Jeroen Stok’s stainless steel sculptures of tulips, birds, and abstract objects are on display at dozens of public places as well as private collections in the Netherlands. Throughout his career, he has explored different techniques and materials and their interaction with light. “I always try to find the edge and go to the limit of what’s possible for that material,” he said.

Jeroen attended the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, but when he learned the Transcendental Meditation^® technique at 19 the course of his life changed. He soon learned the TM-Sidhi^® program and applied to MIU. He studied art during the 1983-84 academic year and, in his spare time, he began making light fixtures out of recycled objects which led to his first installation at the MIU student gallery.

After returning home, he continued to make sculptures using paper and bamboo combined with a light source; however, the fragility of the materials presented too many limitations. That’s when he turned to steel. His father owned a steel factory and he was already familiar with the material. Soon commissions for large outdoor sculptures started coming in from municipal governments and businesses.

Since 1989 Jeroen has lived in a small community of Transcendental Meditation practitioners in the town of Lelystad, where he attends group practice of the TM-Sidhi program daily. In describing the influence of his long-time TM^® practice on his art, he said the following.

“I am drawn to the light, the positive, the finer levels of things, the details. One of the themes in my work is flowers, especially the blossoming of a flower from a bud. That moment of transformation symbolizes your own self being expressed into the world.”

In recent years, Jeroen’s art work has included designing steel and glass monuments and memorials. “I enjoy the contact with people, he said. “It’s emotional and rewarding to work for people who lost their loved ones. While I am serving other people, I am also enriching myself instead of doing art for my ego.”

MUM alumna and faculty member Nynke Passi recently published a poem in issue 30:3 of CALYX, a prestigious magazine featuring literature and art by women. Her writing has been published in literary magazines such as Gulf Coast, Red River Review, and The Anthology of New England Writers. Her poems have also appeared in national anthologies including River of Earth and Sky: Poems for the Twenty-First Century, Carrying the Branch: Poets in Search of Peace, and the just published Allegro & Adagio: Dance Poems.

Growing up in the Netherlands, Mrs. Passi was an imaginative child and enjoyed writing magical tales and poems. At age seven, she told her mother that she wanted to be a writer.

Mrs. Passi has practiced the Transcendental Meditation^®technique since age 12, and came to MIU at her mother’s suggestion. She graduated with a BA in literature and a minor in theater in 1986. Her MIU professor Mark Spragg encouraged her to keep studying writing, so she earned an MA in creative writing from San Francisco State University in 1992.

While working for the New England Writers’ Association, Mrs. Passi was continually exposed to the work of accomplished poets, and her own poetry began to flourish. In 1998 she came to MUM to teach creative writing. Over the past 20 years she has developed and taught a variety of courses, including creative process, graphic narrative, poetry, poetry and transcendence, memoir writing, personal essay, fiction, and travel writing.

Mrs. Passi is director of MUM’s undergraduate Creative Writing Program and is currently developing an MFA in Creative Writing, which will be a sister program to the low residency David Lynch MFA in Screenwriting directed by Dorothy Rompalske. Mrs. Passi is also recipient of the MUM alumni award and three student appreciation awards.

Mrs. Passi often draws inspiration from her personal and spiritual experiences, family, and nature. “All these years of practicing TM definitely had a big impact on my writing,” she said. “There is always something in me that is fascinated with the transcendent, something silent or empty at the heart of things, and all my poems dance around that.”

She is currently completing her first book of poetry, as well as a chapbook of a personal essay that was a finalist in the 2014 Jeffrey E. Smith Editor’s Prize of The Missouri Review. Her tale is based on a true story of her father’s best friend, a Frisian farmer who developed a friendship with a wild swan that followed him around after the death of his daughter.

Chevonne Height, MUM Student Government president, was one of 100 undergraduate students to attend the recent Forté Women of Color College Leadership Conference in Washington, DC. The purpose of the conference was to empower women of color, and she was selected based in part on an essay she wrote.

Chevonne grew up in Chicago and for four years suffered from depression. After conquering her depression, she decided to get involved in student activities as a way to facilitate her social interactions. She founded student government in her high school and served for three years in various positions, culminating in the role of president her senior year.

Her experience with depression also made her passionate about combating social and emotional disorders. She created an annual peace day event at her school to protest the violence in Chicago and raise awareness about depression, anxiety, and PTSD among students.

When looking for a college, Chevonne wanted to focus on her personal growth, so when she saw an ad for MUM on Facebook, she applied. During her first semester, she completed the TM^®-Sidhi program and plans to become a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation^® program.

“I enjoy practicing TM,” she said. “It changed my interactions with others because it allowed me to be more open and more social.” She also said the Transcendental Meditation technique significantly improved her scoliosis.

Chevonne is creating an individualized major focusing on the social dynamics of consciousness as well as on the Vedic approach to mental health. With Student Government, she is working on several proposals for initiatives, including a five-acre habitat for bees and other pollinators near the new MUM solar array north of campus.

After graduating, Chevonne plans to write and speak about social, emotional, and behavioral disorders as catalysts for spiritual growth and open a chain of community centers to support people with these disorders.

A former government official, a top tech consultant, and an expert on career development have recently joined MUM’s Board of Trustees.

The new members include Scott Gould, former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration, who has also held top positions in the Department of Commerce and the Department of Treasury. His extensive business experience includes being a vice president at IBM. He is currently CEO of Mountain Lake Associates, a technology enabled medical services firm.

Dr. Gould hopes to apply the strategic and financial skills he developed during his career as a management consultant and business owner to the challenge of growing the university. As a 26-year veteran of the Navy Reserves, he also expects to serve as a resource for students contemplating public service in the military, as well as in federal, state, or local government.

Educated at Stanford, Harvard, and the University of California, Berkeley, Michael Heinrich started his career in technical product management and engineering at Microsoft and at SAP, the world leader in providing software for businesses. He has also worked for Bain & Co, providing consulting for Fortune 500 companies, and for Bridgewater Associates, a leading hedge fund. Most recently he’s been involved with several startups, including being founder and CEO of Oh My Green, which offers affordable, tasty, and nutritious foods for companies such as Google and Lyft.

Steve Langerud is a workplace culture consultant who works with people developing their career, professional, and organizational strategy. He is regularly cited for his expertise by the media, including MarketWatch, NPR, Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Times.

Mr. Langerud has held leadership roles at Grinnell College, the University of Iowa, and DePauw University. More recently, he was with MUM for five years as deputy director of global development, acting dean of admissions, and senior adviser to the university.

In addition to these new trustees, faculty member Ken Daleywas voted onto the board by the faculty to serve an ex-officio, one-year appointment. He has headed the Department of Exercise and Sport Science for over 30 years.

Mr. Daley has directed a two-year, $100,000 wellness grant received by the Jefferson County Wellness Action Coalition, served as president of the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, and Dance, and served as the executive director of that organization for six years.

“It is heartening to see such extraordinary talent, experience, and dynamism added to the Board of Trustees of Maharishi University of Management,” said MUM president Dr. John Hagelin. “MUM is in a phase of explosive growth, and will benefit greatly from fresh perspectives and world-class guidance from the board.”

Board chair Jeffrey Abramson said MUM will be adding more trustees over the next year or two, including alumni and members of the Fairfield community, with a goal of reflecting the great diversity of the global reach of MUM.