Last month MUM held the inaugural conference of ChangeMakers: Disruptors Transforming the World for Good. Hosted by MUM, the David Lynch Foundation, and the Abramson Center for Peace, the event was attended by 600 people, at least half of them students, who completely filled Dalby Hall.

MUM Student Government took a leading role in helping event producer Michael Sternfeld make the event more student-centered. They also launched ChangeMaking Month—a series of workshops, art displays, films, and an open mic. The series included a four-part workshop by Dylene Cymraes, an MUM student who is an experienced facilitator and the author of multiple books.

“The ChangeMakers Committee decided that weekly workshops directed toward helping students find their passion, mission, and action steps would help raise awareness of the big event weekend.” said Cris Evergreen, Student Body president. “We wanted to let students know that Student Government supports them in being the changemakers they want to be.”

In addition to listening to speakers like Father Gabriel Mejia, David Lynch, and Laura Dawn, students had the chance to interact with the guests during an afternoon round robin discussion. One of the highlights of the conference was David Lynch’s Skype call, which took the form of a Q&A session allowing students to ask him about exploring creativity and pursuing passion.

According to Karen Ballinger, Student Body vice president, students were inspired by the event, which immediately boosted participation in student activities and clubs, including the formation of new clubs and organizations such as the Growth of Consciousness Student Organization. One student, Corine Brooks, became so inspired by guest speaker Barry “Ra” Frye that she organized a successful follow-up visit for him and his youth group, Chicago Pride ROC.

Student Government is working with DLF on planning the next biannual event and hopes to contribute activities that will further increase active student engagement as well as showcase changemaking students.

Learn more about the speakers and watch the replay of the conference here.

A case study written last fall by MBA student Lani Aulicino in a course on Managing Change for Sustainability has won an international award.

She was one of 17 winners of Flourish Prizes out of 503 submissions to AIM2Flourish, a United Nations-supported global learning initiative in which students write about positive business innovations. The competition is based around 17 sustainable development goals identified by the UN, with one winner related to each goal.

Lani’s case study was related to goal #15, Life on Land, and described the work and mission of Fairfield’s Soil Technologies Corporation, which uses the intelligence of microorganisms to provide sustainable eco-agricultural alternatives to chemical inputs.

She wrote the case study titled ”Applied Biological Wisdom: Regenerative Agricultural Solutions,” in a class taught by Dennis Heaton, as part of MUM’s MBA in Sustainable Business.

“I chose Soil Tech because I saw an opportunity to shed some light on a business I feel is providing positive alternative solutions to otherwise unintentionally harmful practices, right here in our small, rural community of Fairfield,” Lani said. “I’m glad it won, because I’m sure there are a lot of individuals and companies who could benefit from their work.”

Lani received her BA in business administration from MUM in 2012 along with an Outstanding Student Award. Prior to transferring to MUM, she served as 2nd chair of the Green Committee at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, by building gardens and educating the community about GMOs.

She has a passion for all areas of sustainability and has taken numerous sustainable living classes at MUM. She also worked as event coordinator for the Department of Sustainable Living in 2011.

Lani currently works as legacy giving officer at MUM’s Development Office. In addition, she serves on the board of Fairfield’s Sustainable Living Coalition and has recently completed an eight-month leadership program with the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

MUM alumna Leslee Goldstein, PhD just had her study published in Health Care for Women International on how the Transcendental Meditation^® technique can empower single, disadvantaged mothers in Uganda.

Dr. Goldstein decided to focus her Maharishi Vedic Science^SMdoctoral study on women in Africa for two reasons. She had always enjoyed working with women, and there had been no studies done on this population.

Within 48 hours of her decision, she heard about the need for a researcher in Uganda to conduct a study on 81 women. Two months later she was in Uganda working with the African Women and Girls Organization for Total Knowledge (AWAGO).

Of the 81 women, 41 learned the TM^® technique, and the rest served as the control group. After practicing the TM technique twice a day for three months, the study participants improved their ability to cope with difficult life challenges. Although Dr. Goldstein graduated in 2014, her study didn’t end. She and her team followed up with additional questionnaires after eight months and then again in three years.

The long-term results indicated that the women enjoyed improved health, better relationships with others, and increased employment rates. “That’s what has made the study so powerful, that the participants were still regular with their TM practice and getting benefits,” said Dr. Goldstein.

Dr. Goldstein is now on the advisory board of AWAGO and coordinates special projects. Her current focus is to help implement a community business model, possibly organic agriculture, so the women could live together peacefully and generate income to take care of their children.

Dr. Goldstein was a member of the graduating class of MIU in 1977 and since then has earned two master’s degrees and a PhD from MUM. She has also worked in various positions at MUM. She hopes to conduct further research on the effect of the TM technique on women. “I have real affinity towards working with women, especially in Africa,” she said. “I feel a kindred connection with these women and the culture.”

Co-authors of the study were Drs. Sanford Nidich, Rachel Goodman, and David Goodman. This research was supported by funding from the Rona and Jeffrey Abramson Foundation, and Dr. Rick and Jean Mofsen.

Watch a short video about Leslee’s research here.

