research with Syrian refugees in Tripoli, Lebanon. Following the controversy around the Trump administration’s recent travel ban, Arthur Desloges (MALD 18) asked, “Does Mr. Trump know what a U.S. refugee is?” PhD candidate Roxani Krystalli, who also works as a Program Manager at the Feinstein International Center’s Humanitarian Evidence Program, and Fletcher Professor Kim Wilson led a research team to conduct a study on the financial journey of refugees. Some of their findings can be found here: “The Financial Journeys of Refugees: Charting a research agenda – Is corruption a relevant framework?”
Additionally, Roxani published several articles on Colombia, specifically on how gender affects the peace process, through the Washington Post’s famous Monkey Cage blog: “The Colombian peace agreement has a big emphasis on the lives of women. Here’s how.” With Professor Kimberly Theidon, Roxani also wrote “Here’s how attention to gender affected Colombia’s peace process.” The two also collaborated on a piece on the reintegration of FARC rebels into Colombia’s society. And for those who would rather listen than read, Roxani recorded a podcast on these issues with the Advanced Training Program on Humanitarian Action (ATHA). Amelia Rasmussen (MALD 17), too, researched the Colombia peace process (Volume I, Issue 2, pp. 139-152) and published her findings in The Pardee Periodical Journal of Global Affairs, which is based just down the street at Boston University. In the same edition, Protiti Roy (MALD 18) wrote about the implementation patterns of human rights treaties in India (pp. 111-126).
Moving further north on our scholarly globe, Andrew Tirrell (PhD candidate who just defended his dissertation) published on “Sociocultural institutions in Norwegian fisheries management” in Marine Policy. Maxwell McGrath-Horn (MALD 17) compared Arctic and Amazon regional governance mechanisms in a co-authored article in Polar Geography and Putin and Peter the Great in The Diplomat, whose associate editor is, unsurprisingly, a Fletcher PhD candidate. With support from Fletcher’s Institute for Business in the Global Context, Nathan Cohen-Fournier (MIB 17) conducted a study on entrepreneurship in Nunavik in light of climate change and globalization. Also through the IBGC, Nadim Choucair (MALD 17) and Thomas Flynn (MALD 17) published their work on startups, incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms in Lebanon: “CIRCULAR 331: $500+ Million to create Lebanon’s Knowledge-Based Economy?” Staying in the Middle East, Sam Bollier (MALD 18) asked, “What’s Holding Up Labor Reforms in Qatar?” Julio Rivera Alejo (MALD 17) raised another good question, this time in Spanish: “¿Qué será del acuerdo internacional sobre cambio climático?” Tatsuo Sakai (MALD 17 and a two-year blogger) looked at the civil-aviation sector and tourism industry in Timor-Leste.
Turning now toward the realm of security studies, among our military veteran students, the Navy seems to produce prolific writers. In addition to our dean, who cannot seem to stop writing books and op-eds, Michael Keating (MALD 19) recently commented on the tragic incident involving the USS Fitzgerald. Andrea Goldstein (MALD 18) has written for Task & Purpose since 2014, most recently on the “Marines United” scandal, “10 Must-Read Books on Women in the Military,” and mentorship.
Among us non-seafaring students of international security at Fletcher, Mariya Ilyas (MALD 18 and another Admissions Blog writer) looked at the current dynamics in NATO-Turkey relations and Colin Steele (MALD 18) reviewed two books — The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945 and Scales on War: The Future of America’s Military at Risk — for The Strategy Bridge and the Center for International Maritime Security respectively. Lami Kim (PhD candidate) and yours truly (MALD 17) conducted research on nuclear proliferation and published our pieces on South Korean nuclear hedging and the recent discussions of a German Bomb through the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Voices of Tomorrow feature.
This already very long list does not nearly exhaust the pressing issues Fletcher students research from a wide array of perspectives. Nonetheless, I hope it gives you a good idea of the diversity of interests and viewpoints that fuel student discussion, research, and writing here.
Tuesday’s post covered Cindy’s general tips for incoming students. Today, she attacks a topic critical to graduate student survival: free food and where to find it. With no further ado, I’ll let Cindy reveal these important nutritional resources.
