MIU has received another annual round of grants from the Wege Foundation — six grants totaling $400,000. This is the tenth consecutive year the university has received these grants, and this year’s grants bring the total support from the Wege Foundation to $4,086,139.

“We appreciate this extraordinary support from the Wege Foundation so very much,” said MIU President John Hagelin. “The many grants we have received over the past ten years have reached every corner of the university and touched and uplifted everyone here, students, staff, and faculty alike. I also offer my boundless gratitude to Chris and Laura Wege, who have facilitated these marvelous gifts and whose passion for the university inspires me every day.”

“MIU is the symbol and center of Consciousness-Based education, the most ideal system of education in the world,” said Laura Wege, vice chair of the MIU Board of Trustees and an MIU alum . “Twice every day the students, faculty, and staff transcend and experience the inner field of pure consciousness. From that field all good qualities emerge. These qualities make us better people, more balanced, happy, generous, and kind.”

“This is why we work together with the Wege Foundation to generate these grants for MIU,” Mrs. Wege added. “We are supporting an approach to education that cultivates these qualities, and this ultimately contributes to creating a better world. As Desmond Tutu said, ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.'”

This year’s Wege Foundation grants

$150,000 – Faculty, Staff, & Student Comprehensive Development Program

This grant, now in its eighth year, supports a wide array of activities, including faculty research, publication, conference participation, and other academic support; faculty and staff training; student activities; and the annual Wege Awards, given to outstanding faculty and staff and which have become a year-end highlight at MIU.

“This year, a portion of this grant will also be used to complete the renovation of part of the Fairfield IT & Business Park to accommodate faculty, staff, and student TM retreats,” President Hagelin said. “This is the highest form of development we can provide to people.”

$75,000 – Wege Fellowship for the Arts

This grant, now in its third year, supports merit-based scholarships for the MFA in Visual Art, which have attracted talented students.

$70,000 – Faculty and Staff Multi-Purpose Support

This grant will support long-time faculty and staff in their transition to retirement.

$70,000 – Enrollment Growth Support

This grant will support the Admissions Office, specifically expenses related to Slate, our customer relationship management platform, as well as staff training and operational streamlining projects.

$20,000 – MIU Campus Ayurveda Clinic

This grant will underwrite general physical improvements in the Maharishi Panchakarma Clinic, housed in the Doshi Center for Integrative Health and Maharishi AyurVeda, to provide enhanced experience for both clients and staff.

$15,000 – Annual Fund

The Annual Fund provides unrestricted support for the operating budget.

About the Wege Foundation

The Wege Foundation, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was founded in 1967 by Peter M. Wege, chairman of Steelcase, Inc. Known for his compassion and generosity, Peter Wege was also passionate about preserving the environment. His motto: “Do all the good you can. For all the people you can. For as long as you can.”

Wege Foundation grants have supported the extensive renovation of the Wege Center for the Arts, Dr. Hagelin’s innovative research on dark matter, research on the Maharishi Effect, MIU’s MEG’Array Solar Power Plant, the Schwartz-Guich Sustainable Living Center, faculty art exhibits, student field trips, locally-grown organic food for the dining hall, the endowment fund, faculty and staff service awards, and more. Wege Foundation grants have also contributed substantially to Maharishi School, the K-12 school on the MIU campus.

Banner photo – Downtown Grand Rapids by Rachel Kramer, licensed under CC BY 2.0. From the Wege Foundation home page.