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San Elijo Life Conducted this Interview with the President Tim Mosteller of San Elijo College in mid January (some details may have changed)

Please Tells us about yourself & your vision for San Elijo College

I’m Tim Mosteller. I live in Carmel with my wife Angie and two kids. We bought our house new (watched it being built) in 2001. I teach philosophy at Cal State San Marcos, and have had a dream for a small college in or near our community for some time. Our progress has been slow over the last few years. We completed our business plan in 2006 and incorporated in 2008. We had a fundraiser in November and feel like there’s some good community support for our project.

How and why did you pick SEH for your location?

We chose SEH because we love it. It is (I believe) the ideal place to live. There’s no where else we’d rather be. In addition, SEH is designed as a “live/work” community. The town square, fountain, shopping, dining (eventually), parks, playing fields are ideal for a small collegiate environment. SEH has the feel of some of the European cities which have integrated colleges (e.g. Oxford or Cambridge). Also, the proximity to the academic resources of CSUSM played into our decision.

Have you secured a physical location?

No, we don’t have a physical location yet. We’ve had some conversations with Church of the Hills about sharing/leasing space from them once their facilities are completed, space that’s not used during the week. We’ve discussed purchasing the visitor’s center, which we think would meet our needs nicely. We’ve also looked at the former recycling center and adjacent land.

What size space are you interested in securing?

We think something along the size of the visitor’s center would be perfect. We are not interested in building buildings. We want to integrate into the community of SEH not detract from it.

How are you progressing on your timeline?

We are progressing well. The main challenge now is fundraising. Our immediate hurdle is our application for approval to operate by the State of California. The Bureau in charge of regulating private colleges got legislated out of existence last spring and the Governor vetoed the renewal legislation last fall, and is unlike to sign new legislation until the current budget crisis is resolved. So, we are progressing slowly here.

What is your anticipated enrollment fall of 2010?

In order to really survive as a small school, we will need at least 12 students, and will cap things of at about 35. Again, assuming everything progresses as planned, we would end up with a total enrollment of about 150 students.

What type of response have you received from the community of SEH, San Marcos City, SEH development, San Elijo Association? From the community of SEH, as I’ve talked with the idea to my neighbors and other residents, I’ve met no opposition to the idea. I’ve been moving pretty slowly. My biggest fear is to be seen as a disruption or distraction from what makes SEH a great place to live. I don’t want our college to be another WalMart!

I haven’t approached anyone from the city or the association yet. Partly because I wanted to see if we could raise the money to move forward. I have met with Kurt Noland at the SEH development company, and he was encouraging and generally supportive and optimistic about the project.

Fontis Novus

The Newsletter of San Elijo College

Winter 2009

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Fontis Novus, the newsletter of San Elijo College.

Fontis Novus is Latin for “New Fountain” which embodies the newness of our college and the tradition of our classical approach to education in which a wellspring of knowledge from the past pours into the present. Fontis Novus is also a reference to the signature landmark of San Elijo Hills. The San Elijo Hills fountain is the center of our community. It is a place of public renewal and beauty, which is the distinct aim of San Elijo College.

College News

Official 501c3 Status Approved!

San Elijo College is pleased to announce that we have received our official 501c3 non-profit status from the Internal Revenue Service. All donations made to the college since June 2008 are tax deductible. We are looking forward to making progress in our fundraising efforts for 2009.

Inaugural Donor Symposium

Our inaugural donor symposium with Dr. John Mark Reynolds and Mr. Dinesh D’Souza was a remarkable success. On November 15, 2008, over one hundred friends and patrons of the college were in attendance, including our college board of directors and board of advisors. We enjoyed a lovely evening of conversation and excellent cuisine accompanied by baroque and classical music provided by Caprice Strings. Classical audio books were donated as prizes to each table from our friends at Christianaudio.com.

Our first speaker was Dr. John Mark Reynolds, founder of the Torrey Great Books Honors Program at Biola University. Dr. Reynolds spoke on the crucial need for classical great books education in our culture. Dr. Reynolds was followed by Mr. Dinesh D’Souza, author of Illiberal Education. Mr. D’Souza gave us some poignant insights into the centrality of liberal learning for free democracies.