Let’s face it: everyone enjoys eating free food! Around Fletcher, there are many opportunities for students to keep themselves fueled and fed throughout the semester. Here are some suggestions for how to do just that:
- There’s a Social Hour scheduled every Thursday, sponsored by a different club or organization on campus each week.
- Dean Sheehan holds a pizza lunch once per month. This is a great way to hear about Fletcher news, voice your opinion about what could make Fletcher a better school, and also get to know your school leadership and peers.
- A couple of times each month, the International Security Studies Program hosts guest speaker events that students can sign up for in advance. Business attire is required, and lunch is served. Keep in mind there are cancellation policies for these luncheons!
- Throughout the semester, various student clubs will sponsor events and lunch will often be provided at the event.
- If students don’t manage to eat all the food at an event, any leftovers will typically be placed in the Hall of Flags coat nook. Free! But also first come, first served.
- Evening events that take place in the main ASEAN auditorium are often followed by an open/cash bar with hors d’oeuvres.
- There are many end-of-semester events with free food, which comes in handy when you’re studying hard for exams! Check the Social List for any updates on free food around this time. The Office of Career Services has been known to bring in homemade cookies at the end of the semester.
- Free food isn’t confined to Fletcher. Plenty of Tufts-wide events include a free meal, too!
Of course, where it comes to lectures, book talks, conferences, and meetings, the hope is that students will attend for the opportunity to learn and discuss, not simply to eat. But a free meal is a nice added bonus!
It’s hard to believe, but the first of the students to arrive (aside from those who are on campus for a quick English brush-up) will start the pre-session courses on August 14, less than two weeks from today! Yikes! That’s how the summer goes: slow…slow…slow FAST! FAST! FAST! Before we know it, Orientation will be here. And timed for the pre-session and Orientation arrivals, I have some new-student advice for you from Cindy, our advice-offering Graduate Assistant. Back in the spring, I asked her to think about the things that would have been handy to know before she arrived for her first year of study. We like to think that we provide all the key info in official correspondence, so Cindy’s list drills down to some lesser known but still important points.
Between Orientation, pre-session courses, shopping day, and moving into a new apartment or Blakeley Hall, starting Fletcher life can be overwhelming. Have no fear! We have compiled a list of useful tidbits that are often overlooked during the hectic start of Fletcher study. We hope you find this collection of somewhat random tips to be helpful when making your transition to Fletcher.
- At the beginning of the year, you’ll be assigned a locker. This is a great place to keep your tea, snacks, and maybe even a change of clothes/shoes for when you really need them.
- Technology troubles? The Ginn Library lends out cell phone chargers, computer chargers, and laptops.
- Don’t forget to join the Social List early on! Students (and even staff) send out emails to the Fletcher family to find used textbooks, post jobs/internships, get a Tylenol when they have a headache, or promote an event on/off campus. You can ask the Social List pretty much anything and you will get a response!
- There are two microwaves that are free for Fletcher students to use: one in Mugar Café and another in the Cabot lower level.
- We have a compost bin in the coat-hanging nook of the Hall of Flags for all of our environment-friendly folk.
- A prime study spot is the third floor study room in Ginn Library. This does need to be booked online through the Ginn Library website.
- There’s a new coffee machine next to Mugar Computer Lab if you are in a rush and need your caffeine. The coffee is nicely priced!
- If you have a bike (which is very useful for getting around campus), you can register it with the Tufts Police Department for free — an added layer of security. And there are several bike racks near our buildings, for those who bike-commute to campus.
- You have free access to the latest versions of Microsoft Office Suite.
Returning to point #3, contact the Social List for info on any of these points or to ask returning students more questions about student life.
I’m going to close out this blog week with the post that wraps up Tatsuo’s Fletcher experience. It’s hard to believe that I met Tatsuo almost exactly two years ago, and he’s already back in his job with the ministry in Japan that sponsored his studies. As much as any student I’ve known, Tatsuo made the most of his two years away from the workplace. He traveled widely in the U.S. and beyond, pursued an exchange semester in Paris, had an internship last summer (relatively uncommon among students who will return to their pre-Fletcher workplace), and while on campus, built community with fellow students interested in Japanese culture and food. In today’s post, he describes his return to work at the ministry.
Two months ago, I graduated from Fletcher and came back to Japan. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am readjusting quickly to Japanese life and work. I miss my days in the school on the hill, but I already feel like they passed years ago.
