Conference May 31–June 3 to Explore Deep Sustainability
A four-day conference starting the end of this month will explore "deep sustainability" — sustainability that transcends a shallow approach of substitution and efficiency. This deeper approach "includes a radical redesign for regeneration and renewal of the human and natural resources that create anything of use to society," says faculty member Lonnie Gamble.
The purpose of the conference is to engage in a discussion about the future direction of the sustainability movement. As such, while there will be several formal presentations, most of the conference will use collaborative organizing techniques such as Open Space, Conversation Cafe, and World Café.
Conference organizers have invited leaders in the sustainability movement from all over the country. As of early May, participants will be coming from Colorado, Maryland, Wisconsin, and other states.
Mr. Gamble said that he and faculty member Travis Cox look forward to engaging participants in a conversation about the critical role that the development of consciousness and the experience of Being have in the sustainability movement.
The collaborative discussions are being organized and led by MUM alumni Colin Heaton, Andrew Perry, and Steve Cooperman of the St. Mary's/Bonnell projects. The organizers include Centerpoint Financial, the MUM Sustainable Living Department, John Ikerd, and the St. Mary's/ Bonnell projects.
The conference, titled Transcending Sustainability: Principles and Paradigms Exploring Deep Sustainability, is the inaugural event of larger project called The New Academy, an annual summer education program that explores what's at the edge of understanding about sustainability and then looks beyond.
The cost of the conference, which will be held May 31–June 3, is $95 general, $50 students (accommodations and meals not included). For more information and to register, see http://www.newacademyforsustainability.org.
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Dr. Schneider Speaks at National Ayurveda Association Meeting
Professor Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, was recently invited to deliver a two-hour afternoon seminar on Maharishi Ayurveda and heart health at the annual meeting of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association.
While contemporary Ayurvedic practice is often centered on herbs and is relatively materialistic, Dr. Schneider, dean of the Maharishi College of Perfect Health, introduced the broader and more fundamental program of Maharishi Ayurveda, which comprises 40 approaches to creating health on the levels of mind, body, and environment — all based in consciousness.
"This was the first time they've heard this perspective, which is derived from the original texts of Ayurveda, such as Charak Samhita, and from the most modern understandings of medicine and physics," Dr. Schneider said.
Afterward, a board member of the association commented, "I especially appreciated your fluency in translating between Ayurvedic and conventional medical terms. As I look back over the years of NAMA conferences that I have attended, your presentation definitely stands out among those supported by rigorous scientific research."
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Strong Early Interest in Summer Event; Headliners to Include Well-Known Celebrities
An opportunity this summer to experience the best the Fairfield community has to offer has already drawn a strong response. As planning moves forward, arrangements are being made to feature some well-known entertainers and celebrities.
As of early May, there were over 150 applications for Experience the Self, which will be held July 10–22, with most of those applying not yet having learned the Transcendental Meditation® technique. The event, which will offer a broad range of activities, from Sanskrit to sustainability to tennis, art, shopping, and business tours, will be able to accommodate a maximum of 350 visitors.
Organizer Adrienne Schoenfeld said that many people have been waiting for such an opportunity to visit: moms looking for a better community to raise their children, those who want to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique in a context free of daily distractions, and those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique but not the TM-Sidhi® program and have been eager to spend time in the community.
In addition, one applicant is an educator who wants to introduce the Transcendental Meditation technique in her school.
"The individuals I've spoken with are saying, 'We want to have the full experience, to immerse ourselves in what the Maharishi University community has to offer,'" Ms. Schoenfeld said. "This event is timely and is meeting the need of a wide range of people who have wanted to know more but haven't had the opportunity."
The strong early response came despite there having been little publicity, as details were still being worked out. The Experience the Self website had nearly 11,000 visitors in the first month it was online. Ms. Schoenfeld said that people were searching for terms such as "fairfield" and "experience the self."
The event will offer a range of activities, and participants will be able to select those that best suit their interests and will create their own schedule. The planned activities, from instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique to reading the Bhagavad-Gita, will be suited to those who are new to what the MUM community offers as well as to those who are experienced teachers of the knowledge introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
There will also be opportunities to enjoy special shorter seminars throughout the 12-day event hosted by a variety of organizations.
The evenings will offer entertainment, including music, dance, and theatrical productions. Speakers will include renowned physicist John Hagelin and filmmaker David Lynch.
Volunteers are needed; email selfcoursevolunteer@mum.edu For information, see http://www.experiencetheself.org.
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Students Study at Nature Reserve in South Africa
A group of seven students spent the April block at a nature reserve in South Africa studying ecotourism and helping to create a business and marketing plan.