Hemanth Kumar Reddy Mukka worked in the agrochemical industry in India for seven years, selling fertilizers and pesticides to farmers. Now he is a student in MUM’s Regenerative Organic Agriculture Certificate Program. When asked about what inspired him to give up his job and come halfway around the world to study organic agriculture, he said:

“Every time I talked to farmers, they just worried about pests and sprayed what we gave them without knowing about its effect on the environment. They needed to survive and they didn’t have a choice. I didn’t have any alternatives to offer them.”

Hemanth earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and an MBA and pursued a job in agriculture because he wanted to help farmers. But he realized it was time to offer more sustainable solutions. “We need to protect our environment, our soil, and our living organisms,” he said. “If conventional farming continues the way it’s going, we may not have any resources left for the next generation.”

Hemanth was able to enroll at MUM with the help of a full scholarship from the Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, established by Mr. and Mrs. Shibulal. Mr. S.D. Shibulal is one of the co-founders of the global IT giant Infosys. The Foundation offers assistance for higher education and organic farming and collaborates with the Regenerative Organic Agriculture Program (ROAP) at MUM by offering ten full scholarships to economically challenged students from India.

Now that he is learning about biological pest control and soil regeneration, Hemanth feels he is gaining the knowledge and skills necessary for starting his own organic farm when he returns to India.

“Hemanth is an intelligent student performing well in the class,” said Professor Appachanda Thimmaiah, head of ROAP. “He is keen on understanding regenerative organic agriculture concepts and practices. The nine-month certificate course will be a great learning experience for him to inspire the conventional farmers in India to transition into regenerative farming practices.”

Hemanth enjoys the hands-on, practical nature of the program and the benefits of the Transcendental Meditation^®technique. “After practicing for a month, I already have more energy and focus,” he said. “Transcendental Meditation is very good for staying effective the whole day.”

Even though starting an organic farm is challenging, the increasing trends and growing government support towards sustainable agriculture in India keep Hemanth optimistic. “It’s not about the money,” he says, “it’s about saving the planet.”

Pondpat Tohsanguanpun chose MUM’s MBA for Accounting Professionals Program because her goal was to gain work experience in the U.S. Pondpat earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Thammasat University in Thailand and worked for Ernst & Young Thailand for three years as a senior auditor. When she learned about MUM from a family friend, she decided to apply.

Pondpat says she enjoys studying at MUM for several reasons. She appreciates the diversity of international students and the practice of the Transcendental Meditation^® technique. “TM helps me develop relationships with people,” she said. “I am happier than ever before. I have grown so much as a person.”

In the accounting program, she has learned that business is not all about the bottom line, and sustainable businesses need to foster collaboration among all their departments. One of her most fulfilling MBA experiences was her participation in the Capstone online business simulation, where her team finished in the 99th percentile.

“I learned how to work in a team, encourage and empower team members, and make them accountable,” she said. “If you invest in people, they will give favorable results in return.”

She also had a chance to practice her payroll skills during a five-month internship with Vanguard Resource Group in Fairfield. After finishing her on-campus studies, Pondpat hopes to find a paid internship in auditing.

“Pondpat has consistently impressed me with her solid technical skills, focused friendly interpersonal manner, and alert and happy personality,” said Professor Andrew Bargerstock, chair of the Accounting Department. “I am very confident that she will achieve great things in her life.”

Pondpat sees the future of accounting moving towards increased computerization, so her long-term goal is to specialize in integrated financial management software such as the SAP enterprise resource planning software, which is one of the Accounting MBA specializations at MUM.

College professors in India heard presentations by Professors Anil Maheshwari and Scott Herriott at the Second National Teachers’ Congress hosted by Maharashtra Institute of Technology-World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune, India, in January.

National Teachers’ Congress (NTC) is a convention of higher education teachers from India, and teachers of Indian origin living abroad, with the mission of facilitating the exchange and dissemination of creative and visionary ideas and best practices through interaction with peers and thought leaders from all walks of life.

The MUM faculty were invited to give plenary addresses, along with the Dalai Lama and about 30 other eminent educators and political leaders. Over 2,000 teachers took part in the Congress, mostly from India but also including hundreds of visitors from a dozen countries.

In his address to the Congress, Dr. Maheshwari spoke about the ultimate goal of education: to help students prepare to live a blissful life. Dr. Herriott gave a presentation about the fourth state of consciousness and its role in education, showing references to this state of consciousness in the Mandukya Upanishad and the Bhagavad-Gita. He cited research showing that 8,000 students practicing the advanced TM-Sidhi^®program together would radiate an influence that would help create peace in the world. “World peace is a mere byproduct of a properly founded system of education,” Professor Herriott said.

In addition to being invited to address the Congress, Scott and Vicki Herriott were there to teach the Transcendental Meditation^® technique at MIT-WPU. Along with a young Transcendental Meditation instructor from Delhi, they taught 20 faculty and students from the Department of Vedic Science and the School of Education and 40 students in the College of Business. There are now more than 100 practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation technique at MIT-WPU.

This private university was founded by Dr. Vishwanath Karad in 1983 and currently has 65,000 students. MIT-WPU strongly supports MUM’s Consciousness-Based^SM education and has resolved to build a meditation hall for 4,000 students. During the Congress Dr. Karad met privately with the MUM faculty.