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Andy Bargerstock reveals a costly disconnect in Lean companies not completely walking their talk

November 12, 2013

Standard Costing Very Costly, New Research Shows

Lean Accounting expert, Andrew Bargerstock, PhD, CPA, Director of Maharishi University’s MBA Programs, will present new research findings that show for the first time, empirical evidence of the waste inherent in Lean manufacturing companies that still use a standard costing accounting model. His talk, “The failure of standard accounting systems in Lean companies,” will be presented this week at the local chapter of the Institute for Management Accounting (IMA) during their Fall Conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Fairfield, Iowa (PRWEB) November 12, 2013

Andrew Bargerstock, PhD, CPA, Director of MBA Programs at Maharishi University of Management

Andrew Bargerstock, PhD, CPA, Director of MBA Programs at Maharishi University of Management

Lean Accounting expert, Andrew Bargerstock, PhD, CPA, Director of Maharishi University’s MBA Programs, will present new research findings that show for the first time, empirical evidence of the waste inherent in Lean manufacturing companies that still use a standard costing accounting model. Lean management principles are based on the generic elements of organizational development from companies like the Toyota Motor Corporation who build long-term customer loyalty while streamlining operational processes.

Dr. Bargerstock says, “Many mature lean manufacturers continue to use standard costing when it is no longer useful. This wasteful practice costs companies millions of dollars.” Professor Bargerstock will present his findings this Thursday, November 14 at 1pm, at the regional chapter of the Institute for Management Accounting (IMA) during their Fall Conference in the Double Tree Hotel in Cedar Rapids, IA. His presentation will include a summary of the research study and a model of a three-tiered system of organizational performance metrics that drive lean innovations.

“Companies are still attached to standard costing because it is the staple of business schools emulating General Motors operational controls from the 1950s. Lean offers a new model for operational controls. Our research is the first to show that mature Lean companies who still use standard costing accounting systems are leaving money on the table.” Professor Bargerstock says.

Lean manufacturing is a sustainable, cost-saving, adaptive and highly efficient manufacturing management process originated by Toyota Motor Company in the 1980’s, and since adopted worldwide by hundreds, even thousands of manufacturers. The Lean strategy can be applied to any type of organization profit or non-profit.

Wasted money, lost profits, weaker earnings

The new research, done at Maharishi University of Management, a 4-year Iowa college of arts and sciences that integrates practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique into its curriculum, shows that many companies using Lean manufacturing processes are not discarding standard costing, and as a result, are missing significant additional savings, losing profits and weakening the bottom line. “Companies using Lean manufacturing, but not using Lean Accounting are losing money by clinging to an antiquated costing model.” Dr Bargerstock says.

This is the first empirical study to test a prediction made by many Lean Accounting theorists, that mature lean manufacturing enterprises will discard standard costing systems. Anecdotal evidence suggested that companies may be holding onto standard costing, but no empirical study has verified the observed behavior.

Manjunath Rao, PhD and Andrew Bargerstock, PhD

Rao and Bargerstock

In 2011 and 2013, Bargerstock and one of his PhD students, Manjunath Rao, published articles in the Management Accounting Quarterly on the research conducted at MUM. The article published in Summer 2013 MAQ is entitled, “Do Lean Implementation Initiatives Have Adequate Accounting Support?”

Dr. Bargerstock was the chair of Rao’s dissertation committee. Lean accounting experts and academics at the Institute for Management Accounting collaborated on the research. The article describes the analysis of some of the data gathered during Rao’s dissertation research. The study found that in a sample of mature lean manufacturing companies, lean accounting implementation lags behind lean operations implementation, which may give rise to inadequate accounting support in lean initiatives.

A former Fortune 500 executive and national consultant for federal and state governmental agencies and private corporations, Dr. Bargerstock was selected as the 2009 Excellence in Lean Accounting Professor by the Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI), one of the leading non-profit associations dedicated to the education and promotion of Lean Management in the country. LEI, along with the co-sponsorship of the IMA, have also recognized two of Prof. Bargerstock’s PhD students during the last three years as Lean Accounting Student of the Year.

See a short video of Dr. Bargerstock outlining the main points for his talk to the IMA, and an additional segment on the success of MUM students in the MBA Lean Accounting Program.

Founded in 1971, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) offers Consciousness-Based℠ Education, a traditional academic curriculum enhanced with self-development programs like the Transcendental Meditation® technique. Students are encouraged to follow a more sustainable routine of study, socializing and rest without the typical college burnout. All aspects of campus life nourish the body and mind, including organic vegetarian meals served fresh daily. Located in Fairfield, Iowa, MUM is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, humanities, and business. Visitors Weekends are held throughout the year. For more information, call the Admissions Office at 800-369-6480 or visit http://www.mum.edu.

PRWeb: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Lean/IMA/prweb11309348.htm or bit.ly/19Z629I

Posted on: Virtual-Strategy Magazine and other top news outlets.

In an effort to encourage more faculty to attend the The Lean Accounting Summit, organizers interviewed Andy Bargerstock on Friday, October 18, 2013 in Orlando, FL. He was asked to share what he had learned from previous summits. Of all the interviewees, they selected Andy to go in their LEAF (Lean Education Advancement Foundation) newsletter. You can see both here: A Special Letter to Lean Accounting Summit Participants from the LEAF Board of Directors.

