The inauguration featured a formal ceremony, beginning at 2:00 p.m., followed by a meet-and-greet with Dr. Pearson and a reception immediately afterward. Speakers includee Santa Barbara Mayor Helene Schneider; Donna Shavlik, former director of the Office of Women in Higher Education at the American Council on Education; scholar, poet, and Goddard College President Emerita Barbara Mossberg; and Pacifica faculty, staff, and Board members. In her inaugural address, entitled “Evolving the Legacy – Eros, Logos, and Soul,” Pearson plans shared her vision for Pacifica’s future and its role in American society and global civilization. “Eros” refers to relationships, “Logos” to reason and discussion, and “Soul” to the essence not only of humans, but also of the greater community and world. Only by following a path that combines these three concepts can we ensure humanity’s future, Pearson believes.
“The Board of Trustees of Pacifica Graduate Institute voted unanimously to support Dr. Pearson’s appointment because of her background and the leadership she has shown over the past two years,” said Board Chair Ernest E. Zomalt. Before coming to Pacifica, Pearson was Director of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership at the University of Maryland and a professor in its School of Public Policy. She has held major administrative positions at several colleges and universities, was an American Council on Education Fellow in Academic Administration, and is the author of more than a dozen books and numerous articles in the fields of archetypal psychology, leadership, organizational development, branding, women’s studies, and literature. Her new edited volume, The Transforming Leader: New Approaches to Leadership for the 21st Century, will be published in June. Pearson earned her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston, TX.
In a recent President’s message, Pearson stated that Pacifica’s students “are pioneers co-creating a better future for humankind. Ahead of their time, they understand that connecting to the deeper wisdom inherent within can awaken their imaginative potential, so that they can live and work in ways that are fulfilling, creative, and filled with meaning. As they say yes to their authentic callings, their actions have ripple effects that usher in a better future for us all.”
Pacifica Graduate Institute, founded in 1976, is an accredited graduate school offering master’s and doctoral degree programs framed in the traditions in depth psychology. The Institute has established an educational environment that nourishes respect for cultural diversity and individual differences, and an academic community that fosters a spirit of free and open inquiry. Students have access to an impressive array of educational resources on Pacifica’s two campuses, both of which are located between the coastal foothills and the Pacific Ocean a few miles south of Santa Barbara, CA. For more information, please visit www.pacifica.edu.