RIA UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY (RUIAS)
RUIAS ADVISORS
| Thomas Buford, Ph.D. | Furman University |
| Walter Davis | National Organizers Alliance |
| Lawrence Johnson, Ph.D. | Kumamoto Gakuen University (Japan) |
| Golam Mannan, Ph.D. | IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) |
| Nel Noddings, Ph.D. | Stanford University |
| R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. | Society for Universal Immortalism |
| C. Subba Reddy, Ph.D., P.E. | Independent Consultant (Fairfax, VA, USA) |
| J. Anthony Sharp, Ph.D. | Independent Consultant (Tucson, AZ, USA) |
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The Ria University Institute for Advanced Study (RUIAS) is now being formed. You are invited to join the adventure. Ours is an interdisciplinary quest for intellectual excellence and compassionate commitment. We seek to extend life in both quantity and quality.
We at RUIAS attempt to view the world in an interdisciplinary way: We try to understand past patterns and engage present problems – and we dare to dream of future possibilities. The purpose of RUIAS is two-fold: To act as a research institute or "think tank," on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to serve as a graduate school. Operated on a trimester plan (three trimesters per year), it will be divided into three research divisions:
* CID (Center for Interrelation of the Disciplines);
* CAH (Center for the Arts and Humanities); and,
* CSM (Center for the Sciences and Medicine).
The philosophy and structure of RUIAS is based in part on educational ideas articulated in the writings of Kenneth Boulding, Thomas Buford, and Charles Tandy. If "interrelation of the disciplines" is less than successfully pursued by today’s liberal arts colleges, it is hardly pursued at all by the graduate schools. Yet expert generalists ("liberal artists") are needed if a democratic society is to function well rather than pathologically.
RUIAS will offer Master’s degrees in education, in philosophy, in business administration, and in biology. The Master’s degree will typically be completed in one year: Three trimesters totaling 45 credits. Each trimester will consist of 15 credits, as follows: Interrelation of the Disciplines (3 credits); and, other or specialized courses (12 credits). The goal is to produce graduates who are expert specialists and expert generalists.
Yet another experimental aspect of RUIAS is its governance. The professors govern the university. The Board of Governors consists of all RUIAS professors and no one else.
RUIAS is small and intimate: 12 positions for professors; 12 student
positions per professor – approximately 144 graduate student positions.
It is expected that the first year of graduate school operation will involve
approximately 4 professors and 48 students. It is also anticipated – on
a continuing basis – that a number of RUIAS graduate students will be awarded
full tuition scholarships by RUIAS, if not also financial assistance later
with their Ph.D. pursuits at other institutions.
The financial structure of RUIAS will also be unusual. Once established, Ria University will always exist – that is, perpetual endowments will be the solid financial foundation on which RUIAS will be built. A donor’s grant (endowment) means perpetual name recognition for the donor or a donor’s loved one, as follows:
| Name Recognition | Grant Amount | Perpetual Existence |
| Chair | US$3 million | Perpetually Endowed Professorial Position |
| Center | US$6 million | Perpetually Endowed Center |
| Institute | US$12 million | Perpetually Endowed University (One Institute) |
| University | US$36 million | Perpetually Endowed University (Entire U. System) |
If you think the above listed grant amounts are too large, think again. The endowments are perpetual, meaning that only the interest (that is, only a part of the interest) accrued will be used (for salaries, retirements, scholarships, buildings, staff, etc.). These grant amounts will guarantee a perpetually existing university of perpetually high excellence.
We expect to seek grants (endowments) according to the following sequence:
1. A CID professor. Education and/or Philosophy. (RUIAS President Charles
Tandy, Ph.D.).
2. A CAH professor. Business Administration. (RUIAS Vice President
for Development).
3. A CAH professor. Business Administration. (RUIAS Deputy Vice President
for Dev.).
4. A CID professor. Education and/or Philosophy. (RUIAS Deputy President).
At this point, with four perpetually endowed professorial chairs, Ria University is in perpetual existence and our first set of trimester courses will begin.
