Our Story

Francis Edmunds & the founding of Emerson College

Emerson College was founded by Francis Edmunds in 1962 for young people of that time. He felt connected to, and had an understanding of what lived in the young people particularly in America, including the counterculture and the hippy generation. He saw these as a spiritual awakening, but one confused and hindered by the education, materialism and increasing technology of the age. But amongst all these young people there were some who had strong intentions to find a path to the spirit and so to bring healing forces to human society and the earth. It was for these that Francis Edmunds founded Emerson College. He offered them an education based on the image of the human being consisting of body, soul and spirit, inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner.

Emerson College was founded by Francis Edmunds in 1962 as an education centre for young adults.  He felt that people were seeking a more holistic way of expressing themselves, creatively, intellectually and spiritually, free from doctrine or convention. 

He wanted to help people looking for ways to bring compassion and healing to human society and the earth unencumbered by the education, materialism and increasing technology of that time.  To provide them with an education which could help them to find a vocation that would align with their ideals.

Through Emerson, he offered education inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, designed to nurture all aspects of the human being: physical, mental and spiritual.  Which also gave them the skills to express these aspects through practical action in fields such as education, biodynamic agriculture, arts, science, drama, medicine and social therapy.