Board of Directors
Merryn Olson Flavell
President/C.E.O.
Office Hours:
Available during Flavell Business Hours (Central Time)
Monday-Thursday: 5:00am to 10:00pm
Friday: 5:00am to 4:00pm
Saturday: 5:00am to 12:00pm
Sunday: 5:00pm to 10:00pm
Academic Achievements:
B.A. Degree in Fine Arts, Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI
K-6 Teaching Certificate, Augsburg Weekend College, Minneapolis, MN
Masters Degree in Educational Leadership, St. Mary's University
B.A. Degree in Fine Arts, Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI
K-6 Teaching Certificate, Augsburg Weekend College, Minneapolis, MN
Masters Degree in Educational Leadership, St. Mary's University
Twin Cities Campus, Minneapolis, MN
K-8 Middle School licensure in Language Arts and Mathematics
K-8 Middle School licensure in Language Arts and Mathematics
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
K-12 Principal Licensure, Educational Policy and Administration
K-12 Principal Licensure, Educational Policy and Administration
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Merryn Olson Flavell had the wonderful advantages of going to school near a good neighborhood library, an active and supportive Y.M.C.A. and the opportunity of attending the Chicago Art Institute Jr. School for six years during her junior high and high school years. She graduated from Grand Valley University, Allendale, Michigan with a BA degree in Fine Arts.
With the birth of their son, Matthew, Merryn went to Augsburg Weekend College and earned her K-6 teaching license. She went on to continue her studies at St. Mary's University, earning her masters degree in Educational Leadership, and then pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in Educational Policy and Administration (currently working on her dissertation). But the degree she really wanted to get was a degree in the Great Books.
After earning her B.A. in Fine Arts Merryn and her husband, George, ran group homes for ten years in the Twin Cities area. After earning her K-6 license, Merryn began work at the Minneapolis Public Schools. Merryn's urban students made wonderful, academic progress andin 1996 she was asked to become a math trainer in the district. During this same year she began writing space science curriculum with Jeanine Gregorie at Augsburg, through a grant from NASA, for integrating Space Science Across the Curriculum.
With the birth of their son, Matthew, Merryn went to Augsburg Weekend College and earned her K-6 teaching license. She went on to continue her studies at St. Mary's University, earning her masters degree in Educational Leadership, and then pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in Educational Policy and Administration (currently working on her dissertation). But the degree she really wanted to get was a degree in the Great Books.
After earning her B.A. in Fine Arts Merryn and her husband, George, ran group homes for ten years in the Twin Cities area. After earning her K-6 license, Merryn began work at the Minneapolis Public Schools. Merryn's urban students made wonderful, academic progress andin 1996 she was asked to become a math trainer in the district. During this same year she began writing space science curriculum with Jeanine Gregorie at Augsburg, through a grant from NASA, for integrating Space Science Across the Curriculum.
Throughout her life, Merryn has read and been very inspired by the Great Books of both the Western and Eastern traditions and she had an abiding conviction that this degree should be available to a much wider circle of people. After much research, she knew that the world is indeed flat, and decided that she would write an online university, offering degrees in the Great Books, the first of its kind. Her son, Matthew, now a student at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, has been an important aid in completing this work, and as the work developed she found that many very qualified people wanted to join her in this new endeavor. Flavell International University was approved in July of 2006 to offer a BA Degree in the Great Books by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and we are beginning our first semester with students from around the world.
Our happy group is now working to open an online high school of the Great Books for Fall of 2007, a K-3 school in Africa for January 2008, and then continuing our K-12 No Child Left Behind Tutoring in Illinois and Minnesota through A Plus Tutoring with Bonnie Vander Vegte.
Our urban kids are smarter than they are being given credit for and we are witnessing everyday that students, who come to class, are provided with a viable curriculum by competent and caring teachers far exceed current low expectations. Chicago Public Schools has recorded the data to prove that our students made the highest gains in reading over those students working with all other tutoring providers.
George Flavell
Vice President & C.F.O.