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Maharishi University of Management’s Ye Shi Named Lean Accounting Student of the Year

October 26, 2013

Maharishi University of Management PhD candidate, Ye Shi (Linlin), was awarded the 2013 Lean Enterprise Institute’s annual Excellence in Lean Accounting Student Award during their Lean Accounting Summit this month in Orlando, Florida. This award continues a pattern of recognition for MUM from LEI: Dr. Andrew Bargerstock was named Lean Accounting Professor of the Year in 2009, and Manjunath Rao was selected as Lean Accounting Student of the Year in 2011 for his PhD dissertation.

Tabitha Dubois (right), LEI's Director of Finance and Administration, gave the Lean Accounting Student Award to MUM’s Ye Shi, and the Lean Accounting Professor Award to WWU's Dr. Audrey Taylor.

Tabitha Dubois (right), LEI’s Director of Finance and Administration, gave the Lean Accounting Student Award to MUM’s Ye Shi, and the Lean Accounting Professor Award to WWU’s Dr. Audrey Taylor.

Fairfield, Iowa (PRWEB) October 25, 2013

By Ken Chawkin

Maharishi University of Management PhD candidate, Ye Shi (Linlin), was awarded the 2013 Lean Enterprise Institute’s annual Excellence in Lean Accounting Student Award during their Lean Accounting Summit this month in Orlando, Florida. The Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) is a non-profit educational association, which recognizes students who have been actively engaged in research, education, and the development of Lean Accounting and accounting for Lean.

Andrew Bargerstock, PhD, CPA, director of MUM’s MBA programs, had nominated Linlin for this award based on her accomplishments in lean accounting. “We are very happy that Lin Lin’s accomplishments are recognized by one of the biggest names in Lean Accounting, James Huntzinger, in his role as the chair of the Student of the Year selection committee for Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) and the Lean Accounting Summit.”

Jim Huntzinger

Jim Huntzinger, president and founder of Lean Frontiers

On September 23rd Jim Huntzinger, president and founder of Lean Frontiers, and author of Lean Cost Management: Accounting for Lean by Establishing Flow, notified Linlin of her selection as Lean Accounting Student of the Year. Huntzinger founded the Lean Accounting Summit in 2005, as well as produced many other Lean summits.

As to why she was selected, Jim Huntzinger said, “Linlin was recognized as LEI Lean Accounting Student for 2013 due to her commitment to help others understand and develop a deep understanding of the new paradigm in Lean Accounting. We hope that she will continue to deepen her knowledge of this area and encourage more students and faculty to join the Lean Accounting adventure, and utilize her PhD research to both deepen and further her understanding of lean accounting.”

This award continues a pattern of recognition for MUM from LEI. Dr. Andrew Bargerstock was named Lean Accounting Professor of the Year in 2009, and Manjunath Rao was selected as Lean Accounting Student of the Year in 2011 for his PhD dissertation.

Linlin completed both the MBA in Accounting (2011) and the Post-graduate Certificate in Lean Accounting (2012) at MUM. In September 2013 she began her second year of teaching three of the two-credit courses in the Lean Accounting Certificate program.

In collaboration with Dr. Bargerstock, Linlin has developed case studies to illustrate how to implement kaizen methodologies to improve accounts payable processing. Linlin is currently taking coursework in the PhD program at MUM and expects to begin her dissertation next year.

Linlin is passionate about Lean, which she says is “the great strategic thinking that leads to true sustainable development. Lean accounting is an advanced way of articulating business through present and real financial numbers compared to the historical and sometimes misleading numbers provided by traditional accounting.”

Linlin says Lean enables better communication and employee engagement, and greatly enhances leadership. She adds, “It’s also a great illustration of how to do less and accomplish more, which is a fundamental principle of our university’s educational approach, Consciousness-Based Education.”

Ye Shi (Linlin) with MUM Professor Andrew Bargerstock at the 2013 Lean Accounting Summit

Ye Shi (Linlin) with MUM Professor Andrew Bargerstock at 2013 Lean Accounting Summit

Linlin says she is thrilled and honored to be recognized as the Lean Accounting Student of the year. “I am grateful for the support from MUM, Lean Frontiers, LEI and IMA. I appreciate the guidance and support from Dr. Andrew Bargerstock and other mentors and friends. Without them, any personal development for me would not have been possible.”

The summit offered Linlin, and other participants, the opportunity to meet with elite academic lean professionals and business lean practitioners. “It’s thought provoking to hear the speakers from different fields articulating the Whys and Hows of lean accounting based on their empirical research and practical experience. To be able to talk to them face to face and exchange opinions during the open discussions was fantastic. Also, the Q&A session with the executive team from the renowned Institute and the rest of the speakers provided the practical solutions for any problems people may encounter during lean transformation. It was really exciting to learn the live examples and have the inspiring conversations.”

Included in Linlin’s award was a complimentary registration at the Summit and $500 towards her travel expenses.

Photos of LEI Award Winners are available at garrethoover.com/LEI. Tabitha Dubois (red dress), Director of Finance and Administration for LEI, gave the Excellence in Lean Accounting Student Award to MUM’s Ye Shi, and the Excellence in Lean Accounting Professor Award to Dr. Audrey Taylor, Professor of Accounting at Western Washington University.

