Do what your heart desires, the rest will fall in place. A special thanks to Lois with her great words of help. There were/are many who read these things, but few who communicated any of their/those thoughts.
Dennis


From: Rashid G. <rashidreza@gmail.com>
To: Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com>
Cc: crsp@igc.org; cityrepairla@lists.riseup.net; Lora Hall <gardengrl@gmail.com>; Ray Cruz <ray.cruz@ergonica.com>; lapg@arashi.com
Sent: Wed, November 4, 2009 1:31:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Lapg] Southern California version of this

Great info
thanks ladies and gents

thought I should add that I just learned today that California State University Stanislaus
is offering a B.A. in "Agricultural Studies with a concentration in Permaculture"

I was amazed to do a state wide search (assist.org) of the UC an CSU system
and see the word permaculture actually come up under a title for a major.
I almost didnt even bother to include that word in my searches
its the only one that came up in my search

heres the CSUS specific website for the major
http://www.csustan.edu/AGStudies/Permaculture_conc.htm

I REALLY wish something like this was offered here in So Cal
I have my liberal studies AA and...
I'm trying to figure out if there is some viable program I can transfer into next year for an undergraduate degree that is not too heavily major prep intensive (as in- not spending too much more time at the community college level before getting into such an undergraduate program).

I really resonate with what Lois said about "those interested in deep and rapid change not spend too much time in traditional academic programs..."
But a traditional academics program is attractive because of the wider support system it provides, the main attraction of that support system for me would be the state and federally subsidized monetary support.
But I keep thinking of the fact, that the rapidly emerging, revolutionary paradigms in all fields of study related to permaculture and sustianable building/design will be seriously under-represented in most institutions.
I keep thinking... How much time will I waste learning things that I wont use?

I guess I'm trying to straddle both worlds.
To learn and and make use of whats worthy and efficient from the old and marry it with whats emerging from the fringe.

Its been kind of a riddle for me so far to try and figure out how to navigate these choices, especially because I dont have very much training in anything related to permaculture or sustainable building/design, and theres so many different combinations of the old world trainings to marry in with the emerging paradigms.

Some of the ideas for pursuits, I've been tossing around are:
Architecture B.A. ( SCI-Arc in LA)
Construction Engineering Management B.S. ( CSU Long Beach )
Construction Engineering Technology B.S. ( Cal Poly Pomona )
Landscape Architecture B.S. ( Cal Poly Pomona )
Engineering Technology B.S. w/ Environmental Technology option ( CSU Long Beach )

and OFCOURSE I am considering Gaia University and will start doing more research on them in the coming days

anyway sorry to make it so long winded
any words of wisdom or advice would be appreiciated...

Love and Gratitude
R

PS. Cal Poly Pomona is offering a Master of Science degree in Regenerative Studies
http://www.csupomona.edu/~crs/graduate.html



On Mon, Nov 2, 2009 at 10:10 AM, Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com> wrote:
Great response to help many folks...
D


From: Lois Arkin <crsp@igc.org>
To: cityrepairla@lists.riseup.net; Lora Hall <gardengrl@gmail.com>
Cc: Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com>; Ray Cruz <ray.cruz@ergonica.com>; lapg@arashi.com
Sent: Mon, November 2, 2009 10:00:56 AM
Subject: Southern California version of this

I would encourage people interested in higher education credentials to check out Gaia University <www.gaiauniversity.org> where one can design one's own "action-learning" program/curriculum, select one's own mentor instructors, do one's academic work in place and more in alignment with the rhythms of nature, as appropriate; pay a radically reduced fee compared to the UCs or other private universities, and get the accredited degree of your choice/accomplishment(BA, MA, PhD).

Perhaps it is worth stressing, also, that those interested in deep and rapid change not spend too much time in traditional academic programs which tend, imo, to trail considerably the advanced work on-the-ground in ecovillages, some intentional communities  and nonprofit organizations committed to manifesting and publicly demonstrating the necessary and integrated changes/transitions: socially, economically and ecologically.

If you are interested in talking with other students in the program, I believe there may be a few on these listserves and/or contact Gaia University.  If there is a group of you that want to consider starting a GU Regional Center in LA and want to use the resources of the CRSP Institute for Urban Ecovillage for doing that, please begin to organize yourselves, and let the dialog begin.

Of course this type of program is not for everyone, and will not necessarily serve all the purposes some strive for in their higher education goals, but for people who do want to make a difference rapidly and deeply, are clear in their academic goals, and have a lot of self-starter initiative, are capable of earning while learning or have socked away enough money to subsist on for awhile, this is something to consider.

