“Ubiquiversity” is an amalgam of “ubiquitous” & “university.”

“Ubiquitous,” meaning “present everywhere”

“University,” meaning “an entity of education that addresses all fields of study”

Based on its Latin root words, “Ubiquiversity” would literally mean “everywhere turning.” Ubiquiversity is figuratively about leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of bringing humanity to a higher level, while it is physically about leaving many real world stones unturned… in the pursuit of sustainability and nurturing future opportunity.

Vision:

Ubiquitous quality, equity, and accessibility of educational infrastructure

Mission:

• Quality: Improving the conceptualization and common understandings of educational purposes and practices
• Equity: Eliminating bureaucratic waste, systemic corruption and exploitation from both educational practice and the management of educational resources
• Accessibility: Empowering and creatively developing legitimately local, community-based, and thus sustainable, educational systems

Founder Jonathan Fantazier:

I am a native Pittsburgher, born, raised, and educated.

I graduated from Northgate Jr./Sr. High School in 1994 and earned my Bachelor’s of Science in Technical Writing at Carnegie Mellon University in 1999. I applied my degree to work in several IT jobs; including a year as a technical writer and assistant project manager in New York City’s “Silicon Alley.” In this period, I also worked for several years as a teacher and counselor in summer camps. What I love most about writing is the endless areas of learning and expression that it makes available. What I love most about teaching is the ability to reflect and develop understanding between people. As both of these loves might suggest… ultimately corporate work was not the right fit for me.

Motivated to focus on educational & professional communications, I earned my Master’s of Arts in Teaching at Chatham University in 2005. While teaching professionally, I also extended my own education beyond my degree programs through research in several teacher fellowships with both The Pittsburgh Teachers Institute and The Yale National Initiative; each of which entailed development of curriculum and pedagogical practice.

During my graduate program I had began substitute teaching in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, essentially apprenticing while studying. Working initially as a secondary English instructor of International Baccalaureate literature, I went on to predominantly teach secondary mathematics for the rest of my career with the school district. I earned tenure at Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12, teaching across the spectrum of nearly all middle and high school mathematics curricula.

Driven by the same vision & mission that now guide Ubiquiversity, I took early retirement from the public school system in 2013. I built more diverse experience while working for the 2013/2014 academic year with expeditionary learning programs at The Island School in Eleuthera, The Bahamas. While on Eleuthera, I taught mathematics, cultural studies, athletics, and outdoor living skills. From late 2014 to the present I have been researching education, writing a book on educational dialogue, continuing my own education, and preparing several community development proposals in parallel with developing Ubiquiversity.

Throughout my career I have staffed and directed three programs that provided therapeutic wilderness recreation for socio-economically underserved children from New York City, with The Fresh Air Fund & the Homes For The Homeless organizations. I later went on to be a leader, staff member and director for five programs that provided intercultural peace education for children from dozens of nations from around the world (with CISV International) – including chaperoning children from Pittsburgh to programs in Europe and Central America. Most recently (Fall 2016) in the area of international education programing, I have been a facilitator and assistant for YAPSA (Youth Ambassadors Program with South America), a U.S. Department of State funded program managed through Amizade, Global Service Learning.

My travel experiences – including work as an educator, as part of formal study, and in many forms of independent research – have included significant cultural immersion in fifteen nations, on six continents, as well as visiting 43 of the United States of America.

For all that I have traveled and learned, returning to Pittsburgh from each venture has reinforced for me how unique and promising our region is. At the same time, there is much work to be done if we hope to preserve and nurture the human and geographic resources that make Southwestern Pennsylvania unique and diverse. For all of the strengths of our region, I believe that – in all honesty – We the People of Southwestern Pennsylvania truly know that we all have a lot of work to do.

While Pittsburgh has been ranked as “most livable,” “most affordable,” etc. by a number of major media publications… as a proud native, I am dedicated to the Greater Pittsburgh region becoming several new kinds of “most,” “best,” and “least.”

I want to see Pittsburgh and surrounding communities be legitimately called:

the healthiest air & water quality for a post-industrial city on scale;

the most equitable and socially just conditions for residents;

the least incidents of child abuse or exploitation;

the best elder care and inclusivity in civic life;

the least sexism or racism;

the least homicides or suicides;

the least homelessness or poverty;

the least teen pregnancy;

the best local/regional food security and organic food access;

the best biodiversity for an urban environment on scale;

the best public transportation systems;

the most reliable and accident-free infrastructure;

the most green space for an urban environment on scale;

and, the highest quality, most equitable, and most accessible educational infrastructure