Founded in 1971, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) offers Consciousness-Based℠ Education, a traditional academic curriculum enhanced with self-development programs like the Transcendental Meditation® technique. Students are encouraged to follow a more sustainable routine of study, socializing and rest without the typical college burnout. All aspects of campus life nourish the body and mind, including organic vegetarian meals served fresh daily. Located in Fairfield, Iowa, MUM is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, humanities, and business. Visitors Weekends are held throughout the year. For more information, call the Admissions Office at 800-369-6480 or visit http://www.mum.edu.

Source: PRWeb: MUM’s Ye Shi Named LEI’s 2013 Lean Accounting Student of the Year

In an effort to encourage more faculty to attend the The Lean Accounting Summit, organizers interviewed Andy Bargerstock on Friday, October 18, 2013 in Orlando, FL. He was asked to share what he had learned from previous summits. Of all the interviewees, they selected Andy to go in their LEAF (Lean Education Advancement Foundation) newsletter. You can see both here: A Special Letter to Lean Accounting Summit Participants from the LEAF Board of Directors.

Also posted on AndyB’s Blog: MUM’s Ye Shi Named LEI’s 2013 Lean Accounting Student of the Year

See MUM MBA Students Win at CAPSIM: The Role of Business Simulation Competitions in Higher Education.

See: Maharishi University’s Rao and Bargerstock published in Management Accounting Quarterly.

See Maharishi University MBA Students Win National Business Simulation Competition.

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Posted in Articles, Education, Maharishi University, Sustainable Living | 1 Comment »

Writers’ Voices interviews B. Steven Verney, author of “The Best of All Possible Worlds”

September 10, 2013

Writers’ Voices: Author in the house –
B. Steven Verney and “The Best of All Possible Worlds”

Writers' Voices Verney up close

Monica Hadley and Caroline Kilbourn are delighted to welcome first-time novelist and former MIU student B. Steven Verney to KRUU 100.1 FM and Writers’ Voices, as he returns to Fairfield from his home in Massachusetts to join in the festivities of the MUM Literature Reunion being held this weekend, August 30 – September 2. See the press release: MUM Celebrates Literature Reunion 2013.*

The Best of All Possible WorldsIn “The Best of All Possible Worlds,” published May 2012, Verney combines story-telling, philosophy, and the history of the TM movement into a unique and engaging novel. Anyone who attended TM teacher training courses in Switzerland or learned to meditate at Amherst in the early 70’s may just recognize pieces of their own personal history in this novel, while younger meditators, and even non-meditators with no connection to those events, will get a much deeper perspective of what all the fuss was about. This interview aired live, Fri Aug 30 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm and replayed, Mon Sep 02 8:00 am – 9:00 am. Here is an MP3 of it.

A newer interview recorded before Christmas 2013 was later posted in the new year: @MaharishiU Dean of Faculty, Dr. Cathy Gorini, interviews author Steven Verney on MUM’s KHOE.

If you went to MIU, Bruce Verney, as he was known back then, was student body president and won the Enlightened Leadership Award. He graduated in 1981 in Philosophy and married fellow student Kay Noble the following year. For the next 24 years, Steve and Kay started and operated three different businesses while raising their two sons. They’ve resided in New Salem, MA and currently live in Wellfleet, MA. This is his first novel.

I highly recommend the book. It won’t disappoint. The ending is mind-blowing! Steven said it took him 18 months to get the first draft down, and 3 years to revise and shape it, with some help from an editor, who curiously enough, turned out to be the person who had taught him Transcendental Meditation in Cambridge, MA decades earlier!

Although Steve is now writing his second novel, this first one is finally taking on a life of its own. David Lynch loved it and gave Steven a quote to help promote the book. “This book captures the thrill and magic of the spiritual path and how things make more and more sense the bigger the picture gets.” — David Lynch, Filmaker

The book will no doubt spread by word of mouth. George Ellis, author of A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision, said it should be turned into a screenplay. I agree. It’s destined to become a classic. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of B. Steven Verney.

Visit Steve’s new website one of his son’s designed for him http://steveverney.com and blog. Read the overview of the book and see the Xlibris Book Trailer: The Best of All Possible Worlds.

*You may also enjoy The Flow of Consciousness: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on Literature and Language, 1971 to 1976, edited by Rhoda F. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D. and Susan K. Anderson, Ph.D., two former chairpersons of the MIU/MUM Literature department who attended the Literature Reunion 2013.

Another novel about a meditating philosophy professor worth reading is, “To Be Enlightened” by Alan J. Steinberg.

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Posted in Audios, Writing | 6 Comments »

Celeb Spiritual Report: One significant day in my life by David Lynch for Jane Magazine (May 2004)

August 3, 2013

Here is an article I helped facilitate for David Lynch when we first started working with him, a year before the idea for the David Lynch Foundation was created under the dynamic leadership of Bob Roth, executive director for the Foundation. Up to this point David had kept his Transcendental Meditation practice private. When he made the decision to go public and help the TM movement he turned out to be a most unique and brilliant spokesman.

One event was a project to create world peace. We sent out our press release to the media and set up a NY press conference David would attend. Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, the entertainment editor for Jane magazine at the time, emailed back saying she was interested in David’s meditating and suggested he write an article for their special celeb issue on the topic: One significant day in my life. We mentioned it to him and he sent us an article of the day he learned that our human physiology, our body, was made of consciousness, which we forwarded to them. Knowing he was a painter, they also wanted to know what consciousness looked like to David. He sent a jpeg of an image he had created and they included it, giving him a whole page and titling it a Celeb Spiritual Report, with that announcement on the bottom right side of the magazine cover. It was published in their May, 2004 celeb issue. Jane was a popular woman’s magazine, published from 1997-2007. David posted the report on his website with other earlier David Lynch articles and interviews.