I’ve settled in Kasumigaseki, the district that is home to almost all Japanese central government agencies, and I am serving as the Deputy Director of the Transport Planning Division in the Public Transport Department of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
In Japan, maybe like some other countries, the name of the government district — “Kasumigaseki” — is sometimes used as a word to symbolize “conservative,” “sectionalism,” or “stubbornness.” However, we, the people in Kasumigaseki, are now facing the tide of many and great social and economic trends.
My new position is one of the difficult but interesting positions through which the government is facing change and challenges. Due to Japan’s aging population and the end of high economic growth, Japanese cities and towns, especially in rural regions, are struggling with economic and social stagnation. In these areas, public transportation faces decreasing demand. Many local bus companies will be bankrupted. Japanese Railway and other railway companies abolished many “unprofitable” routes that are still critical for the local society and economy. A decade ago, some free-market-oriented policies that eased or abolished governmental regulations to control transport companies accelerated the trend.
My task is to revitalize regional economies and societies such as these to reconstruct the transport networks. Many bus routes and railways were built in the age of high economic growth. Most of these networks are inefficient for current demand, while the companies have heavily subsidized them and lost the capability to adjust to social/economic change. Moreover, there are many innovations on the horizon to bring a new future to public transport, such as automated driving.
This work needs very broad cross-sector approaches and communication. I am working with many colleagues beyond a single department, ministry, or regional government. I work with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and many businesses to tackle regional transport projects. This complex approach is needed because we have to connect multiple transport modes, many industries, various technologies, and diverse thoughts.
The position has another unique dimension. It is very close to “ground-level.” MLIT is generally field-site oriented: there are tens of thousands of engineers and technocrats, in many branches all over the country, with a big influence on politicians and local governments through the huge infrastructure budget. However, even in MLIT, such detailed field work that I am tackling is really rare. For example, I have to check local governments’ transport network plans. I am sometimes thinking about the location of a bus stop or route because of these very detailed transport network plans.
Although I am enjoying my new responsibilities (while struggling with terrible Japanese working conditions…) some colleagues or friends have said it’s unfortunate that this position is too domestically-focused for a person who just returned from studying in a foreign country. They said that such a “global” person as me should be appointed to some kind of international work, for example international treaty negotiation, promoting infrastructure exports, or diplomatic postings to foreign countries.
However, in Timor-Leste, Kazakhstan, and many other places I visited throughout the world, I realized a truth. To be a “global” person, we need to have “local” expertise.
I enjoyed working in Timor-Leste, not because my English was fluent or I had completed a year of studies, but because my transport/infrastructure expertise was very rare and important for the country.
Imagine if I had no expertise in Japanese industries, infrastructure technologies, or at least the culture and the society. If I had one of those “international” positions, what should I negotiate for? What should I promote to export? How could I represent Japan?
Before Fletcher, I was a man who simply adored the image provoked by the words “global” or “international.” But Fletcher taught me many dimensions of global politics, international business, and the lives of people in the world that I didn’t know. I didn’t learn only on the Fletcher campus, but everywhere in the world that Fletcher opened up for me, such as Timor-Leste, Paris, Israel, and Central Asia.
My new position will give me very deep and special experiences and knowledge about regional public transport. Many places in the world have interest in the questions: How can we build a transport network in areas without good economic/social conditions? How can the public sector and private sector cooperate to manage transport infrastructure while maintaining market competition and people’s welfare? Therefore I think that while this new position seems to be very “local” at first glance, it can strengthen my “global” career.
So now I am working in Kasumigaseki with big Fletcher pride. If you visit Japan, please let me know, so we can talk about the hill in Medford. 🙂
And, if you do visit, I also strongly recommend that you stay not only in Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. Please go to our beautiful regions — using public transportation!
With today’s post from Pulkit, we’ll have heard about the summer activities for all three of our student bloggers who will be continuing on at Fletcher (and in the blog) in September.
Hello! I hope all the readers of the Fletcher Admissions Blog are enjoying their summer; and if you are an admitted student, I look forward to meeting you soon. It feels nice to be writing and sharing again. The end of the spring semester was very busy — from winding up school with tests and assignments, to moving out of Blakeley Hall into a new apartment and traveling. There is much to share, and I hope my story and experiences at Fletcher will resonate with you one way or another.
