Location
In the U.S.A., the original campus had been improbably located in New York City but was moved to the foothills of Missouri right after World War I, when the Institute bought a huge track of land in order to aid in training young Guardsmen in a remote but centralized location. The Institute eventually partnered with the Federal Government to create the Mark Twain National Forest in 1939, giving up massive acreage to the project in exchange for an open-ended lease to use swaths of it for training. It is a combined training center, research center, boarding school (for young Guardsmen), and vacation destination. It is where the popular annual group bonding ceremony (also known as the Dogwood Ceremony) is held.
The main area of the campus holds a wide variety of buildings, including a resort, Orski Medical Complex (comprising three buildings, including the campus's hospital), research buildings, training and school buildings, and also various historical buildings used for numerous purposes. The most well known are: the Robbins Mansion, where the Dogwood Ceremony is held; and the Guardsmen-only private bar and lounge, the Roosevelt Club.
Authority
While U.S.-centric, the Institute of the Americas officially handles all Guardsman-related issues for all the Americas, including Canada and the countries of central and south America. In the 1980s, due to population growth in South America, a satellite branch was created on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the Instituto do Sul (Institute of the South), which operates with three official languages (Portuguese, Spanish, and English) and accepts Guardsmen adolescents for training from across the continent and Mexico. It has been pushing for independent recognition by the primary governing body of the International Institute, but currently is still technically under the umbrella of the Institute of the Americas. This is a contentious matter and has been causing more than a little bad blood between the two hemispheres.
Education and Training
All Guardsmen training in the North Americas is done at the Missouri campus. There is the Pendleton Academy boarding school for grades five through twelve (using the U.S. system of grades), with the rare Guardsman who manifests younger than ten years old being tutored privately. Most cohorts consist of 200 students on average, with 37% Protectors and 63% Handlers. The total number of students enrolled at Pendleton is usually over 1,000, with rare years up to 2,000. After graduation from Pendleton, the education track for Protectors and Handlers usually diverges.
Missouri Campus
Orski Medical Complex
Research Center, Wellness Center, & Hospital
Dobbs Hall
Built in 1907, it was formerly the boarding school until 1973 when Pendleton was opened. Now serves as the primary administration building for the Institute, with modern additions added to the historic building to account for expansion.
Robbins Mansion
Roosevelt Club
Private "club"/restaurant exclusive to Guardsmen, and staffed by Guardsmen
O'Connell Training Complex
Main training and upper education center, consists of two buildings and several training fields/obstacle courses. Holds a large cafeteria that is used by everyone as it is centrally located on the campus. Named after the infamous adventurer, Protector Richard "Rick" O'Connell, whose widow, Lady Carnahan (Handler Evelyn O'Connell), gifted the Institute a substantial amount of money upon her husband's death in 1962.
Pendleton Academy
Dogwood Dorms (The Dogwood Extended Stay Resort)
De facto "hotel" for the Institute, with several floors dedicated to Guardsmen-only guests; also where families of Guardsmen stay when they visit. Very ugly main building, but also has a number of separate, older cottages leading down to Harper Creek usually reserved for VIP guests
Harper Creek Bridge
Teresi Greens
Mid-campus commons area, several acres large and partially forested