Here is David’s love of Maharishi’s Vedic knowledge explained in such a simple conversational tone that’s truly David Lynch. He’s actually a brilliant writer and speaker! They put the text on the bottom right of this photo. Here it is with the text underneath.

Jane – May, 2004
One significant day in my life
By David Lynch

This is a picture that director David Lynch (above) painted to show what consciousness looks like.

This is a picture that director David Lynch (above) painted to show what consciousness looks like.

A significant event occurred in my life the day I learned that our human physiology, our body, is made of consciousness.

Consciousness???

“What???” I asked out loud in wonder.

I learned that our human physiology is so magnificent and complex, and so exquisite in its design and makeup, as to be wondrous beyond imagination. We are spun out of unbounded, infinite, eternal consciousness.

I learned that underlying all matter is a vast, unbounded, infinite and eternal field of consciousness called the Unified Field. I found out that modern science started taking this field seriously about 25 years ago and that all matter is unified at this level in a state of perfect symmetry, or balance. The entire universe emerges from this field in a process called “spontaneous sequential symmetry breaking.”

Are you still with me?

I also learned that there is another science called Vedic Science. This Vedic Science is ancient, and it has always talked of the Unified Field.

Interesting!

Veda, I learned, means “total knowledge.” The home of total knowledge is the Unified Field. It is also the home of all the laws of nature. The branches of Veda, 40 in total, make up the language of the Unified Field, the impulses of this eternal field.

I realized this Unified Field is quite an interesting place. It is not manifest and is full, meaning it is no thing, yet all things in potential. It manifests and permeates all things: the whole universe, everything, while still remaining full and not manifest.

Amazing!

Is this mind-boggling or what?

Now comes the hippest part. I have learned that any human being can “experience” the Unified Field.

Really?

Or: So what?

Why in the world would we care to experience the Unified Field?

First, another question.

Have you ever heard that most of us human beings use only 5 percent of our brain, our mind? Have you ever wondered what in the heck the other 95 percent is all about?

This is the beautiful part coming up.

The “experience” of the Unified Field actually unfolds “enlightenment”—higher states of consciousness culminating in Unity Consciousness, the highest state of consciousness. These higher states use that 95 percent of the brain. That is what the 95 percent is there for—to give us permanent, all-time enlightenment.

Now, what is enlightenment? If you were a lightbulb, let’s say, your “glow” might light up your whole house and surrounding yard. In enlightenment, your “glow” would be unbounded, infinite and eternal. That would be some glow!

Enlightenment is fulfillment. Supreme fulfillment. Unbounded, infinite, eternal bliss, consciousness, intelligence, creativity, harmony, dynamic peace.

Enlightenment, I have learned, is our “full potential.” It is the birthright of every human being to enjoy enlightenment.

Is this good news? I think it is such good news.

In Vedic Science, the Unified Field is called “Atma.” Translated, that is “Self”—the Self of us all.

The Unified Field is not something foreign, or even something far away. It is right within each of us at the base of our mind, the source of thought. A great sage from the Himalayas, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, brought a beautiful gift to our world in the form of Transcendental Meditation. Transcendental Meditation is an easy and effortless, yet supremely profound, technique that allows any human to dive within and experience that unbounded ocean of pure bliss, pure consciousness. the Unified Field, our Self.

It may be interesting for you to know that millions of people are practicing Transcendental Meditation all around the world. People from all religions, and all walks of life. Over 600 studies have been done in universities and research institutes validating the profound benefits of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Program.

Having this kind of knowledge and technologies of consciousness available to us in this age is, in my mind, a significant event. Yet the “experience” of that Unified Field is the most significant event, because it unfolds what we truly are—totality.

David’s movies include Eraserhead, Dune, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. He is looking forward to Creating World Peace Day, to be held mid-September at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa (www.mum.edu).

Copyright 2004 Fairchild Publications, Inc.

(more…)

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Posted in Art, Articles, David Lynch Foundation, Peace, Writing | 5 Comments »

‘Tiny House’ offers big benefits to save energy and money — KTVO’s Kate Allt reports from MUM

May 15, 2013

Tiny House’ offers big benefits to save energy and money

by Kate Allt | Posted: 05.15.2013 at 4:48 PM
Students and volunteers raise the walls on Heather Caldwell's tiny house. / KTVO's Kate Allt

Students and volunteers raise the walls on Heather Caldwell’s tiny house. / KTVO’s Kate Allt

FAIRFIELD, IOWA — We often say that bigger is better, but a tiny house movement sweeping the country is proving otherwise.

Fairfield has several tiny houses, most of them about the size of a typical college dorm room. Wednesday, students in the Sustainable Living program at Maharishi University started construction on the newest one — a 12-foot-by-20-foot home designed by student Heather Caldwell.

“A lot of people believe that – in the tiny house movement – that we just consume too much, we’re living in spaces that are way too big, we don’t need that much space,” Caldwell said. “And so these people are building tiny houses to live in them. The thing that I’m interested in once I graduate is not only building tiny houses, but building a community, tiny house communities. So there’s a tiny house movement right now where a lot of people individually are building tiny houses and pretty soon we’ll see more tiny communities popping up and that’s what I’m majoring in.”

