By Judie Wexler October 15, 2019
Dear Friends,
With the Fall semester well underway, it is good to be back together and to have welcomed new people into the CIIS community. The 470 new students who enrolled this fall, come to CIIS from a wide variety backgrounds and places. I am also excited by the new faculty and staff who have joined the CIIS community and those who have transitioned back here after time spent in other institutions.
Join me in congratulating the faculty members who have been promoted upon the review and recommendation of the core faculty and Provost. Congratulations to those newly promoted to Full Professor: Glenn Hartelius (Integral and Transpersonal Psychology), Jake Sherman (Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness), and Jennifer Wells (Transformative Inquiry). Congratulations to those faculty promoted to Associate Professor: Danielle Drake (Expressive Arts co-chair), Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold (Integral Counseling Psychology), Gary Raucher (Drama Therapy), Sergio Rodriguez-Castillo (Integral Counseling Psychology), Rachael Vaughan (Integral Counseling Psychology, and Phil Weglarz (Expressive Arts). The work that our faculty do in teaching, scholarship, and community is truly impressive.
Early in Fall semester, we saw students, faculty, and staff join the Global Climate strike and week of community action. I am so proud of all who combined rigorous learning with action regarding this existential crisis, and to all who express this integral commitment around other issues. On the day of the Global Climate strike students led participation in the march along with the creation of an earth altar in the lobby with community members placing postcards with their hopes and fears for the earth on the altar. The postcards will be delivered to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.
In future newsletters and other communications I intend to continue to highlight ways in which members of the CIIS community are applying their learning by taking action in the world. As we look at all the challenges surrounding us, the CIIS mission to embody spirit, intellect, and wisdom in service to individuals, communities, and the Earth is ever more relevant. In the work we do as integral educators we strive to build the kind of world we wish to live in.
Judie Wexler
