Bevan H. Morris, the longtime president of Maharishi International University and a leading figure in the global Transcendental Meditation movement, died Feb. 26 in Fairfield. He was 76.
Morris led the Fairfield-based university for 36 years, serving as president from 1980 until his retirement in 2016. During his tenure, the institution — formerly known as Maharishi University of Management — expanded its academic offerings, secured accreditation through the doctoral level and saw significant enrollment growth. When Morris arrived, the university enrolled about 500 students. Today, enrollment stands at approximately 2,500.
He also oversaw major campus projects, including the construction of the Golden Domes of Pure Knowledge, which later emerged as prominent landmarks in Fairfield.
Born March 3rd, 1949, in Adelaide, South Australia, Morris earned degrees in psychology and philosophy from Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University. He later completed advanced degrees in the Science of Creative Intelligence at Maharishi European Research University in the Netherlands, along with a Doctorate of World Peace from the institution’s campus in Switzerland.
Morris became involved with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation organization after meeting him in 1967 in Australia. He trained as a meditation teacher in India the following year and went on to hold several leadership roles within the international movement. From 1975 to 1979, he served as international coordinator for Maharishi European Research University before relocating to Fairfield to assume leadership of the university.
Beyond academia, Morris was active in political and global peace initiatives associated with the meditation movement. He co-founded the U.S. Natural Law Party and served as its national chairman, taking a leave of absence in 1992 to manage John Hagelin’s first presidential campaign. In 2005, he was appointed president of the Maharishi World Peace Fund and also served as Prime Minister of the Global Country of World Peace, an organization established to promote global harmony through meditation-based programs.
After stepping down as president, Morris remained active internationally, serving as International President of Maharishi Universities and later as president emeritus of Maharishi International University. His work took him to more than 120 countries to promote Consciousness-Based Education initiatives.
In recent years, Morris had been living at the Transcendental Meditation headquarters in the Netherlands. University officials said he had been dealing with medical complications in the months prior to his death.
Funeral services will be held on the Maharishi International University campus. Arrangements are pending.
Photography courtesy of Behner Funeral Home & Crematory.