The building course is new at Maharishi University, but they plan to teach it for a long time.

“It’s a global movement, people are doing it everywhere and the idea is to downsize and simplify and to lower your energy demands and to be able to live off of renewable energy,” said Professor Mark Stimson, of Maharishi’s Sustainable Living Program. “One of the greatest things is — well, two things — to become self-reliant. It used to be in the old days in this country everybody knew how to build their own house, but since then we’ve gotten kind of specialized in all that. So this is sort of going back to that era of self reliance. And then the greatest part also is just the idea of living mortgage-free. If you can save a few thousand dollars or just salvage materials from places, you can build a very comfortable, snug home for very little money and not have to pay a mortgage for 20 or 30 years.”

Heather designed every element of her tiny house and will be moving on with two kids, four cats and a dog.

“I didn’t believe it at first,” said Heather’s daughter, Ellie. “It’s one of those projects our parents say they’re going to do and then they don’t do. But it’s happening, so it’s fun.”

Caldwell said one of the most challenging aspects is utilizing the small space available to make a fully functioning home.

“One of the big keys to tiny houses is finding multiple uses for the same spot,” she said. “Like the reading nook in the tiny house is also a guest bed and it also houses the dining room table which slips out from underneath and that’s our dining room table.”

Heather’s family hopes to move in in late June and will live in the tiny house for a year. On top of being smaller and more energy-efficient, Heather’s house is also being designed to be entirely off the grid, with solar-powered windows, composting and mud plaster.

To learn more on Heather’s house and to see progress over the next few weeks, visit her blog by clicking here.

To learn more about the Sustainable Living program at MUM, click here.

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Posted in Architecture, Articles, Maharishi University, Sustainable Living, Videos | 1 Comment »

Celebrating Paul Horn and his Contribution to Jazz, World Music, Meditation and Spirituality

March 20, 2013

Paul Horn, Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and David Lynch attend the press conference for the David Lynch Foundation “Change Begins Within” Benefit Concert at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

It was St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, March 17, 2013. It was also Paul Horn’s 83rd birthday, and I had sent around an email about it with links to Paul’s participation (:55–1:22) in the Change Begins Within Press Conference Highlights from Radio City Music Hall in NYC, April 3, 2009, and the concert the following night. Here’s an overview of the Change Begins Within Press Conference and musical Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr Concert Highlights. This is a great collection of concert clips and interviews, and DLF school clips: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr Collaborate for Meditation in Schools. PBS later aired an edited version.

A Symphony of SilenceI also read an interview with Paul Horn in the first chapter of A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision by George A. Ellis. Paul spoke about his philosophy of music and improvisation, how he communicated musically with a killer whale at an aquarium in Victoria, BC, and in Hawaii. He also spoke about his own spiritual quest, how he started Transcendental Meditation and met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He discussed how he was invited to join a course in India with Maharishi and his experiences there. George Ellis also asked Paul questions about his becoming a TM teacher in those early days, and also playing his flute in the Taj Mahal. It’s a great interview, and a wonderful way to start the book! It got me hooked.

Rolf Erickson, editor-in-chief of Enlightenment, The Transcendental Meditation Magazine, emailed to say there’s an excerpt of the interview with Paul Horn in the latest issue, number 11, called The Music of Meditation. In it, George cites a beautiful quote from Paul’s own book, Inside Paul Horn: The Spiritual Odyssey of a Universal Traveler, highlighted at the top of the article: “We are traveling in historical time, from the present to the distant past. We are traveling inwardly as well, through the music of meditation.” Rolf also contributed an article about George Ellis, Sharing the Symphony of Silence, describing what he had accomplished as a TM teacher and entrepreneur, and his heartfelt tribute to Maharishi with this book. Visit http://asymphonyofsilence.com.

Here is an excerpt from the book A Symphony of Silence by George Ellis on Paul Horn and the Music of Meditation published in Enjoy TM News.

Here’s an earlier post from a few years ago: Iconic Jazz Musician Paul Horn Performs Inside MUM’s Golden Dome in Historic Concert May 15. The concert was in the context of a Symposium on Music and Consciousness during which Paul Horn was honored for his lifelong contribution to music, as a jazz musician and Father of New Age Music; and consciousness, as a longtime teacher of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation technique. Paul taught thousands of people to meditate in the 70’s. Here is Paul’s great talk at that Symposium: Improvisation: The Ultimate Art of Self-Expression — Paul Horn at MUM. Click here to see all of the Lecture and Performance Videos including Q & A.

During his visit to MUM and Fairfield, Jo Ann Gesner interviewed Paul for an article, Paul Horn: Improvisation from the Inside Out, published in Enlightenment Magazine’s 6th issue as Inside with Musician Paul Horn, with a beautiful photo that Jo Ann took of Paul and his wife, Ann Mortifee, in front of the mural painted by Lynne Teeple in Café Paradiso.

This video, Inside Paul Horn, is an overview of Paul Horn’s career. Originally titled, Inside Paul Horn Special Edition, it includes clips from Story of a Jazz Musician – David Wolper Presents, and was uploaded on Jan 14, 2011 by annmortifee. It seems to have been taken down now but you can see the full 3-part film here.

