Tricia McEntee

<p>“Of course we're a nonprofit institute, located in a challenging physical environment, and providing an enormous amount of subsidized and pro bono education,” Wheeler writes by email. “We couldn't do all this without donor support. Those donors—together with our board and the admin and staff and our thousands and thousands of alumni out there—see to it that we keep focused on our mission, our community and our students, and our human values.”

About 2 percent of Esalen’s revenue, according to CEO Tricia McEntee, goes to rent for the Murphy Family Trust, which owns the south portion of the main Big Sur campus. McEntee describes that rate as highly discounted, but the terms of the lease—which extends nearly to the end of this century—allow for a re-assessment in 2017 which may bring the rent up to market value.</p>