Welcome to WBSI

Western Behavioral Sciences Institute (WBSI)
	Western Behavioral Sciences Institute was founded in 1958 as an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to research, education and advanced study in human affairs. Current projects apply global communications technology to distance learning, policymaking, and the formation of influential communities of scholars, scientists and leaders. The general mission is to make more humanitarian use of the Internet.
School of Management and Strategic Studies (1981-1991)
	Almost two decades ago WBSI created its highly regarded School of Management and Strategic Studies, the first program ever to employ online distance education, thereby launching this now burgeoning field. This program brought together, via computer conferencing, senior executives from all sectors of the economy, and 26 countries. The school demonstrated the power of this medium not only to serve educational goals, but also to create a community, a network of leaders communicating in relevant, detailed, thoughtful, and personal ways.
International Leadership Forum
	The International Leadership Forum is an Internet-based think tank composed entirely of top leaders who meet annually in La Jolla, California, and in policy forums throughout the year online, to discuss the major issues facing our global society and to make policy recommendations on the implications of these issues for all the world's peoples. The ILF is a natural next step for WBSI, evolving as it has from the Institute's pioneering work in the creation of online communities.
Programs in Development
	WBSI's Programs in Development continue to place the Internet in the service of humanitarian goals. Projects range from improving distance education and fostering independent scholarship to assisting developing democracies and extending mental health services to neglected populations. Each program will eventually be an open conference that can be accessed by and commented upon by the public: • Center for Distance Education • Fostering Independent Scholarship • MetaProfessional Designs for Mental Health • Democracy and the Market System • Educational Augmentation and Home Schooling