Author: Shanon Brooks

Monticello College Announces Scholarships For New Program

For more than two years, we have been sending you educational articles and keeping you informed of the progress of Monticello College. As we continue to build this one-of-a-kind college here in the Blue Mountains, we intend to launch new offerings on a regular basis to meet the needs of budding statesmen. Our newest and […]

Paul’s Farewell Address Added To MC Curriculum

On November 14, 2012, Texas Representative Ron Paul delivered a nearly 7,000 word, 18-page farewell address to Congress, in typical Paul fashion. I recommend that you take the time to listen to or read this speech.   Here is the link: http://www.dailypaul.com/263090/ron-pauls-farewell-address-today-3pm-et-cspan Beginning in April 2013, Monticello College will include this speech in the 1st year curriculum […]

The American Crisis . . . Again

  Most Americans have heard of Thomas Paine and his pamphlet Common Sense, published in January of 1776. In fact, there is evidence that his timing was right and that his writings moved many Americans to the side of liberty and helped to make permanent the breach with England. However, fewer Americans are familiar with […]

The Abomination of Slavery: An American Condition

Dr. Travis Slade co-authored this post with me.  He is co-founder of Monticello College and the founder of Robert Morris Foundation.  He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Brigham Young University and a Medical Degree from the University of Utah.  He is a partner in a practice operating at the Ogden Regional Medical Center. It seems […]

Controversial Article: Read At Your Own Risk

This is an article worth reading. It is a liberal critic by a normally liberal news outlet. It is the kind of scrutiny that all potential presidents should be subjected to (before the election) and it addresses the issue of racism. I Too Have Become Disillusioned —by Matt Patterson (Columnist, Washington Post, New York Post […]

The Right Idea At The Right Time

The right idea (no matter how small) at the right time (no matter how difficult)—is still the right idea at the right time. The “right idea” of Monticello College has something in common with many long-standing institutions of higher education such as Yale, Harvard, William and Mary, Hillsdale, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, and […]

The Ideal President

About the Author Bryan Hyde is a husband, father of 6, truth-seeker, teacher, writer, speaker, and stirrer of pots. He has been a local radio commentator and writer in Southern Utah for the past 16 years. Bryan can be heard on the Perspectives morning show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM. The opinions stated in […]

Response to an Email

Below is an actual email that I received last week.  After I responded, I thought it would be worthwhile to share the email and the response. Begin forwarded message: From: Devirl Barfuss Date: September 29, 2012 8:12:30 AM MDT To: info@monticellocollege.org Subject: Re: Why Liberal Arts and Why Monticello College? Doctor Brooks, I have followed you since Cedar City and point […]

MC Trek Report #1

Trek One Report [TREK is a tremendous leadership laboratory. When faced with randomly chosen groups, varying conditions of weather, fatigue and risk, students overcome fears, learn to pay attention to detail, discover how to get along with others, and quickly adjust to changing conditions. In the opening orientation semester, first year students are taught the […]

It’s the DEBT, Stupid!

Our title is a play on the Clinton campaign slogan, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Then as today, politicians are banking on the fact that most of us are either not watching or not sophisticated enough to see the big picture.*  The truth be told, it is hard to make sense out all of the numbers […]

Krislyn Elliott & Lauren Swanepoel

Krislyn Elliott and Lauren Swanepoel act more like sisters than moms as they take really slow walks through the woods together, looking at and taking pictures of every plant they see & wishing they could remember their names and uses more thoroughly. They also like concocting herbal teas, salves, tinctures and strange drinks.

Krislyn is from Utah and has loved learning about plants since an unusually cool high school biology teacher took his classes on neighborhood botany walks. She has always been fascinated and constantly amazed at the power and beauty of plants.

Lauren is from South Africa, she and her family emigrated to Utah almost 10 years ago. They have fallen in love with the area and know more about this state & the great places to explore here than most Utah natives.

We both feel strongly about taking care of our families with natural methods and the abundant medicine we have growing right around us. We are trying to learn as much as we can about our magical local plants and are looking forward to sharing some of our favorites with you.

