[Thought Piece] EARTH University “An ACT of faith and a labour of love”

CRITICAL ELEMENTS ADDRESSED IN THE CREATION OF EARTH UNIVERSITY
Dr. Robert Carbonell, the first President of the Board of Directors of EARTH University, was asked about the purpose of the institution during its early planning days. His response was: “EARTH is an act of faith and a labor of love.” I was listening to the interview at the time but did not understand what he meant. Over the years, I have come to realize that this is the real meaning of EARTH University.

I pen this description of the EARTH University model in the hope that by sharing a lived experience I will contribute to the transformation of certain practices in higher education that can in turn foster positive outcomes for our global society. During my 28 years as the founding President of this alternative university, we took the risk of breaking traditional paradigms in education to introduce new concepts with the aim of enhancing its relevance. The founders of our university were committed to making a difference and had serious doubts about how effectively our higher academic institutions were achieving their mission to educate our leaders of tomorrow. They wanted to challenge themselves and
take the risk of striving for something more innovative.

This institution, EARTH University, initiated operations some 31 years ago in the heart of the rainforest of Costa Rica. In April 1989, I was selected and inaugurated as founding President of this new center of higher education specializing in agriculture: a privilege I never imagined being a part of. After almost 30 years leading this innovative institution, I stand convinced that the ideas we tested can positively impact tertiary education on a global basis, and I recount our experiences here so that others may have the opportunity to build upon what we learned.

In the early to mid-1980s, Central America had become one of the main theatres of the Cold War. As it happened, this presented the occasion for the creation of this new university. I am convinced that the resources that were marshalled for the establishment of the institution were a consequence of the political conflict that we in Central America were living at that time. While the Soviet Union was supporting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and leftist movements elsewhere in Central America, the USA was backing the Contras, who were fighting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and assisting other right-wing forces across the region. Read more here

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