[Lapg] Southern California version of this

Mon Nov 2 10:00:56 PST 2009

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 at yahoo.com 
> <mailto:dpilien98 at 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 at ergonica.com <mailto:ray.cruz at ergonica.com>>
>     *To:* cityrepairla at lists.riseup.net
>     <mailto:cityrepairla at lists.riseup.net>; Dennis Pilien
>     <dpilien98 at yahoo.com <mailto:dpilien98 at 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 at lists.riseup.net
>     <mailto:cityrepairla-owner at lists.riseup.net>
>     [mailto:cityrepairla-owner at lists.riseup.net
>     <mailto:cityrepairla-owner at lists.riseup.net>] On Behalf Of Dennis Pilien
>     Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 2:15 PM
>     To: lapg at arashi.com <mailto:lapg at 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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