For more on the music of Paul Horn and Ann Mortifee, visit http://paulhornmusic.com and http://annmortifee.com.

Listen to Monica Hadley interview George A. Ellis on KRUU’s Writer’s Voices – 20130712 and how his book Symphony of Silence came about. Also posted on Writer’s Voices website.

See my Haiku With My Muse, Sali, inspired by Paul Horn.

See Snapshots: Paul Horn in Conversation: History & Influences.

Paul Horn died June 29, 2014. There were many memorial articles about the jazz flutist, composer and creator of new age music who also became a teacher of  Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation at his ashram in Rishikesh, India. He taught thousands to meditate in the United States and returned to make a film about Maharishi when the Beatles happened to be there to learn more about TM at his ashram. The Guardian announced his passing: Paul Horn, father of new age music, dies aged 84, then published a more detailed obituary.

Update July 4, 2020: A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision: 3rd Edition Abridged Paperback – June 28, 2020 and Kindle Edition. Also available in Spanish as Sinfonia del Silencio.

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Posted in David Lynch Foundation, Music, Peace, Videos | 3 Comments »

Maharishi University Students Win National Collegiate Hackathon Competition, Visit Silicon Valley High Tech Companies

March 9, 2013

Fairfield, Iowa: Maharishi University Computer Science students were among 10 finalists in a national collegiate hackathon competition to win a trip to Silicon Valley. During their visit they met with high tech leaders from 15 companies.

Hackathons are growing in popularity. Companies like Facebook, Google, and now the White House have employed this strategy to come up with innovative software solutions to problems. Last month a company called HackerRank announced a national collegiate computer-programming competition. Over 400 students from the nation’s top schools participated in the hackathon. Contestants were given 24 hours to complete six challenges. Some of the high tech companies sponsoring the competition were Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and Dropbox.

MUM students Khongor Enkhbold and Khasan Bold were among top ten finalistsin a National Collegiate Hackathon Competition who won a trip to Silicon Valley

MUM students Khasan Bold and Khongor Enkhbold were two of the top ten finalists in a National Collegiate Hackathon Competition to visit Silicon Valley

Two students from Maharishi University of Management’s Masters in Computer Science program went up against students from tech titans Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Princeton, Purdue, MIT, University of California-Berkeley, and both made it into the top ten. Khongor Enkhbold placed 5th and Khasan Bold, 7th. The top ten final positions were: 3 from Berkeley, 2 each from Harvard and MUM, and 1 each from UCLA, Purdue, and Nebraska.

All finalists earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Silicon Valley where they met with tech professionals from 15 top companies. They had to sign nondisclosure agreements before entering each company and were not allowed to take any pictures because of work posted on the walls.

“We visited about 15 companies like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Palantir, Rocket Fuel, OpenTable, Dropbox and others,” said Khasan Bold. “We saw Mark Zuckerberg and also met with D’Angelo, the CEO and the founder of Quora.”

When they visited LinkedIn they noticed their neighbors, Google and NASA. Khasan remarked on “one cool thing—Google supports the entire city of Mountain View with Wi-Fi. That means we could have accessed Google’s Wi-Fi from anywhere in town!”

He noted that almost every company they visited provided many games for their employees to play like PlayStation, Foosball, Ping Pong, Billiards, as well as a lot of free food and drinks.

Khongor Enkhbold at Twitter headquarters. Note the logoed lawn game and color-coordinated deck furniture.

Khasan Bold at Twitter headquarters. Note the logoed lawn game and color-coordinated deck furniture.

They also took time to speak with employees at Twitter. Khasan said the trip gave him a “real quick screenshot of the top US IT companies” and hopes it will help him find his future job here in the US.

Khongor and Khasan have won computer-programming competitions before. In 2010 they were on a 3-person team that took the championship cup for all of Mongolia. In 2009, they won bronze medals in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Competition, sponsored by IBM, in the Asian region in Shanghai, China. In 2010 and 2011, Khongor also won bronze and silver medals with different teammates at the same venue. When asked why they compete in these events, Khongor replied, “We don’t compete because we need to… We compete because we love to!”

Khonger Enkhbold and Khasan Bold have their picture taken by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge during their trip to high-tech companies.

Khasan Bold and Khongor Enkhbold by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge during their trip to Silicon Valley’s high-tech companies.

Khasan and Khongor heard about Maharishi University from their friends. They applied to the MS in Computer Science because of the unique opportunity MUM affords its students in gaining practical IT experience with high-level US companies, as well as the cutting-edge curriculum offered by the University’s top faculty. They also found Fairfield, Iowa to be a peaceful, creative city making it an ideal place to study.

Founded in 1971, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) is a unique private institution that offers Consciousness-Based℠ Education, a traditional academic curriculum enhanced with self-development programs like the Transcendental Meditation® technique. Students are encouraged to follow a more sustainable routine of study, socializing and rest without the typical college burnout. All aspects of campus life nourish the body and mind, including organic vegetarian meals served fresh daily. Located in Fairfield, Iowa, MUM is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the arts, sciences, humanities, and business. Visitors Weekends are held throughout the year. For more information, call the Admissions Office at 800-369-6480 or visit http://www.mum.edu.

PRWeb press release posted March 09, 2013, 9:40 a.m. CST: MUM Computer Science Students Win National Collegiate Hackathon Competition and Trip to Silicon Valley.