College Dream Location: For Sale!

Our dream location for the college is up for sale! This building is currently serving as the visitor’s center for San Elijo Hills. We would like to find an investor to purchase the building and lease it to the college. You can find additional details and view brochure pictures of the building on the college’s blog site: www.sanelijocollege.blogspot.com.

College Events

Spring Colloquium

Date: Tuesday, March 31^st

Time: 7:00-9:00pm

Location: San Elijo Hills Recreation Center, 1105 Elfin Forest Road, San Marcos, CA

Cost: Free, Open to the Public

More Info: Call 888-44-ELIJO or E-mail: [email protected]

We will be hosting our Spring Colloquium on Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, written in 524 AD. The text is available online or as an audio book, or through Amazon.com.

Boethius was a powerful, wealthy Roman political figure who lost everything, including ultimately his life, for doing what he knew to be right. While imprisoned, exiled and facing death, Boethius transcribed a conversation that he had with Lady Philosophy, who guides his soul to true wisdom and well being. Come join in the conversation and discussion of these timeless truths that can center us during our own times of economic changes of fortune.

Here is a brief excerpt from Boethius’ The Consolation of Philosophy:

And Philosophy answered, “Whose happiness is so firmly established that he has no quarrel from any side with his estate of life? For the condition of our welfare is a matter fraught with care: either its completeness never appears, or it never remains. One man’s wealth is abundant, but his birth and breeding put him to shame. Another is famous for his noble birth, but would rather be unknown because he is hampered by his narrow means. A third is blessed with wealth and breeding, but bewails his life because he has no wife. Another is happy in his marriage, but has no children, and saves his wealth only for an heir that is no son of his. Another is blessed with children, but weeps tears of sorrow for the misdeeds of son or daughter. So none is readily at peace with the lot his fortune sends him. For in each case there is that which is unknown to him who has not experienced it, and which brings horror to him who has experienced it. Consider further, that the feelings of the most fortunate men are the most easily affected, wherefore, unless all their desires are supplied, such men, being unused to all adversity, are cast down by every little care: so small are the troubles which can rob them of complete happiness.”

Join us on March 31^st to discover Boethius’ secret to happiness!

Executive Seminar

San Elijo College is pleased to announce our 2009 Executive Seminar. The Executive Seminar is a taste of our great books curriculum and is designed for working professionals and business leaders. Our theme is Philosophy and The Good Life. The seminars will be held once per month in May, June, July and August. We will be discussing one book at each seminar meeting. Our reading list is: Plato’s Republic, Boethius’ Consolation of Philosophy, Descartes Meditations, and C.S. Lewis’ Abolition of Man. The seminars will be facilitated by Dr. Tim Mosteller and other guest tutors. The tuition for the four seminars is $1,500, and all proceeds go directly to the College’s startup needs. Enrollment is limited. For further information about the seminar or to reserve a place, please e-mail: [email protected]

Summer Classical Education Mini-Conference

San Elijo College is pleased to co-sponsor a mini-conference on classical education in conjunction with North Coast Calvary Chapel’s Mars Hill Ministry. Mark your calendars now for Wednesdays July 8^th, 15^th and 22^nd. More information and a schedule of speakers and topics will be announced soon.

College Needs

Volunteers

We need volunteers for several key positions:

Marketing Director: Publish and coordinate all communications from the college.

Development Officer: Assist with the college’s fundraising campaigns.

Admissions Recruiter: Develop and implement new student recruiting plans.

Accountant: Give oversight to the college’s budget and finances.

If you would like to volunteer for any of these positions in the college, please contact [email protected].

Donations

To make a donation to the college, checks can be made to “San Elijo College” and mailed to 1261 San Elijo Road, San Marcos, CA 92078. Check our website www.sanelijocollege.org for online giving (available soon).

College Information

College Blog

Make sure to visit our blog at www.sanelijocollege.blogspot.com for reflections on higher education and updates on SEC’s progress and events.

College Contact Information

Web Site: www.sanelijocollege.org

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 888-44-ELIJO

Address: 1261 San Elijo Road, San Marcos, CA 92078