Professor Keith Wallace and his wife Samantha have written a new book titled Gut Crisis: How Diet, Probiotics, and Friendly Bacteria Help You Lose Weight and Heal Your Body and Mind.

Gut Crisis addresses a widespread health epidemic, which is the result of poor food choices and the overuse of antibiotics. Many people today have digestive problems that are caused by an imbalanced state of gut bacteria.

“Medical science is beginning to understand what the ancients have known for centuries: an imbalanced gut leads to disease,” said Dr. Wallace. “It begins with a break in the gut wall, followed by a local inflammatory response. This leads to a chronic state of inflammation, which is the source of disorders ranging from heart disease to Alzheimer’s.”

The authors present the most recent and effective treatment programs as well as practical advice from the perspective of the ancient natural health system of Ayurveda. The book introduces readers to some basic concepts of Ayurveda and discusses how a healthy diet, customized to one’s “gut/brain nature,” along with a healthy lifestyle can restore balance in the gut and heal the body and the mind. The book also recommends the practice of the Transcendental Meditation^® technique to reduce stress and improve digestion.

Gut Crisis covers practical issues that affect everyone:

• the disorders caused by an imbalanced state of gut bacteria
• how gut bacteria affect cravings and emotions
• the effects of probiotics
• one’s personal “gut/brain nature”
• how to heal the gut.

Keith Wallace is a pioneering researcher on the physiology of consciousness. He established the first Maharishi AyurVeda^®clinics in America and helped initiate the first master’s degree program in Maharishi AyurVeda and integrative medicine in the US. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of MUM and professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Health.

Samantha Wallace had a successful career as a model, appearing on the cover of Vogue and other magazines. She has been practicing the Transcendental Meditation technique since 1973. She is coauthor of the book Quantum Golf and is currently writing a book on beauty and essential oils.

Four undergraduate art majors from MUM were recently accepted into multiple MFA programs with full and partial scholarships. “These programs are incredibly competitive,” said Gyan Shrosbree, assistant professor of art. “This year we had all four of our applying students accepted to several programs each.”

Hannah Foster has received a full scholarship for the MFA program in painting at Pennsylvania State University. Terrell Smith has received the prestigious Iowa Arts Fellowship, which provides a full tuition scholarship and a generous stipend. He will attend the MFA in painting program at the University of Iowa.

Kurtis Kujawski will attend the MFA program in ceramics at the Chicago Art Institute this fall with a partial scholarship. Sara Sanders received scholarships to several top institutions for the fall of 2017, including Cranbrook Academy of Art, California College of the Arts, and Pacific Northwest College of Art. She has deferred entrance until the fall of 2018.

Depending on a student’s schedule of study and choice, MUM’s BFA program can include the BFA Graduate School Preparation track, which provides the additional studio time to prepare for graduate school.

The application process to MFA programs is very time-consuming—students are required to write essays and create an online portfolio of their work with professional photographs. Most students are focused on their studio work in the middle of their senior year, when graduate school applications are due, and simply don’t have the time to complete the applications.

“Students need time to establish the foundation needed to go forward in the art world,” said Kurtis Kujawski. “The extra time thus assisted my acceptance into graduate school.”

The art faculty also help students choose the MFA programs that best fit their individual needs. Students take workshops in photography and receive coaching in interviews, writing essays, and assistance with the entire application process to up to ten different schools. “Even if students don’t apply for graduate school, they will be ready for a career as an artist,” said Professor Shrosbree. “It’s good practice for any other applications, such as residencies, grants, and shows.”

“We are trying to help the students develop a sustainable studio practice that encourages a healthy lifestyle,” said Professor Shrosbree. “Transcendental Meditation is one of the things that we feel supports the students’ ability to sustain a studio practice and hopefully enjoy a life with an active studio.”

The success of these students also encourages current art students to stay for the extra semester and apply for graduate school.

MUM alumnus Nathaniel Campbell’s debut novel is number one on the Chicago Tribune’s ultimate summer reading list. Found Audio, published by Two Dollar Radio, was called a “bona fide literary page-turner” by Publisher’s Weekly. “I am very surprised and very grateful,” said Nathaniel of all the praise and national attention the book has received.

The publisher describes the book as a cerebral thriller that takes readers on a journey around the globe in search of the legendary City of Dreams, based on a series of mysterious audio recordings by an adventure journalist.

During the past six years, by day Nathaniel served as manager of the MUM Press Marketing office; by night he worked as a devoted fiction writer. He grew up in Rockford, Illinois, in a blue-collar family that appreciated the arts. In their free time, his parents pursued their creative callings and Nathaniel learned the model he is following today. “A job was what you did for money and a vocation was the thing you did because you loved it,” he said.

