Amidweeks of local celebrations and commemorations of Black Mountain College, coinciding with the release of a documentary film on the College, the following letter regarding Ted Dreier, MUM, and BMC was published in the May 2 print issue of the Mountain Xpress. Global Country of World Peace owns 700 acres of land bordering the property where Black Mountain College was foundedon the very same mountain.
Black Mountain College comes full circle Many years after the doors of Black Mountain College closed forever, the schools cofounder Theodore Dreier became founding trustee of another cutting-edge educational institution. Dr. Dreier pursued his dream of a holistic approach to higher education by joining with the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to create Maharishi International University. As with BMC, there was little national publicity surrounding this new university when it began in 1973 in Santa Barbara, Calif.; however, MIUrenamed Maharishi University of Management, now an accredited, liberal-arts university in Fairfield, Iowasoon became recognized as one of the most progressive universities in the world. Once again, Dr. Dreier was at the center of experimental education. He believed that the aspiration of Black Mountain College to develop the whole student found fulfillment in the consciousness-based approach of MUM, where students and faculty practice the Transcendental Meditation program and learn, not only through class work and book study, but also by fathoming the unlimited creativity and intelligence of their consciousness. During his years at MUM, Dr. Dreier could be found participating in group TM practice and yogic flying in MUMs golden domesimilar to Buckminster Fullers prototype of the geodesic dome built at Black Mountain. Today, the Dreier Building on MUM campus is the first college building in the world designed in the architectural style of sthapatya veda, which harmonizes the influences of sun, moon and stars using mathematically derived proportions, orientation and dimensions. Due in part to Dr. Dreiers influence, MUM is a current-day incarnation of Black Mountain College, offering workshops on green building and organic farming; hosting events such as avant-gardefilmmaker David Lynchs upcoming conference on Consciousness, Creativity and the Brain; and showcasing the work of physicist Dr. John Hagelin, whose unified-field theory of consciousness is transforming our understanding of the unified field and its connection to human consciousness. Dr. Dreiers vision lives on as schools across the nation introduce consciousness-based education in their curriculum. To bring the dream of Black Mountain College full circle, the land adjacent to the very mountain where Theodore Dreier and John Andrew Rice founded the college is now set to become the new home for one of Maharishis consciousness-based education programs. If the gentle, humble and brilliant Dr. Dreier were around today, he would be proud that the spirit of Black Mountain College thrives in Western North Carolina. Tom Ball Marshall Global Country of World Peace offering The Transcendental Meditation Program 297 Country Cove Lane Marshall, NC 28753 828-649-9781 www.tm.org
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