Our urban kids are smarter than they are being given credit for and we are witnessing everyday that students, who come to class, are provided with a viable curriculum by competent and caring teachers far exceed current low expectations. Chicago Public Schools has recorded the data to prove that our students made the highest gains in reading over those students working with all other tutoring providers.
George Flavell
Vice President & C.F.O.
Office Hours:
Monday through Friday: 5:00pm to 9:00pm
Saturday: 9:30am to 12:00pm
George Flavell followed in the family trade and has been working, very successfully, as a builder for over 30 years in Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. His life-long interest in alternative energy has lead him across the country seeking out the research of the last 30 years on ways of incorporating intelligent building practices to the benefit of his customers and the environment. Among other things, projects in the last five years have included building a lovely, energy efficient church in Apple Valley, Minnesota, and a beautiful, thermal mass home in Northfield, Minnesota.
Through the years, George has been very supportive of Merryn’s work with her students in public schools. He has taken the position of Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, guiding us to building a for-profit and a sister non-profit corporation that will allow our work to grow internationally.
Eleanor Ruth Schultz, M.A.
Board Member, E.S.L. Department Chair
Academic Achievements:
Board Member, E.S.L. Department Chair
Academic Achievements:
B.A. in Business from California State University at Los Angeles, CA
M.A. Educational Administration from The University of St. Thomas
St. Paul, MN
M.A. English as Second Language Hamline University, St. Paul, MN.
Eleanor Ruth Schultz taught high school business courses for 17 years. She has
been a high school Principal for the past 10 years in Minneapolis Public Schools.
After serving 1 year as a Middle School Principal,she was appointed as Principal
of Wellstone International High School for young immigrant students, ages 17-21,
with native languages of Hmong, Spanish, Oromo, Amharic and Somali. At the
same time she was Principal of the district high school alternative school for
credit make-up. She is an Associate Professor at St. Mary's University. She
has published 3 articles in Principal Leadership journals. Currently Ruth is working
as the Assistant Area Superintendent in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Hobbies:
She lived in Germany for one year and has traveled on a ship around the world for 4 months. She likes ice fishing, summer fishing, tennis, and reading.
Matthew Flavell
Intern Board Member
Matthew Flavell graduated from Northfield High School in 2005. During his years in high school he became very focused on working to uplift society. He and Merryn worked long hours on developing this university of the Great Books and volunteering at North Commons Park in Minneapolis, where together they earned the Volunteer of the Year Award for their work in improving reading and math achievment with inner-city students through their summer program, Leonardo's Kids. Matthew also won several ribbons in the Northfield High School speech club, earning two letters for the speech team.
In junior year, Matthew earned a commendation from his French teacher for his support during their trip to France, and in his senior year, he earned a commendation from his political science teacher for his work in promoting K-12 education in Minnesota and for developing and implementing a "'Boats for Tsunami Victims fundraiser." Matthew was also one of the youngest volunteers to ever work at the Minnesota Science Museumin St. Paul, where he regularly volunteered in the Archeological Exhibit.
After Katrina, Matthew lead several groups down to New Orleans aiding in the clean-up efforts after Katrina. Currently he has just retuned to Minnesota after completing an internship in Washington, D.C. and a study abroad in India. His studies in non-violence and education have been very inspiring and he is devoted to doing his part in building bridges between peoples and across cultures around the world for the betterment of all mankind.
In junior year, Matthew earned a commendation from his French teacher for his support during their trip to France, and in his senior year, he earned a commendation from his political science teacher for his work in promoting K-12 education in Minnesota and for developing and implementing a "'Boats for Tsunami Victims fundraiser." Matthew was also one of the youngest volunteers to ever work at the Minnesota Science Museumin St. Paul, where he regularly volunteered in the Archeological Exhibit.
After Katrina, Matthew lead several groups down to New Orleans aiding in the clean-up efforts after Katrina. Currently he has just retuned to Minnesota after completing an internship in Washington, D.C. and a study abroad in India. His studies in non-violence and education have been very inspiring and he is devoted to doing his part in building bridges between peoples and across cultures around the world for the betterment of all mankind.