5. A CID professor. Education and/or Philosophy.
6. A CSM professor. Biology.
7. A CSM professor. Biology.
8. A CAH professor. Business Administration.
9. A CAH professor. Business Administration.
10. A CID professor. Education and/or Philosophy.
11. A CSM professor. Biology.
12. A CSM professor. Biology.
The 12 positions thus tally as follows: Four CID professors (Education; Philosophy); four CAH professors (Business Administration); and, four CSM professors (Biology).
Perpetual Donors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Board of Governors
1. CID Professor Charles Tandy, Ph.D.
2. CAH Professor
3. CAH Professor
4. CID Professor
5. CID Professor
6. CSM Professor
7. CSM Professor
8. CAH Professor
9. CAH Professor
10. CID Professor
11. CSM Professor
12. CSM Professor
Advisors
| Thomas Buford, Ph.D. | Furman University |
| Walter Davis | National Organizers Alliance |
| Lawrence Johnson, Ph.D. | Kumamoto Gakuen University (Japan) |
| Golam Mannan, Ph.D. | IUPUI (Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis) |
| Nel Noddings, Ph.D. | Stanford University |
| R. Michael Perry, Ph.D. | Society for Universal Immortalism |
| C. Subba Reddy, Ph.D., P.E. | Independent Consultant (Fairfax, VA, USA) |
| J. Anthony Sharp, Ph.D. | Independent Consultant (Tucson, AZ, USA) |
President: CID Professor Charles Tandy, Ph.D.
Vice President for Development: CAH Professor
Deputy Vice President for Development: CAH Professor
Deputy President: CID Professor
According to the sequential plan outlined above, RUIAS will initially offer three Master’s degrees: In Education; in Philosophy; and, in Business Administration. The next degree offered would be a Master’s in Biology. Degree specializations within Education or Philosophy or Business Administration or Biology would be negotiated by each student with each student’s advisor/mentor.
All RUIAS professors and Master’s degree students will be given access
and borrowing privileges to the Stanford University Libraries (Stanford
University is a world renowned research university located in Palo Alto,
California, USA). Whether more than 12 professors or four Master’s degree
programs would be appropriate for RUIAS will be decided at a later date.
However, there is no reason Ria University may not contemplate a number
of institutes and campuses worldwide, each one experimental yet different.
It is expected that a number of the institutes will be purposefully kept
small and intimate.
Our Interrelation of the Disciplines (ID) program stands at the center of the curriculum. The ID (Interrelation of the Disciplines) courses are team taught and involve all RUIAS professors. This includes small mentor-led discussions. One ID course (of three credits) is taught per trimester, as follows:
Trimester One ID Course: Yesterday’s World: Past Patterns is a selective interdisciplinary study of civilizations and ideas throughout human history. Also an attempt is made to view history in terms of evolutionary thresholds and ecological successions.
Trimester Two ID Course: Today’s World: Present Problems begins with a look at the twentieth century, its difficulties, and the modern-postmodern debate. In an interdisciplinary attempt to approach these problems critically, creatively, and compassionately, four kinds of methodologies or dynamic processes are then studied: Self-actualization (learning), societal evolution (development), participatory decision-making (ethical leadership), and conflict management.
Trimester Three ID Course: Tomorrow’s World: Future Possibilities attempts to look at alternative futures and possible technologies. Why is a radical extension of life in both quantity and quality to be expected and encouraged? Which image of the future is most worth having? Was there a beginning to time and will time necessarily come to an end? What are the methodologies of the interdisciplinary discipline, futuristics? With this course students will initiate their own futuristic projects.