The course, taught by professors Scott and Vicki Herriott, also included eight students from the Maharishi Invincibility Institute (MII) in Johannesburg who are enrolled in the Institute's college that trains students in conservation and park management.
As a context for studying ecotourism, the group stayed at the Ezemvelo Nature Reserve and had excursions to other nature reserves and game parks in South Africa. Ezemvelo is a 16-square-mile nature reserve east of Pretoria and northeast of Johannesburg that was donated to MII in 2008 by the family that controls the DeBeers diamond company.
"The wildlife at Ezemvelo is awesome," said student Matthew Lindberg-Work. "We saw — rather, we were living with — ostrich, zebras, wildebeest, impalas, springbucks, kudu, eland, waterbucks, and gemsbucks. It was an extraordinary experience of being out in nature."
The Ezemvelo Nature Reserve is a resort with cottages, visitor's center, and campground for recreational visitors. About an hour's drive from the Johannesburg airport, it is in the malaria-free zone of South Africa.
The MUM students who were on this course will present a slide show in Dalby Hall on Thursday, May 17, at 8:00 p.m.
Everyone is invited.
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MUM Creates Sustainability Consortium
Business professor Scott Herriott has recently formed a consortium of universities that will offer MBA courses on sustainability during this year's summer session.
"I feel that MUM has much to offer other universities who are interested in sustainable business," Dr. Herriott said. "With the launch of our online MBA program, I looked for a way to publicize our courses nationally. So I formed a consortium of like-minded universities who would allow their students to take courses from any member of the group."
Dr. Herriott sent invitations to about 40 universities, and eight responded enthusiastically. The Summer MBA Sustainability Consortium now includes the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Brandeis, Marylhurst University, Seattle Pacific University, the University of Denver, and the Universities of Maine and Vermont.
Students at any member school may use their financial aid to take courses listed in the Consortium's catalog.
"This idea came up during the spring semester, so only MUM and Marylhurst had courses to offer for this summer," Dr. Herriott said. "But the other Consortium members will promote our courses to their students."
MUM will offer courses in environmental law, sustainable technologies, and green investing.
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Tour of Maharishi Vedic Observatory Now Available on YouTube
A video tour of the Maharishi Vedic Observatory™ in Maharishi Vedic City now available on YouTube enables visitors to walk through the observatory while listening to the tour on their smartphone.
The 37-minute tour answers questions such as what the observatory is and its purpose. It explains the various instruments and how the observatory works from both a Western and Vedic perspective. The video also covers the use of the instruments and their Vedic influence on the physiology and consciousness of the observer.
The Maharishi Vedic Observatory is a one-and-one-half acre, open-air observatory of masonry sundials from which one can tell the time, the day, and the positions of the stars and planets.
It is an ancient Vedic technology that mirrors the structure of the universe and the structure of one's own physiology. The goal is to increase balance of mind and body in the observer.
The Maharishi Vedic Observatory is located on Observatory Drive, two miles north of Fairfield.
From Fairfield take Highway 1 north to Airport Drive, turn west, drive one mile to Jasmine Avenue, turn north, drive 1/3 mile to Observatory Drive, turn west. The observatory is at the end of Observatory Drive.
To view the video tour, search YouTube for "MVO tour" or "Maharishi Vedic Observatory." Or point your web browser at http://tinyurl.com/8a38zpu.
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Faculty Artist Among "Top 50 Emerging Artists"
The March/April issue of Art Business News has named adjunct faculty member Patty Miller Hancock as one of the "Top 50 Emerging Artists 2012."
In the capsule writeup, the magazine noted that the experience of teaching art to students age 2–92 for 25 years prompted her enthusiasm for exploring the reaches of her materials of art. The issue is available online at http://artbusinessnews.epubxp.com/title/13133.
Ms. Hancock teaches art education at MUM, and is a 1979 MA graduate. Her paintings are available at http://artexpostudio.com/patty-miller-hancock, as well as at The Flying Leap Art Space in Fairfield and Chait Gallery in Iowa City.
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Maharishi School Golf Tournament
Maharishi School's 15th Annual Pioneer Invitational Golf Tournament will be held Sunday, June 3, at the Cedar Creek Golf Course in Ottumwa.
The $100 admission covers cart, green fee, and lunch. Tee times are available 9:00–11:30 a.m. Form your own foursome of A, B, C, D players or you can be assigned to a group. There will be prizes, including $10,000 for a hole in one.
To register, please call Del Hipp at 472-7404 by Sunday, May 27.
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