Best to all,
Lois Arkin
CRSP Institute for Urban Ecovillages at
  L.A. Eco-Village
www.laecovillage.org


Lora Hall wrote:
> Cal Poly Pomona also offers the M.S. in Regenerative Studies. I just finished in June. Supposedly the program goes beyond sustainability and teaches you about regenerative systems. I can't say it was a great program- a big disappointment compared to my experience at a UC. I had to teach myself a lot of what I wanted to learn. But I do think they are trying to make it better. So if someone is looking to do a graduate degree without leaving so Cal, it is an option.
> -Lora
>
> On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 4:09 PM, Dennis Pilien <dpilien98@yahoo.com <mailto:dpilien98@yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
>    Ray,
>    Thanks for the information. It is pretty interesting. It is also
>    interesting how many look upon a PhD as an extreme specialist in a
>    broad area of study. Isn't a PhD, in say, Environmental Science, the
>    specialized study of something general? Codetalk?
>    Dennis
>
>    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>    *From:* Ray Cruz <ray.cruz@ergonica.com <mailto:ray.cruz@ergonica.com>>
>    *To:* cityrepairla@lists.riseup.net
>    <mailto:cityrepairla@lists.riseup.net>; Dennis Pilien
>    <dpilien98@yahoo.com <mailto:dpilien98@yahoo.com>>
>    *Sent:* Sun, November 1, 2009 10:51:50 AM
>    *Subject:* RE: [cityrepairla] Southern California version of this
>
>    UCLA offers a B.S. in Environmental Science and also a minor program
>    - much
>    to do with sustainability through the Institute of the Environment.    Lower
>    and Upper Division Course Listings can be viewed here:
>
>    http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/academics/article.asp?parentid=420
>
>    Leaders in Sustainability Graduate Certificate Program:
>    This program provides a mechanism for graduate students at UCLA to
>    pursue
>    their interests in sustainability and collaborate with students from
>    different fields.
>
>    http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/lis/
>
>    I'm sure other UC and CSU colleges offer similar courses and degrees,
>    possibly the Ph.D.?
>
>    Ray Cruz
>
>
>    -----Original Message-----
>    From: cityrepairla-owner@lists.riseup.net
>    <mailto:cityrepairla-owner@lists.riseup.net>
>    [mailto:cityrepairla-owner@lists.riseup.net
>    <mailto:cityrepairla-owner@lists.riseup.net>] On Behalf Of Dennis Pilien
>    Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 2:15 PM
>    To: lapg@arashi.com <mailto:lapg@arashi.com>; City Repair LA
>    Subject: [cityrepairla] Southern California version of this
>
>    LAPG and City Repair Folks:
>    Is there one like this or its equivalent in the L.A. area? Where or
>    why not?
>    Maine is nice, but far away. california is nice and a lot closer
>    (permaculture)...
>    Towards sustainability,
>    DP
>    Maine's Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI), a partnership
>    between the
>    University of Maine and the University of Southern Maine, offers
>    unprecedented opportunities for graduate students to experience a truly
>    interdisciplinary learning experience through a $20 million, 5-year
>    program
>    funded by the National Science Foundation's EPSCoR program. The SSI's
>    mission is to create an integrative research program and strong
>    stakeholder
>    partnerships to generate improved solutions to intersecting ecological,
>    social, and economic challenges in and beyond Maine. Graduate
>    students will
>    participate in collaborative research experiences with interdisciplinary
>    faculty teams focused on urbanization, forest ecosystem management, and
>    climate change.  These efforts address the dynamics of social-ecological
>    systems with an emphasis on moving from knowledge to action.
>    Students with
>    backgrounds in a wide range of disciplines are encouraged to apply: e.g.
>    social sciences, biological, earth, and chemical sciences, natural
>    resource
>    management, communication, engineering, education, mathematics, and
>    more.
>
>    Up to 25 Ph.D. fellowships will be awarded at the University of
>    Maine with a
>    substantial portion of these beginning in fall 2010. Each fellowship
>    will
>    include a stipend of $20-25,000/ yr for up to five years, a tuition
>    waiver,
>    subsidy for health insurance, and some funds to support thesis research.
>    Masters degrees opportunities will be offered at the University of
>    Southern
>    Maine.
>
>    For more information on SSI and fellowship applications, visit
>    www.umaine.edu/sustainabilitysolutions
>    <http://www.umaine.edu/sustainabilitysolutions>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -- Lora May Hall
>
> (323) 533-3235
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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