Pulkit (front right) with Fletcher’s other students from India.
Let me begin my telling you about my favorite class this past semester. In comparison, it felt like spring semester went by faster than the fall semester. I took three classes at Fletcher; the fourth was offered jointly by Fletcher, the Tufts Friedman School, and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. International Humanitarian Response was taught by Dr. Stephanie Kayden of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Dr. Daniel Maxwell of Tufts Feinstein International Center. The classes met every Wednesday at Harvard, centrally located in Cambridge. It was one of my favorite classes for many reasons.
First, I had the opportunity to step off the Tufts Medford campus every week, taking the #96 bus from Tufts down to Cambridge. Second, my classmates came from different schools — from Fletcher, Friedman, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Medical School — making it a real collaborative environment to engage and to study. Third, I took the opportunity to lead my project and assignment group. Managing and collaborating with peers at different locations and liaising with other project groups was a good challenge to have this semester. Fourth, the class had a simulation exercise towards the end of April. The entire class, along with over a hundred volunteers, camped at the Harold Parker State Forest in North Andover to put into practice much of what we learned about humanitarian response during our classes. The simulation had everything — UN Cluster System coordination meetings, minefields, fake militia, armed attacks on the camp, and rationed food and water supply. I made so many mistakes through the three days of the exercise, but overall the experiential component made it a great learning experience. (Here’s a story about a previous year’s exercise.)
Beyond the spring’s exciting classes, I also kept myself busy with extra-curricular activities. Every Saturday, I volunteered with Teach-in CORES, a volunteer collective of Tufts University students, working with the Committee On Refugees from El Salvador, in Somerville, to teach literacy and English as a second language, and prepare the participants for the U.S. citizenship exam. On Thursdays, I would make it a point to go to the open-to-the-public seminars on nuclear policy and nuclear non-proliferation at the Project on Managing the Atom, at Harvard Kennedy School. I also took the opportunity to recite a couple of poems at the student-led Fletcher Open Mic Nights, a wonderful forum to express and share.
After finishing my exams and submissions, I decided to visit my family back in India. Before that, however, moving out of Blakeley Hall was challenging. I had to drag all my belongings into the basement of a house I was going to move into for the next academic year. After bidding good-bye to graduating friends and winding up some important chores, I was excited to fly back to India for a short visit. It was really special to go back home, as I was visiting after ten months. It was surprising to me that I got absorbed into the Indian way of life as soon as I arrived back home. I was eating street food, navigating through the thick Indian traffic, and meeting cousins and friends on the go. It was like I had never left India.
During my time in India, along came an opportunity for the summer, and I grabbed it with both hands. Professor Ian Johnstone offered me a teaching assistant (TA) position for a summer exchange program. Since I had never assisted a professor, there was a steep learning curve for me. For example, as a TA, I led review sessions — which meant I needed to review what I had learned myself during the last semester.
As I write, I am glad to share that I have settled in my new house, and I am enjoying my summer with some time for reading, cooking, swimming, and cycling, meeting friends, and traveling in and around Boston. I hope to share again towards the end of the summer!
At the end-of-year Diplomat’s Ball.
This week I’m going to wrap up the end-of-year updates from our Student Stories writers. We’ve already heard from Mariya and Pulkit’s report will appear later this week. Today we’ll hear from Adi, who is back in Indonesia for the summer.
Just like that, I finished my first year of graduate school. In a typical two-year graduate program, the most common question at the end of the spring semester is, “What’s your plan for the summer?”, which is really saying “Do you have an internship or not?” Of course, there are people who are not doing an internship this summer. They might be using the time to do research, work on their Capstone Project, travel, or relax before the start of another intense academic year. But my sense is that when my classmates asked me the question, what they really wanted to know was what internship offers I had or hadn’t received.
I know I found myself asking that same question to others with the same intention in mind. As I carried out my search, there were many reasons why I asked. Getting inspiration on where else I could apply or tips on how my classmates successfully secured those internship offers, or simply to calm my nerves that someone else out there also hadn’t yet solidified their summer plans.
Indonesian Fletcher family: Adi and his wife with Angga, after Angga received the Presidential Award in May.
