3. Education and Academics
Promote academic excellence through continuously improving the quality of Consciousness-Based education.
1. Strengthen the flagship growth areas and other degree programs, including Maharishi Vedic Science, Sustainable Living, Management (including MBA in Sustainable Business), Media and Communications, Computer Science, and Accounting MBA for professionals.
2. Create new academic programs to expand educational opportunities for our students and achieve enrollment goals.
3. Continue to strengthen the rigor, innovation, and challenge of our academics.
4. Continue to improve student engagement and active learning.
5. Strengthen the delivery of Consciousness-Based education for our new generation of students, most of whom are new meditators.
Promote academic excellence through continuously improving the quality of Consciousness-Based education.
1. Strengthen the flagship growth areas and other degree programs, including Maharishi Vedic Science, Sustainable Living, Management (including MBA in Sustainable Business), Media and Communications, Computer Science, and Accounting MBA for professionals.
A new director of the Intensive English Program (IEP) was hired and the faculty were trained in the Focal Skills approach; this approach will allow the program to grow without difficulty. IEP is essential for attracting greater numbers of international students.
The Sustainable Living Department moved into their new building and organized their curriculum into tracks. The department has applied for a grant for microscopes for the Living Soils courses.
The Physiology and Health Department has adopted a new physics curriculum and purchased new equipment; students have reported that the first course in this program is very successful.
The Computer Science Department has worked to increase student interest in the undergraduate program.
– Catherine Gorini, Dean of Faculty
2. Create new academic programs to expand educational opportunities for our students and achieve enrollment goals.
The MBA Accounting track has expanded with the Fresh Start and Strong Start tracks. Bill Goldstein was appointed Dean of Global Expansion to develop international programs, global collaborations, and online programs.
See Increased Enrollment point 4 for expansion of degree programs.
– Catherine Gorini, Dean of Faculty
3. Continue to strengthen the rigor, innovation, and challenge of our academics.
Several new initiatives have recently been put into place to address these two closely-related goals (3 and 4):
A set of new courses called “Creative and Critical Thinking Seminars,” which all new students are required to take as their second course. These are discipline-based courses that introduce students to the basic principles of critical thinking, which brings a meta-focus to the disciplinary material being studied. The first iteration of these (fall 2012) proved quite successful.
Faculty training in bringing the principles of creative and critical thinking more systematically into every course, along with active learning strategies generally.
A greater emphasis on writing across the curriculum.
Strengthening of undergraduate senior projects – requiring all undergraduate programs to require a senior project of all students and setting uniform standards for senior projects across the curriculum.
– Craig Pearson, Executive Vice President
4. Continue to improve student engagement and active learning.
Several new initiatives have recently been put into place to address these two closely-related goals (3 and 4):
A set of new courses called “Creative and Critical Thinking Seminars,” which all new students are required to take as their second course. These are discipline-based courses that introduce students to the basic principles of critical thinking, which brings a meta-focus to the disciplinary material being studied. The first iteration of these (fall 2012) proved quite successful.
Faculty training in bringing the principles of creative and critical thinking more systematically into every course, along with active learning strategies generally.
A greater emphasis on writing across the curriculum.
Strengthening of undergraduate senior projects – requiring all undergraduate programs to require a senior project of all students and setting uniform standards for senior projects across the curriculum.
– Craig Pearson, Executive Vice President
5. Strengthen the delivery of Consciousness-Based education for our new generation of students, most of whom are new meditators.
– Rod Eason