For more information on Khasan and Khongor, see the Computer Professionals Newsletter announcing their win.

See Maharishi University Computer Science Students Continue to Solve Problems and Win Competitions.

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Maharishi University places 4 winning MBA teams in top 10 at international CAPSIM competition

August 9, 2012

M.U.M. Students Excellent In CAPSIM Competition
by Johnny Mangano
Published on Aug 9, 2012 by KTVOtv

FAIRFIELD, IA — Four MBA teams from the Maharishi University of Management placed in the top 10 of the international CAPSIM Foundation simulation.

The simulation tests MBA students acumen in areas such as sales forecasting, inventory management, operations management,  human resources, finance, and quality management.

M.U.M. competed with other schools across the continent including Villanova and Drexel even though enrollment at the school is just around 1,000 students.

The competition is spread out over a six month period and is very rigorous.

Dr. Andrew Bargerstock, Director of MBA Programs at M.U.M. led the students in this endeavor.

In the past three years, M.U.M. has placed teams in the top ten of the competition with a team actually placing first last year.

When asked whether he values that or this year with four teams placing in the top ten, Dr. Bargerstock preferred the latter because it speaks to how deep and knowledgable his MBA students are.

The simulation is scored on a Balanced Scorecard concept which measures both short and long term growth across four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business processes, and learning and growth.

The four teams were named Chester, Digby, Baldwin, and Andrews.

The Chester team placed in the 97th percentile and included Enkhbat Byambaakhuu, Laxman Bhandari, Visakha Ly, Phirada Khuon, and Nan Cao.

The Digby team was in the 95th percentile and included Seka Ellepo, Njei Akuro, Gurmu Negeri, and Eshetu Debru.

The Baldwin team finished in the 93rd percentile with team members Xiaoxu Chen, Zhou Jiang, Yue Pan, Daina Zhang, and Bo Wu.

The Andrews team placed in the 90th percentile with Eliana Freeman, Mokhlis Awad, Joseph Marquez, and Mila Zhang.

For more information on MUM’s Accounting MBA program visit: http://www.mum.edu/accounting-mba.

Also listen to the KMCD August 9 MUM Spotlight Show with Andy Bargerstock, MUM Professor and Director of MBA programs, as he discusses the significance of the CAPSIM simulation within the Accounting MBA program at MUM and how it prepares his students to compete and win against other top universities in North America.

See the MUM Blog: Four MBA Teams Place in International Competition and Dr. Andrew Bargerstock’s blog: MUM’s Four MBA CAPSIM Teams All Finish in Top 10.

Also see last year’s winning teams, one taking first place: Maharishi University MBA Students Win National Business Simulation Competition and Students Place 1st in National Business Simulation and MBA Students Win National Business Competition and this video: CAPSIM winners: MBA teams at Maharishi University of Management.

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Candy Crowley visits KRUU-FM before delivering Commencement Address at Maharishi University

May 28, 2012

Dennis Raimondi, Burt Chojnowski, and KRUU-FM station manager James Moore enjoy a short visit with CNN’s Candy Crowley. She was in Fairfield, Iowa to deliver the Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management, May 26, 2012. (Photo taken by Ken Chawkin)

During her recent visit to Fairfield, Iowa to deliver the Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management, CNN chief political correspondent Candy Crowley visited the local community-supported solar-powered radio station, KRUU-LP 100.1 FM, to tape an interview on Speaking Freely with Dennis Raimondi. The show aired Saturday, May 26, 2012 and Monday, May 28 at 1:00 and 6:30 pm. The complete interview is archived at: http://kruufm.com/node/13289. Station manager James Moore also posted a photo and quote from Candy on her love of radio.

Dennis mentions that Candy was one of the first to make it possible for other women to become broadcast journalists. She thanks him for that observation, if it is true, but did not set out to purposefully make that happen. With television being a visual medium, she says, “I’m clearly not the 20-something blonds that are currently on TV. But you can do it your way, you can be who you are, and do what you want. You might have to work a little harder, you might have to be that much better. … You have to be so good at what you do that they can’t ignore you.”

Burt Chojnowski of Fairfield First! Buzz also produced a film of Dennis’s interview in the KRUU-FM studio: Candy Crowley on Speaking Freely with Dennis Raimondi. This Candy Crowley on Speaking Freely – Unplugged version includes the pre-interview banter starting off with her reciting the Gettysburg Address! Burt also enjoyed asking and posting 3 Questions with Candy Crowley.mov about her impressions of Fairfield, writing, and leadership, also recorded on May 26, 2012.

Candy told Burt she had lived in Iowa before, in Des Moines, for 5 years, and could probably see herself living here in Fairfield. She said, stepping off the plane, you can really feel yourself breathing deeply, for the first time. Burt asked Candy what she would say to women in third-world countries to inspire them to become leaders. She said the best leaders, not the ones that got the most votes, but the ones who did something, are the best listeners. “A leader has to be able to take the hopes and desires of the people looking to him or her and make it into reality. Well, what’s the first step of that—what are those hopes and desires? The leaders listen first, and if you skip that step, you’re never gonna be a leader.” Speaking of leaders, a big thank you to Bob Roth for listening and bringing Candy Crowley into the studio despite her tight schedule!

CNN anchor Candy Crowley gives Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management is now available on the YouTube channel.

