Following Your Passion: Michael Pinto on Giving Back to CIIS

Michael Pinto, Ph.D. '96, Transformative Learning, serves as Chair of the CIIS Board of Trustees. Since graduating nearly three decades ago, he has remained deeply connected to the institution that transformed not just his academic trajectory, but his entire approach to leadership and community. Together with his wife, Michael has committed over $2 million to CIIS—including $1 million for the endowment and $1 million for student scholarships. His journey from doctoral student to board chair reflects a profound love for an institution he describes simply as "phenomenal."

Coming Home

The first time I approached our campus in the Haight-Ashbury district, I went through a wooden door—not the usual entrance through the parking lot. I walked through that door and I felt like I had just come home.

That feeling wasn't an accident. It came from being with kindred spirits—people who cared about community, who wanted to make our world a better place. That's why they had chosen CIIS. And that's why I chose CIIS.

I had done my graduate work at UCLA. I was considering going to UC Irvine for my Ph.D. But coming here to CIIS had such a different qualitative feeling about it. It wasn't just academics, it was the emotions, it was the love—caring for making our world a better place.

Learning to Listen

When I talked to the folks at UCI about a Ph.D. in political theory, it was just academics. Coming to CIIS, it was emotional. It was learning to work with people, to learn to compromise with people.

My leadership skills blossomed here at school because—in the cohort model of the School of Transformative Learning—you really had to listen carefully to what each person was saying. Not just react, not just respond, but be part of a whole, of a consensus model.

I have a little saying: if a person is heard with respect, then they're willing to compromise. And I think that's one of the foundational ingredients of CIIS—that listening to and that respecting of every voice and then coming together.

If a person is heard with respect, then they're willing to compromise. That's one of the foundational ingredients of CIIS—that listening to and that respecting of every voice and then coming together.
Michael Pinto, Class of 1996, Transformative Learning, and Chair of the CIIS Board of Trustees

For me, the academics was secondary to the emotional power that I experienced during the three years I attended from 1993 to 1996. That emotional power put me in touch with a center inside of myself that I had been peripherally aware of, but it really blossomed here.

One of my colleagues who worked with me for almost 20 years at an environmental foundation I helped create got to observe the changes that took place in me over those three years. She said my leadership style had dramatically changed in a very positive way—that I was just hearing more.

Investing in Students

My wife and I recently contributed another million dollars towards scholarships for students who either need help to continue their studies or to afford to come here. We recognize that we're a tuition-based school, so the number of students we have is critical to our success.

I'm very much aware that Americans owe $1.64 trillion in student debt, and it's a tragedy. What's really important for our students is that the tuition we charge is substantially less than what other institutions charge. With our scholarship fund, we make it even more affordable for people who otherwise might not be able to complete their graduate degrees.

Our gifts are anonymous. We do not know which students are getting the money. What matters to us is that those who need it the greatest are supported. We're not asking for thanks. We just want to help these people who are busy trying to improve their lives to make a difference in this world.

Why Now Matters

At this time, especially politically, we're in a very challenging time. Fortunately, CIIS is unique in what it offers our students. An integral education—a holistic perspective on the world—is not just about getting a career. It's about recognizing that you're part of a bigger community and that if the bigger community thrives, you as an individual and your family thrive.

When I mention CIIS, so many people say, I've heard of that school, or Oh my God, that's such a wonderful place. One of our students was presenting at a conference in Europe, and she mentioned CIIS and a number of people said, I've heard of CIIS, I've heard it's a wonderful school. That kind of thing just makes you glow with pride.

Giving is a giving of the heart. It's not of the head. It is giving because you're passionate about something. If you really want to flourish in your life, follow your passion.
Michael Pinto, Class of 1996, Transformative Learning, and Chair of the CIIS Board of Trustees

Giving from the Heart

My wife and I have given now over $2 million to this school. We have never done anything like this before. There are tears coming to my eyes just thinking about this, because giving is a giving of the heart. It's not of the head. It is giving because you're passionate about something.

If you really want to flourish in your life, follow your passion. And if your passion is for CIIS, allow it to grow and to expand and to become part of the universe in a way that will give back to you so much more than whatever you might give.

If you're at all considering giving to CIIS, this is the time to do it. It's the time to join with other people who have similar feelings about our school and want it to flourish and to thrive. Now's the time to step up and make a difference.

I give to CIIS because I love the school and I'm passionate about its mission.