I remember that, at the beginning of the year, many of the second-year students assured the first years that we should not worry — by the end of the spring semester, everyone would have solidified their summer plans. They told us that some students will receive an offer earlier than others, but this is not due to their qualifications. It is simply a reflection of the different timelines of hiring companies, and the wide variety of interests of Fletcher students. Investment banks and management consulting companies finish their hiring in the fall or early spring. Many multinationals and international agencies do not start accepting applications until midway through the spring semester. Other companies simply accept internship applications throughout the year until they hit their quota.
Nonetheless, we first years couldn’t help but stress out a little about getting an internship, so we tried to start as early as possible. Right from the beginning of the fall semester, I approached quite possibly every single resource that I thought could connect me with an internship opportunity, starting with the obvious, the Office of Career Services (OCS). I met with Elana Givens, the OCS director, to talk about my interests and start planning out my internship search strategy. I attended many coaching sessions led by OCS staff throughout my first year. I approached Dorothy Orszulak, Director of Corporate Relations for the Institute for Business in the Global Context, to ask what exactly hiring managers in the private sector are looking for in internship candidates. I met with Dean Bhaskar Chakravorti and Kristen Zecchi to find out how previous MIB students leveraged their degree to identify internship opportunities. Professors were also fantastic resources. It is through my discussions with Professor Jacque and Professor Schena that I found many ideas on organizations and people to reach out to. And then, of course, there was the structured Professional Development Program curriculum to help me with my résumé and cover letter, making informational interview requests, and acing interviews.
The winner’s prize for the annual MIB first-years vs. second-years kickball game.
After laying the groundwork with these resources, I started expanding my network. My first thought was the second-year students. Through casual conversations, I managed to figure out who interned where in the previous summer. Then, I followed up on the conversations with an email asking if they would be willing to chat over coffee about their experience, both the internship search and the responsibilities of the position. It was fascinating to hear their stories. One student interned at a venture capital start-up in Seattle that did not have an official internship pipeline. He simply cold-emailed the company, explaining his background and his interest in working for them over the summer, and luckily that is where he ended up. Another student leveraged multiple contacts to reach a very busy director of a tech start-up in Kenya, who then replied “I just received two separate emails referring you to my company. Let’s talk.” These are only two of the many interesting stories I heard by talking to second-year students.
I had started the fall semester looking to pursue an internship at a management consulting company. From the onset, I had heard warnings that even getting an interview would be extremely hard for non-MBA candidates. I reached out to every single person I could who was even remotely connected to the consulting industry. I worked together with my classmates to practice case interviews. I attended workshops and webinars about the consulting industry. During winter break, I received invitations for first-round interviews with Bain and BCG. In the end, I didn’t make it over the final hurdle at either organization, but I am thankful to have gone through the experience. I definitely think that I wouldn’t have had that opportunity had I not reached beyond the companies’ online application portals.
In the end, it all worked out. The advice from second-year students at the beginning of the fall semester turned out to be true. We all ended up with a satisfying summer plan and my first-year MIB cohort has embarked on our respective summer journeys. It may not have been what we thought we would be doing when we started planning, but some of us ended up with something better. As for me personally, I ended up joining Citibank’s Commercial Banking team for the summer and I’m definitely enjoying the challenge.
What a journey it has been! I’m already looking forward to regrouping with my classmates for our second year.
Continuing to shamelessly take advantage of the rare summer when we have a student or recent graduate working in the office, I asked Rafael to tell us about his experience with the International Security Studies Program. Here’s what he had to say. (Note that we all use “international security studies” to refer, alternately and confusingly, to both the Field of Study and the program that offers out-of-class programming.)
Jessica asked me to write about security studies at Fletcher, and this is a great opportunity for me to reflect upon my 21 months as a MALD student. One thing to note, though, is that I can provide only my own perspective, simply because there is so much to experience and learn here in security studies and related fields.
But first a little bit of history.
Though the study of peace and security had been part of the Fletcher curriculum since its founding in 1933, the International Security Studies Program (ISSP) was formally established only in 1971, at a time when the U.S. was deeply divided by the Vietnam War. Since then, course offerings and research interests have evolved as the global political landscape has changed. Professor Richard Shultz, Director of the ISSP, and Professor Robert Pfaltzgraff reflected on the ISSP’s history in a special edition of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs on the School’s 80th anniversary back in 2013.
