http://www.mum.edu/TheReview 22Mar2006
6. University Vice-President Visits World Capital of Peace in India University Executive Vice-President Craig Pearson has been in India since mid-January at the World Capital of Peace located in the Brahmasthan (geographical center) of that country. Dr. Pearson is there representing Maharishi University of Management, along with Dr. Ashley Deans, who is representing Maharishi School. Also in residence are leaders of Maharishi's national organizations representing a number of other countries around the world, as well as a number of former Maharishi University of Management students. Dr. Pearson, Dr. Deans, and the others have been participating in the Parliaments of World Peace, which are focusing on 12 major areas of life, three days on each area. The Campus The World Capital of Peace is located in a remote area about three hours by bus from Jabalpur. The campus is large enough to accommodate 3,000 Vedic Scholars. The goal is to purchase additional land in the region and continue construction until the campus can accommodate 16,000 Vedic Scholars, as well as ambassadors from every nation. Many buildings have been built since 1999 when Maharishi first began establishing a presence in the Brahmasthan. They are single-story buildings designed according to principles of Maharishi Vedic architecture. The buildings are arranged in clusters, consisting of residential buildings, a hall for the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi® programs, and other facilities. There are many such clusters, and the campus is divided into five large compounds. Former Students in India Among those currently in India are 30 members of the Purusha(SM) program from the United States, including former students Byron and Aubrey Deans, Justin Cutter, Jon Czinder, Emile Stansberry, Damian Lodge, and Martin Davy. Also in the group at the Capital are current students Soren Pearson and Aaron Hirshberg. Dr. Pearson said that the Parliaments have entailed fascinating presentations of knowledge. Maharishi inaugurates each Parliament with an address. Then the area is examined in the light of each of the other areas. He said that the interconnectedness of the areas has been emphasized, such as how agriculture contributes to architecture, or the relation between agriculture and religion and culture. "The structure for these presentations that Maharishi has set up stimulates new insights and new connections," Dr. Pearson said in an e-mail message addressed to the community. "The result has been a brilliant, multi-faceted display of knowledge, all forming one grand wholeness, every presentation reinforcing the reality that everything is Brahm, that all fields of life are nothing other than wholeness moving within itself, and that we are That." Large Groups of Vedic Scholars Maharishi has said that groups of Vedic Scholars, or Pandits, will create peace in the world. Dr. Pearson noted that during the several years at the end of the 1980s and early 1990s when 7,000 Vedic Scholars came together at Maharishi Nagar, the Berlin Wall fell, nations throughout Eastern Europe gained their freedom, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the world's largest standing army disbanded. And since then the world's conflicts and wars have been in freefall. Today conflict and war are at the lowest level in many decades and peace is breaking out all over the world. The Iraq war, for all the headlines, is an anomaly. The goal now is to have 16,000 Vedic Scholars at the Capital, additional groups of 8,000 around India, and also groups elsewhere in the world. "It's difficult to conceive of the powerful effect such large groups will have," Dr. Pearson said. "In the training and bringing together of these Pandits lies the foundation of permanent peace for our world family." ********************* 1. Over $3 Million Raised for New Student Center A very substantial donation by Vincent and Maggie Argiro and other recent generous gifts and pledges by University Trustees and supporters has brought the total raised for the new Student Center to $3.2 million -- over half of the $5.8 million goal. The naming of the building is offered as a shared opportunity for the first two donors who contribute $1 million. Half of this opportunity is still available and a gift of $1 million will entitle the donor to share this honor with University Trustee Vincent Argiro and his wife, Maggie. Based on this success, the fundraising campaign has now been broadened to include all alumni and friends of the University. Everyone will now have the opportunity to be part of this latest and most ambitious step in reconstructing the campus according to principles of Maharishi Vedic(SM) Architecture. "We want to continue the momentum of building -- to do this we need everyone's support now," said Nick Rosania, co-director of the Development Office. A matching offer is being presented by a generous member of the Board of Trustees. He will contribute $500 for each of the first 300 donations in amounts of $1,000-2,500. "We are hopeful this will bring in a half million dollars or more," said Sandra Rosania, co-director of the Development Office. Construction is proceeding quickly, and framing of the garden-level walls has been completed. The building will have three stories. Completion is anticipated for the spring of 2007. A web cam is now available so that people around the world can see a live image of the construction. See <http://www.mum.edu/studentcenter>. Also available on the website are renderings of the interior and exterior, photos of the construction, and a complete description of what will be housed in the Student Center. This 50,000-square-foot building will be the hub of the campus and the most prominent structure, offering facilities for dining, meetings, and social events. Students will have many of the services they need in one location. The building will include a two-story, atrium-style lobby with skylights, a 300-seat auditorium, a café and food court, two dining halls, kitchen, bookstore, student lounge, reception room, offices for Student Government and the student deans, and recreational space. The Student Center will be the fourth building on central campus constructed according to principles of Maharishi Vedic architecture. This system of architecture is aligned with the orderly functioning of Nature and contributes to the health, happiness, mental clarity, and success of the occupants. To contribute to the Student Center, please call the Development Office at (641) 472-1180. Or send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or you can make a contribution via the Student Center website at <http://www.mum.edu/studentcenter>. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/