See Fairfield Ledger: Crowley speaks to M.U.M. grads and CNN’s Candy Crowley to give Commencement Address at Maharishi University of Management.


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Maharishi University of Management featured in Education Executive Magazine — Spring 2012

April 14, 2012

Maharishi University of Management

Higher Education – Spring 2012 (pages 62-63)

Open Mindedness

Transcendental Meditation® helps students at Maharishi University of Management enhance their learning, the institution says.

All successful administrators believe firmly in the missions of their institutions, but the connection runs deeper for Dr. Craig Pearson, executive vice president of Maharishi University of Management (MUM). After graduating from Duke University in 1971 and feeling disillusioned from the tumultuous impact of the Vietnam War, Pearson discovered the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM).

“I saw a need for change, and I wanted to participate in that and I wanted it to be meaningful,” Pearson says. “Finally, I realized it would be a nice contribution to make to this society that I lived in if I taught TM.” After he became versed in teaching TM, Pearson discovered an opportunity to teach at MUM, and what has followed has been a learning experience that has lasted more than 30 years.

“I’ve had just an amazing range of opportunities and experiences here,” Pearson says.

Located in Fairfield, Iowa, MUM was founded on the practice of TM, brought to light from the ancient Vedic tradition by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Vedic sage who taught the practice in his native India before traveling the world with it. Not a religion or philosophy, TM is a simple, effortless technique practiced for 20 minutes at the start and end of each day that allows the mind to settle to a state of inner quiet. Those who practice TM say it can help expand consciousness and expand the mind’s capacity for learning. This is why the university’s approach is called Consciousness-BasedSM education.

“This is huge for education,” Pearson says, adding that studies have shown growth of intelligence and other measures of personal development to level off during adolescence. Practicing TM, research suggests, unfreezes that potential and allows the mind to continue growing.

Same, But Different

Aside from the beginning and end of each day, when students and faculty join in practicing TM, Pearson says MUM offers the same curriculum one would find at a top university elsewhere in the world. “If you or anybody were to come to MUM and walk around during the day, you would find a lot that’s similar to what’s going on in universities around the world,” he says. “If you were to go into a Shakespeare class, it’s the same Shakespeare.”

Where MUM differs from other universities, of course, is the 20-minute TM sessions twice a day, built into the daily schedule. Pearson says this has a profound impact on the campus culture and in the performance of its student body and the overall feeling on the campus. Pearson says TM significantly reduces stress and mental fatigue by allowing the mind effortlessly to relax and settle inward rather than focus on the outside world.

“These days, one of the things most problematic on college campuses is stress,” he says.

Through TM, students at MUM are able to expand their consciousness to a point where learning and personal growth are practically unlimited, Pearson claims. The implications for higher education are significant, he adds. “Now human development can be unfrozen, now it can continue to develop,” he says, adding that the university has found student IQs increase after enrolling. One study, for example, found IQ to increase an average of 4 points after one year and 9 points after 4 years.

Expanding Future

The university’s application of TM in the curriculum has implications for more than student performance and stress levels, Pearson says. It also affects enrollment trends, as nearly 75 percent of MUM’s student body consists of transfer students from other institutions. Most of them discover the university on the Internet, but an increasing number are hearing about it by word of mouth.

“Since that’s our mission, students come because they’re attracted to the mission,” Pearson says. “They transfer because they’re not satisfied with where they are.”

As the concept of meditation becomes more popular through yoga classes and other fitness regimens, MUM has seen a long-term upswing in enrollment. The university’s current enrollment of about 1,100 is double what it was five years ago, and nearly triple what it was 10 years ago, according to Pearson. “Now, meditation is mainstream and the idea of meditation in education isn’t so unusual,” he adds.

To deal with the continuing growth, the university 11 years ago embarked on an ambitious campaign to reconstruct its campus. Originally built as Parson’s College before it closed in 1973, the MUM campus has torn down 45 old buildings and has invested substantially in renovating a number of others. Additionally, 60-plus new buildings have been constructed on campus. The newest building is the university’s Sustainable Living Center, which, when completed, will be unique in the world, embodying four different sustainable building philosophies and completely off the grid with respect to heating/cooling, electricity, water, and sewage. Pearson says the university’s commitment to sustainability is another attractive feature for many students, citing the campus’ all-organic, vegetarian menu.

Pearson says the university hopes to reach an enrollment of 2,000 in the years to come, with a long-term vision of approximately 8,000 students. To help achieve that goal it has established an endowment campaign with an initial goal of $50 million. Pearson says the campaign has received some very good initial support, and that those funds will be used for scholarships, faculty support, academic programs, and campus development.

Seeing the university grow has been a rewarding experience for Pearson, and he says he believes the education students receive at MUM will give them a consciousness-based approach to decision making that will be needed to solve the world’s greatest problems.

“It’s one thing to change the way we get our power or food, but our students recognize there needs to be a change in the kind of consciousness that created those types of problems, and I’m very inspired by that,” he says.

—Chris Petersen

Copyright 2012 Education Executive Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Links to the online version with only one photo: http://www.education-executive.com/index.php/higher-education/1125-maharishi-university-of-management and digital edition: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/phoenix/eduexec_2012spring/#/64 of the two-page layout containing photos of Craig Pearson, Argiro Student Center, MUM campus, and the Aladdin Food Management Services ad.

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