The Polymath Foundation is an educational 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to starting a university which trains polymaths who excel in mastering, fusing, and applying knowledge across many disciplines.
Here we address several questions and concerns that arise frequently. Have a question or concern that isn't addressed here? Contact us and we'll add them!
The primary purpose of the Polymath Foundation is to establish an interdisciplinary educational university that trains polymaths rather than specialists. In so doing, our ultimate goal is to spark a renaissance of creativity and innovation: a handful of polymaths naturally dominate each era, but never before have so many been trained on this scale. Once this institution is founded, we plan to institute similar initiatives in primary and secondary education and to promote awareness of existing interdisciplinary pedagogical ideologies, such as Waldorf education, on this level.
“One da Vinci changed the world. What could thousands do?”
We encourage students to learn many different subjects, then tie principles from those subjects together to create new ideas.
As a consequence of this, our curriculum will be modular: driven by student goals and large-scale projects that result in real-world achievements, rather than confined to an individual area of study. The disciplines students study will either relate to their projects or will conform to their preferences.
We will also strive to provide students with leadership development opportunities (but not requirements) on campus, in the workplace, and in their communities. We ultimately hope to involve students in the university's operations, branding, and policymaking as well, making our institution truly student-run.
To summarize, our university is different because it is student-centric. University is a stage during which many students are first treated as adults. We intend to go a bit further: treating students as mature, purpose-driven individuals with unique individual aspirations and boundless potential to attain them.
No, that is unfortunately impossible. We propose to break down the barriers separating disciplines, however, and allow students to cross-cut and integrate. We're fostering both convergent and divergent modes of thought, particularly as applied to leadership and creativity. We primarily emphasize the creation and application of ideas. After all, what is commonly referred to as “genius” is merely a collection of original, paradigm-shifting ideas and sufficient ability to fully express them. That's all it takes!
Some are - and from their biographies, it's clear that Franklin and Jefferson, da Vinci and Aristotle, Einstein and Newton were! Those who are not will either identify their goals rapidly (which is doing them a great service) or will be swiftly weeded out by the necessity of choice inherent in the curriculum. Not everyone will benefit from our program. That's ok - the existing model serves some students well and isn't going anywhere.
No, it is the exact opposite! The undecided major was created to allow students time to identify a purpose to latch onto, on the premise that no such purpose exists at the time of enrollment. Polymaths, modern and historical, are not only guided, but defined by a purpose that spans disciplinary bounds, often identified at a young age and adhered to very strongly. They have a very clear idea of what they wish to accomplish; it just does not fit neatly within the confines of a single field.
Not in the sense of a selective admissions process, as our approach is inclusionist and universal (that is not to say that enrollment will be open, however; certain expectations will be imposed). However, the additional load of an interdisciplinary requirement added to the already formidable rigor of the disciplinary component - and the need to possess well-defined and consistent goals which drive learning objectives - will naturally self-select only the most able and motivated students. We will work closely with other institutions to develop transfer programs for those students who are better served elsewhere, for whatever reason that may be and without passing judgment.
We will also provide a self-assessment in our application process to help guide prospective students' decisions to apply.
The Polymath Foundation refers to the organization itself, while Project Polymath refers to the organization's primary initiative to start a university.
Yes, the Polymath Foundation is a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS tax code and is a registered non-profit corporation of New Jersey. Contributions to the organization are deductible from United States income tax.
The Polymath Foundation was incorporated on March 20, 2008.
Please refer to our articles of incorporation and bylaws for our governing policies. We currently have the following individuals on our governing board:
(The linked websites above reflect the views of the trustees as individuals and do not represent the positions or policies of the organization).
Our corporate leadership is global, spanning both countries and US states, with a vast range of collective expertise in education, information technology, social entrepreneurship, business administration, finance, sales, law, and marketing. Not to mention electrical engineering, computer science, statistics, medicine, music, mathematics, analytical writing, theology, architecture, and astrophysics!
See the join our cause page for the ways you can contribute. Thanks!
There are many reasons: the students themselves are opened to a much more vibrant world, filled with connections and patterns, and discover their full potential to grasp those patterns, cultivating a wealth of original ideas and a great deal of aesthetic enrichment. Even in isolation, this would be sufficient justification. However, focused into action by unique visions of social good and aggregated over many students, the transformative potential of this approach is unprecedented. It really can lead to a renaissance.
Yes. It is true that the knowledge base is exponentially larger than it was in the Renaissance, but much of this knowledge is only relevant to a select few endeavors at any given time. Polymathy, like all genius, is not about acquiring complete knowledge, but about building a select knowledge base and successfully applying it to a creative purpose, resulting in a tangible work. The difference between polymathy and specialization is the emphasis on developing this knowledge base across as well as within traditional disciplines.
The larger state of the knowledge base also provides a justification for formal education of polymaths. Education is an assistive tool for navigating, comprehending, and ultimately generating complex ideas. Formally educated polymaths would be given a significant advantage over their autodidactic predecessors. As educators, we are in a position to provide that advantage.
Unquestionably. Businesses now seek employees with combinations of quantitative, technical, and “soft” skills, all of which are endowed by a strong interdisciplinary education. A polymathic background is also excellent preparation for creative and leadership roles within a company. In fact, many employers implicitly consider polymaths their ideal employees!
We additionally suspect that a disproportionate number of our graduates will become employers themselves, and will seek employees with similarly broad expertise, having developed a firsthand appreciation of the approach.
Our primary approach is bootstrapping: courses may be offered individually or in clusters, with tuition income from one course funding the next. We count university faculty among our board and our supporters, and can often launch a course at little cost. Our courses also serve as outreach, networking, and procedural opportunities. We will also solicit grants from individuals, businesses, and foundations, but we do not rely on them. Once accredited, we will rely primarily on tuition for funding (unless a more palatable alternative is found).
We estimate a timeline of roughly a decade from idea to full realization of our vision. Additional support will hasten this timeline. Regardless, partial operations will be up much earlier, and we have in fact already began offering courses and lectures in our communities and online.
Yes! We can offer employee training programs in a wide variety of fields (particularly in technological literacy) and most emphatically look forward to forming business relationships.
Again, yes! We are looking to develop credit programs with educational institutions and also seek classroom space in which to offer our courses prior to obtaining our own campus.
Yes, we wish to eventually offer accredited degree programs. We have not yet chosen a specific accrediting institution to work with.
No. We do not offer non-accredited degrees, nor do we have non-accredited degree programs. We will begin offering degree programs when we receive accreditation (or when required in the process of seeking accreditation). However, we do plan to offer professional certifications earlier.
We are not a diploma mill and do not grant degrees based on anything other than completion of an accredited course of study. We do not yet have such a program in place and thus have not yet issued any degrees. Should an applicant claim to possess a degree from our institution at this time, you may categorically treat that claim as a fabrication; however, please also notify us of the incident so we may track down any such misrepresentation.
Yes. Our board of trustees and executive committee meet monthly to discuss our initiatives and review what is and is not working. Later in our plan, this responsibility will be delegated to an institutional review committee, which will report its findings directly to the board of trustees and executive committee.