Nathaniel graduated from MUM in 2008 with a BA in literature, and during his first year decided that he would try to become a published author. The stress-free lifestyle and the block system allowed him to follow that dream. He began to study other writers’ works methodically and practice his craft diligently.

The Transcendental Meditation^® technique was also helpful, as it made him feel more rested and less anxious. “I have been meditating for 25 years,” Nathaniel said. “TM helps directly with writing. It would be much more difficult to focus without it.”

His short stories have been published in literary journals since 2012. His persistence and a decade of practice paid off when Two Dollar Radio accepted his manuscript. “I think success is when you enjoy what you are doing,” said Nathaniel. “The rest is luck.”

Found Audio is sold in independent bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.

Greg Guthrie, dean emeritus of the School of Computer Science, and Elaine Guthrie, Computer Science Program director, completed a successful recruiting tour in May and June, visiting Vietnam, Mongolia, China, The Philippines, and Singapore. This trip followed several shorter past tours to India, China, and Nepal.

The goal of the trip was to boost enrollment from countries that already have a history of applicants and to grow enrollment from countries where students are just beginning to discover MUM’s unique Computer Professionals Program. The program combines the advanced academics of a graduate level master’s degree in Computer Science with practical applications at top technical companies in the US, and includes instruction in the Transcendental Meditation^® technique.

The Guthries connected with over 1,400 people via personal meetings and online streaming of some of their events. They held public talks for prospective students, met with representatives of universities and recruiters, and gave interviews to the media. They also visited embassies, where they educated employees about MUM’s ComPro Program in order to facilitate the processing of student interviews and visa applications.

Prior to the trip, Ms. Guthrie and her team spent months arranging meetings with local representatives, promoting the events through their network of students and alumni as well as on social media. During the events, they were able to answer specific questions from individuals with already active applications and collect information from hundreds of potential students.

The trip was made possible by two donors, who felt their investment will bring long-term return for the ComPro Program and MUM. “We have been tracking results and there is already an increase in applications from this trip,” said Professor Guthrie. “The University will be seeing the benefits of this over the next year.”

The ComPro leadership hopes to continue visiting other countries to increase applications and add new countries to the 80 nations their alumni call home.

Students in MUM’s Regenerative Organic Agriculture Certificate Program started selling the fruits of their harvest at the Fairfield Farmers Market just a few months after they began working on the student farm. They have been growing a wide variety of produce, including salad greens, radishes, kale, chard, peas, zucchini, tomatoes, beans, sweet corn, carrots, and melon.

The 10-month certificate program began in January with students taking classes in business, soil science, and biodynamic agriculture. In early spring, they started seeds in the greenhouse, then planted their crops on the plots at the new Petra Stanley Regenerative Organic Agriculture Center north of the MUM campus.

“We learn the practical experience of farming, and then with the farmers market the business aspect as well,” said student Mike Dwyer. “It’s a really good program. You don’t get this full experience elsewhere.”

Students have tilled the ground, made rows and raised beds, aerated the soil, learned to make and apply compost and compost tea and organic garlic-based pest repellent. They also learned how to irrigate, weed properly, and put up trellises. In addition to the various growing techniques, students also engage in team building and farm management practices. “We are always working as a team and communicating about what we need to do,” said Theodore Sanler.

In addition to selling the produce at the farmers market, the group also sells to Everybody’s Cafe, and they plan to expand their markets soon. Students can also take home what they grow for their own consumption.

The students in the program come from diverse backgrounds and their career plans are just as diverse. They aspire to become farm managers, establish their own farms, write books, educate veterans about sustainable agriculture, and get into urban gardening.

“Being a farmer, just like anything in life, requires you to be a perpetual learner,” said Robert Lahn. “This program does give a good foundation in what it takes to get started and it encourages the desire to keep learning.”

Learning how to farm is not the only reason students have joined the program. Armando Castillo chose MUM because of the Transcendental Meditation^® technique, the healthy lifestyle, and Consciousness-Based^SM education. Armando wanted to begin working on his personal development and acquire good habits for the future. “I felt like I could get a lot of growth done to set me on my way,” he said.

“The purpose of this course is to create an army of future farmers who can redesign and restructure the current food and agriculture systems,” said Dr. Appachanda Thimmaiah, director of the program. “Graduates of this program will have confidence to farm or start their own business in regenerative organic agriculture.”

Starting this fall, the Department of Sustainable Living is offering a new BA in Regenerative Agriculture for those wishing to get a degree in these sustainable farming methods.