In 2000, under the leadership of then Dean John Galvin, who, like the current Dean James Stavridis, held the post of Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Fletcher founded the Institute for Human Security (IHS), currently led by Professor Eileen Babbitt. IHS brings together students and faculty specializing in areas as diverse as law, politics, public health, psychology, and economics to conduct cutting edge research, education, and policy engagement on today’s global challenges, with an ultimate focus on the well-being of all human beings.
The most recent institutional addition to security studies at Fletcher is the Center for Strategic Studies (CSS). Established just this year by Professor Monica Toft, CSS aims to generate cutting-edge scholarly analysis that broadens the U.S. foreign policy debate. Having just graduated, I will sadly miss the great research and programming through which CSS will enrich the Fletcher community. Fortunately, during my last semester, I had the pleasure of participating in Professor Toft’s half-semester seminar on Current Topics in International Relations and Security Policy. Because the course allowed me to revisit many topics I had studied over the prior two years, it provided a nice conclusion to my career in security studies at Fletcher.
But as for so many ISSP folks, it all began on a Monday morning at 7:45 a.m. in The Role of Force in International Politics, the core course of the International Security Studies Field of Study taught by Professor Shultz, and a tour de force through the conceptual foundations and history of security studies as well as an introduction to U.S. security policy. The following spring, I audited Policy and Strategy in the Origins, Conduct, and Termination of War (commonly known here as “Shultz II”), a history of war from Thucydides to Frederick C. Weyand.
To complete and complement my security studies curriculum, I took The Historian’s Art and Current Affairs, which teaches students empathy, detachment, and skepticism in their reading of historical events, Religion and Politics, and Nuclear Dossiers: U.S. Priorities, Dilemmas and Challenges in a Time of Nuclear Disorder. I also took the opportunity to venture beyond Fletcher and cross-registered for several courses at Harvard.
While the above-mentioned courses fulfill International Security Studies Field requirements, others allowed me to tailor the curriculum to my interests. In Gender Theory and Praxis, I researched masculinities and private military and security companies. In The Art and Science of Statecraft, with a group of fellow students, I developed an index to predict state instability in light of refugee flows.
The extensive course offerings, however, reflect only one aspect of the Fletcher experience. The ISSP, IHS, and soon, the CSS also provide opportunities for experiential learning and interaction with seasoned practitioners. For example, Fletcher is home to an annual crisis simulation, SIMULEX, where student teams, mentored by senior military officers, manage various conflicts that compete for their attention. ISSP also hosts several military fellows from throughout the U.S. armed forces, and organizes regular luncheons on all things security. Students themselves run several organizations such as Fletcher Students in Security, Fletcher Veterans, the New England chapter of Women In International Security, and the Fletcher Security Review. And finally, Fletcher is the home for the World Peace Foundation, which conducts research and offers programming of interest to security studies students.
Additionally, students may work with professors as research or teaching assistants. I had the pleasure of supporting the ISSP as a research assistant throughout my time at Fletcher, examining conflict escalation and coalition management in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific-Asia region. I also got to serve as a teaching assistant for Professors Shultz and Pfaltzgraff’s GMAP course on Security Studies and Crisis Management — a terrific opportunity to interact with senior-level practitioners from all over the world — and Professor Pfaltzgraff’s International Relations: Theory and Practice. Though I was lucky to find a job at Fletcher right after arriving here, many students eventually, for a semester or two, work as research or teaching assistants. Whether the positions are formally announced or informally arranged, if you are interested in working at Fletcher, be pro-active about it and ask. Even if nothing is available at the time, at least professors will remember you and might get back to you when an opportunity arises.
When it came time for me to decide which graduate school I wanted to attend, Fletcher’s diverse and flexible curriculum, the School’s location, and the strong sense of community ultimately led me to Medford. I believe that these aspects are equally reflected in security studies at Fletcher, with its close relationship with other schools in the area, and the friendships that emerge between students, faculty, administrators, and military fellows.
