Former names
|
Maharishi International University |
---|---|
Type | Private, not-for-profit |
Established | 1971 |
Endowment | $9.0 million |
President | John Hagelin |
Vice-president | Craig Pearson |
Academic staff
|
67 full-time, 31 part-time |
Students | 1210 |
Undergraduates | 256 full-time 26 part-time |
Postgraduates | 498 full-time 430 part-time |
Address |
Maharishi University of Management Fairfield, Iowa 52557, Fairfield, Iowa, United States |
Campus | Rural, 370 acres (1.5 km2) |
Colors | Green and gold |
Affiliations | Transcendental Meditation movement |
Website | mum.edu |
Maharishi University of Management (MUM), formerly Maharishi International University, is an American non-profit university located in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique. Its founding principles include the development of the full potential of the individual, fulfilling economic aspirations while maximizing proper use of the environment and bringing spiritual fulfillment and happiness to humanity.
The university is regionally accredited through the doctoral level by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and offers degree programs in art, business, education, communications, mathematical science, literature, physiology & health, Vedic Science and sustainable living.
The original campus was located in Goleta, California, and in 1974 moved to the current 370-acre campus in Fairfield, Iowa. During the 1990s many older buildings were demolished and replaced using green technology and the principles of ancient Vedic architecture. The university features an academic "block system" (only one subject for four weeks) and a diverse, multinational student body. It is said to offer a "whole-system approach" that aims to move beyond the library and classroom settings and engage students in a personal journey of evolution and growth through meditation and an organic, vegetarian food program.
The concept for a university came out of a "series of international symposia on Science of Creative Intelligence" (SCI) attended by notable academics. It was established in 1971 by Nat Goldhaber. It was created with the belief that a school that incorporated the "philosophy and techniques of Transcendental Meditation" would create an "unusual contribution to higher education". Its founding principles were to develop the full potential of the individual, realize the highest ideal of education, improve governmental achievements, solve the age-old problem of crime and all behavior that brings unhappiness to the world family, bring fulfillment to the economic aspirations of individuals and society, maximize the intelligent use of the environment, and achieve the spiritual goals of humanity in this generation.