Modern culture often prioritizes efficiency over aesthetics. Federal and State policies actually dissuade graduate schools from investing in campus grounds and landscapes. Pacifica must continue to offer and value a ‘green’ campus environment, with the beauty of its gardens, the sustainability of its organic orchards, and animal-friendly plantings. The soul of place feeds the soul of being… and learning.

                          —Steve Aizenstat, Founding President and Chancellor, Pacifica Graduate Institute

 

Dear Friends,

 

We would like to invite you to a special day at Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Lambert Road Campus. Celebrating the Soul of the World: A Day in the Pacifica Gardens with Michael Sipiora and Marshall Chrostowski will be held on Saturday, July 12 from 9:00 am-5:30 pm.

 

Experience the splendid grounds of Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Lambert Road Campus as you are introduced to its internationally acclaimed approach to psychology and myth. The result of more than 20 years of thoughtful cultivation, the landscapes and other elements of the this campus have gained renown for their beauty and for how well they support the mission and values of the Institute. The 13-acre campus is the preserved core of a much larger property developed by Max Fleischmann in the 1920’s. It has evolved from an abandoned horse ranch into a unique melding of Mediterranean gardens with native California flora and edible landscapes that form a green belt around the campus. In addition to applying the best horticultural and ecological principles, Pacifica has re-introduced garden elements that reflect historical occupations on the site, including ones honoring native Chumash villagers.

Join Landscape Manager (and 2014 Independent Local Hero) Marshall Chrostowski and Professor Michael Sipiora in an intense aesthetic and intellectual engagement with a beautiful, inspirational location. Accessible, conversational presentation of relevant themes from Pacifica’s lecture halls—notions of soulful engagement, poetic dwelling, and the thought of the heart—will be interwoven with leisurely but structured tours of the campus gardens. We will spend time focusing on specific sites on the campus and the particular beauty of each location by highlighting the horticultural, ecological, historical, and psychological contexts in play. A healthful lunch will be provided by our campus caterer utilizing food grown in the gardens. You will learn how the Institute’s motto, Animae Mundi Colendae Gratia—Latin “for the sake of tending the soul of the world”—is not just the directive for its scholarly and professional pursuits; it has also guided the creation of the incredible place that is Pacifica.

Michael P. Sipiora, Ph.D., is core faculty at Pacifica where he teaches in the Clinical Psychology, Depth Psychology, and Mythological Studies programs. He holds graduate degrees in psychology and philosophy, and has published in the areas of phenomenology and archetypal psychology. Before coming to Pacifica, Michael was a professor at Duquesne University in their Human Science Psychology program. He is a licensed psychologist, practicing psychotherapist, and has been active in narrative based organizational development consulting.

Marshall Chrostowski is the land manager for both of Pacifica Graduate Institute’s campuses. He holds advanced degrees in soil science, plant, and tropical ecology, and ethnobotany. He originally came to Pacifica in 1989 to renovate the long-abandoned grounds and orchards at the future Lambert Road Campus. By 1993, under Marshall’s guidance, several acres had been set aside for a demonstration mini-farm. Over the next five years, it expanded to become a regular food source for student dining services, the Pacifica community, and the greater Santa Barbara area. The farm and orchards at Pacifica specialize in both advanced and traditional organic growing practices. The staff teaches sustainable farming and seed saving techniques to the interns and volunteers who aid in cultivation and harvesting. Marshall was honored as a Local Hero in 2013 by the Santa Barbara Independent for his contributions to local gardening, farming, and fundraising for the Santa Barbara Foodbank.

Space is limited. For more information and registration, contact Pacifica Graduate Institute Public Programs Department at 805.969.3626, ext. 103 or publicprograms@pacifica.edu or visit our website at www.pacifica.edu/innercontent-m.aspx?id=8204

 

Sincerely,

 

Public Programs Department

Pacifica Graduate Institute

Tel: 805.969.3626, ext. 103

Fax: 805.879.7392

publicprograms@pacifica.edu

www.pacifica.edu