William DeMille

Director of Georgic Develeopment

William DeMille is a lifelong vegetable farmer. He studied Horticulture and Agronomy at Northwest Missouri University, Maryville. He holds a certificate in aquaponic engineering and production from Cornell University, NY, and another from GrowHaus Aquaponics in Denver, CO. He also studied soil regeneration and is a graduate of Dr. Elaine’s Soil Food Web School. He is the Director of Georgic Development for The Center for American Legacy Studies.

William is a farm consultant establishing several agricultural startups since 2005 in Missouri, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada and he currently manages 2500 acres of grassland for the Ruby Mountain Foods Company.

His latest venture is a market gardening school called Georgic Revolution where he teaches a 17-week course onsite in Nevada covering soil health and vegetable production without the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, etc. and where he operated a soil lab.

William lives with his wife Vernie in the snow capped mountains of Northern Nevada.

Lloyd Nelson

World Renown BD Expert

Lloyd Nelson has been practicing the art of Biodynamic (BD) Agriculture for over twenty years. He is a BD preparation maker, builder, artist, farmer, arborist, BD educator & consultant. He is co-founder of Biodynamic Source – a Colorado based non-profit specializing in high potency BD preparations – and he owns and operates a Biodynamic spray, fertilizer and consultation service. He has worked with small and large scale farms, vineyards, and orchards to transition to sustainable Biodynamic land management and Demeter BD Certification.

Vern Cox, PhD

Educator

Vern Cox is married to Joyce Christensen and they have 8 children. He has 3 earned degrees, a BA in psychology, and both a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy.

He has had a diverse and interesting career that started with the Bureau of Land Management, followed by a stint as a Learning Disabilities teacher, and finally a marriage and family therapist, working his way up to executive director of the High Country Counseling and Resource Centers that served two counties in Wyoming.

Dr. Cox served for several years on the board of a charter school. Dr. Cox remains heavily involved in his community and the home schooling movement.

He has extensive background in marriage and family counseling, having held a number of administrative positions during his first career. He holds a BA in Psychology and both a Masters and PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. He lives with his wife and several married children on their multi-generation farm in Southern Utah.

Joseph Lofthouse

Educator

Joseph adopted the principles of landrace gardening in response to the harsh growing conditions in a high-altitude, short-season, desert garden. Instead of relying on expensive poisons, labor, and materials to coddle the plants, he encourages genetic diversity, cross-pollination, and survival of the fittest, allowing the plants to adapt themselves to the current and ever-changing ecosystem, thus simplifying gardening and seed saving. Joseph is the author of Landrace Gardening: Food Security Through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination. Joseph loves eating, farming, swimming, hot-springs, sunbathing, bird-watching, running, yoga, leggings, kilts, playing guitar, singing, and living habitually barefoot.

Dan Brooks

Educator

Dan Brooks was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. During his first career, he spent 20 years working in and managing high-end restaurants and golf courses including extensive banquet/special events services and ice sculptures.

For the past 23 years, Dan has been a successful entrepreneur and family business owner in Las Vegas. He and his wife have 4 children and 11 grandchildren. He serves as a trustee for The Center for American Legacy Studies.

Shanon Brooks, PhD

Director

Shanon Brooks is the director of The Center for American Legacy Studies, an institution dedicated to helping families embrace and incorporate the Five American Ideals; Georgics, Liber, Providence, Public Virtue, and Liberty into their lives and communities. America exists because of Americans. Americans are the beneficiaries of a peculiar culture and way of living.

Over the past 75 years, that culture and way of life have been lost. Restore that culture and Americans will rebuild America to once again be worthy of John Winthrop’s 1630 admonition, “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us.”

Brooks has been a leader in alternative higher education for over 30 years, and is the author of two books: AMERICAN: Killing the American Dream and A Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens.

Dr. Brooks is a veteran of military service in the United States Submarine Fleet and holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration, a Master’s degree in education, and a Ph.D. in constitutional law.

He and his wife Julia reside on the 80-acre conference facility of The Center for American Legacy Studies.