These three ID courses are required of all RUIAS Master’s degree students. The goal is to become better generalists. But given the interdisciplinary perspective of RUIAS to extend the quantity and quality of life, specialized knowledge is also required. The four Master’s degree programs are described below:
As presently constituted, but subject to revision, our innovative Master’s in Education program consists of 45 credits (15 credits per trimester), as follows:
Trimester One: (15 credits)
Yesterday’s World: Past Patterns (3 credits)
Philosophy of Education (3 credits)
Educational Psychology (3 credits)
Sociology of Education (3 credits)
Instructional Technology and the Information Age (3 credits)
Trimester Two: (15 credits)
Today’s World: Present Problems (3 credits)
Interrelation of the Disciplines and Educational Philosophy (3 credits)
Survey Research Methodology (3 credits)
Comparative Educational Systems (3 credits)
World History of Education (3 credits)
Trimester Three: (15 credits)
Tomorrow's World: Future Possibilities (3 credits)
College Teaching (3 credits)
Economics of Higher Education (3 credits)
Specialized Seminar and Thesis in Education (6 credits)
As presently constituted, but subject to revision, our innovative Master’s in Philosophy program consists of 45 credits (15 credits per trimester), as follows:
Trimester One: (15 credits)
Yesterday’s World: Past Patterns (3 credits)
Philosophy of Education (3 credits)
Business Ethics (3 credits)
World Philosophy (3 credits)
Biomedical Ethics (3 credits)
Trimester Two: (15 credits)
Today’s World: Present Problems (3 credits)
Interrelation of the Disciplines and Educational Philosophy (3 credits)
Philosophic Research Methodology (3 credits)
Philosophy of Social Science (3 credits)
Feminism (3 credits)
Trimester Three: (15 credits)
Tomorrow’s World: Future Possibilities (3 credits)
Philosophy of the Person: Personal Identity and Continuity (3 credits)
Philosophy of Time: Eschatology and Time Machines (3 credits)
Specialized Seminar and Thesis in Philosophy (6 credits)
As presently constituted, but subject to revision, our innovative Master’s in Business Administration program consists of 45 credits (15 credits per trimester), as follows:
Trimester One: (15 credits)
Yesterday’s World: Past Patterns (3 credits)
International Business (3 credits)
Business Ethics (3 credits)
Marketing (3 credits)
Instructional Technology and the Information Age (3 credits)
Trimester Two: (15 credits)
Today’s World: Present Problems (3 credits)
Hospital Administration and Financing (3 credits)
Survey Research Methodology (3 credits)
University Development (3 credits)
Entrepreneurship (3 credits)
Trimester Three: (15 credits)
Tomorrow’s World: Future Possibilities (3 credits)
Internship in Business Administration (3 credits)
Economics of Higher Education (3 credits)
Specialized Seminar and Thesis in Business Administration (6 credits)
As presently constituted, but subject to revision, our innovative Master’s in Biology program consists of 45 credits (15 credits per trimester), as follows:
Trimester One: (15 credits)
Yesterday’s World: Past Patterns (3 credits)
Prolongevity: The Life Extension Sciences (3 credits)
Biology of Mammalian Systems (3 credits)
Biological Gerontology (3 credits)
Biomedical Ethics (3 credits)
Trimester Two: (15 credits)
Today’s World: Present Problems (3 credits)
Cryobiology: Low Temperature Biology and Medicine (3 credits)
Biological Research Methodology (3 credits)
Biostasis: Experimental Long Term Suspended Animation (3 credits)
Nanotechnology: Dr. Drexler and Beyond (3 credits)
Trimester Three: (15 credits)
Tomorrow’s World: Future Possibilities (3 credits)
Specialized Research in Biology (3 credits)
Biomedical Instrumentation (3 credits)
Specialized Seminar and Thesis in Biology (6 credits)
Now that we have established our vision and mission and have articulated
our four Master’s degree programs, our next step is three-fold:
1. Locate perpetual donors willing to grant perpetual endowments to
RUIAS.
2. Locate outstanding professors to serve on the RUIAS Board of Governors.
3. Locate qualified well-wishers to serve as RUIAS Advisors.
A preliminary draft of a possible advertisement with this in mind follows:
POSSIBLE POSITIONS: Funding for the positions below
may or may not be forthcoming: Ph.D. or comparable credentials are required,
except for #4:
1. Vice President for Development;
2. Deputy Vice President for Development;
3. Deputy President;
4. Major Gifts Officer(s): Bachelor’s required.
Doctorate preferred.
.
Additional information is available at
<www.ria.edu/ruias>;.
No phone calls, please. Send your email address and vita (via mail and/or
email) to the attention of Charles Tandy, Ph.D. If you wish, you may also
send other relevant material. EOE.
Ria University Institute for Advanced
Study
PO Box 20170
at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94309
<ruias@ria.edu>
.
Indeed, RUIAS ads have already appeared in the Chronicle
of Higher Education and the Palo Alto Daily News.
Finally, we now ask you, the reader, for your response. Your creative ideas and kind generosity are herewith solicited. Dare to dream with us. Join the adventure . . .
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