Way back in May, a ceremony took place to present the 2017 Presidential Awards for Civic Life to Tufts undergraduate and graduate students who have made an impact on the community. For about a month, I searched for the photos or videos from the event that I thought would be shared. Then, well after I had given up searching, there they were! You can certainly argue that an event from two months ago isn’t news anymore, but it’s always nice to shed light on someone, particularly someone who has been honored for service.
In the video below, watch Dean Jerry Sheehan introduce Ammar Karimjee, a 2017 MIB graduate, at about 1:01. And then watch Associate Director of Student Affairs Katie Mulroy introduce 2017 MALD graduate Angga Dwi Martha at about 1:11. Or, if you don’t feel like scrolling, you can go directly to the videos for Ammar and Angga.
You can also read here about what Ammar, Angga, and all the other recipients, contributed during their time at Tufts.
As I’ve often written before, work at Fletcher in the summer has its own rhythms. The School remains quiet from late May to early August, but we’re not “un-busy.” We all have a variety of projects going and that’s before we start the serious prepping that precedes the fall semester. Meanwhile, because admissions folk tend not to take much vacation time from September to May, we’re all in and out of the office. I’ve been taking Mondays off, which has made a mess of my usual blog patterns.
When I reported back to work yesterday, I heard the quiet hum of voices around the Hall of Flags and near some of the lecture rooms. While I was enjoying a long weekend, students in the Global Master of Arts Program had arrived! These 
GMAPers will be on campus for two weeks completing their yearlong program, including submitting their Capstone Projects. Then, on July 31, a new GMAP class will arrive for their first two-week residency.
(For those unfamiliar with the GMAP format, students (who are mid-to-senior-level professionals) bracket their program year with two two-week sessions at Fletcher. In between the sessions, their fall and spring semesters are delivered via internet-mediated instruction, punctuated by an additional two-week residency out in the world. The photo to the right shows the program in Abu Dhabi in 2014.)
The truth is, GMAP students have little contact with students in Fletcher’s traditional residential programs. But after they graduate, GMAP alumni forge the relationships with the larger community that characterize the Fletcher family experience. They join alumni clubs, attend reunions, and have proven to be strong supporters of MALDs, MIBs, etc., creating the connection that didn’t exist as they pursued their degrees on different academic calendars.
For now, it’s nice to have some company in the building, and we’re happy to welcome GMAP!
Though many incoming students have already lined up their housing, I know that other folks are still searching or, even, just kicking off their search. Here’s some advice from Admissions Graduate Assistant Cindy, who conducted her housing search last summer.
During the few months before starting at Fletcher, one of my biggest worries was figuring out where I was going to live. At the time, I was finishing up a teaching job and living with my husband in North Carolina, so I was very anxious about trying to find housing remotely. I could only imagine what that process would be like for students living and working outside of the United States.
I learned very quickly that housing in the Medford/Boston area goes on and off the market at a fast pace, and websites like Zillow were not always helpful. As badly as I wanted to secure housing early on, trying to search for housing in March or April was unrealistic. That being said, I was able to start getting in touch with different realtors and learn about how to find an apartment that suited our needs and budget. After working with a realtor, we ended up taking a weekend trip to Medford in June, looking at a few places within our budget, and submitting an application for an apartment. We eventually moved to Medford in late July.
My situation is not exactly typical of Fletcher students; I wanted to find a one-bedroom apartment for my husband, my dog, and me, which was a difficult task. I would say, however, that it is much easier to find housing if you are open to the idea of roommates, so that you can split the rent. To find out current information about houses or apartments for rent, I would check out the Off Campus Housing Resource Center. On this site, you can click on the apartment listing spreadsheet which is continually updated throughout the year. (Scroll down for the latest listings.) There is also helpful information on trusted real estate agents, but keep in mind you often have to pay realtor fees if you work directly with a broker.
Another way of seeing what is available is getting in touch with current Fletcher students and finding out if they are graduating or relocating. If you’re not already connecting with people on the incoming student Facebook page, it’s not too late. Blakeley Hall, Fletcher’s co-ed dorm for single or married students not living with their spouse/children, is also an option, though by now the rooms will all be taken for Fall 2017. For those who have already reserved a Blakeley room, you’ll find it a great way to remain involved on campus and it has a special culture that its resident have developed over time.
Searching for housing can be stressful, but if you keep in mind the timing of your search as well as the options listed above, I’m sure you will find a great home. Good luck!
